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'Mom jeans' are back — and might be saving the denim industry

Are you ready to embrace the 'mom jeans' trend?
/ Source: TODAY

It’s official: Mom jeans are making a major comeback!

The high-waisted, straight-legged jeans are helping to drive an overall increase in jeans sales, according to a recent report from the market research firm NPD Group.

In recent years, many women have reached for leggings or yoga pants instead of jeans — and, let’s face it, what’s easier to wear than your favorite, stretchy pair of leggings?

Now, jeans manufacturers are realizing that women want just as much comfort when it comes to their denim. That means stretchier fabrics, more relaxed cuts and, yes, the wider legs and more forgiving high waists of the infamous “mom jean.”

People love these high-waisted jeans because they’re “easier to wear,” Marshal Cohen, NPD’s chief industry advisor, told TODAY Style in an email. “(The style) is different enough to warrant buying a pair, and more people can wear higher waists without fear of ‘tushy cleavage.’”

More comfortable denim styles like mom jeans are driving an increase in jeans sales. People bought 364 million pairs of women’s jeans in the U.S. last year — 22 million more pairs than the previous year, according to NPD, which looked at sales from February 2018 to February 2019.

Cohen thinks there are two main reasons why American women are buying more jeans.

“One is, how many more yoga pants do they really need?” he said. “But even more is, the styles are more comfortable and different enough. Women don’t need more super-skinny, low-rise jeans, but now it’s easier to find more stretch options that are comfortable enough to start to rebuild their denim wardrobe.”

(That said, low-rise jeans are apparently also making a comeback, which people definitely have mixed feelings about).

If you’re ready to embrace the mom jeans trend, here are some cute and affordable options:

  • Everlane '90s Cheeky Straight Jean, $78, Everlane

Launched just a few months ago, these '90s-inspired jeans from popular brand Everlane give us a comfy-chic vibe.

Since mom jeans are trendy again, it's only natural Urban Outfitters carries a few cute options for the trendsetters among us.

  • 1822 Denim Distressed High Waist Mom Jeans, $45, Nordstrom

With some light distressing for style, you can almost convince people you've owned these jeans since the '90s.