The Fall/Winter 2022-2023 buying season has begun. At the Las Vegas Convention Center this week, retailers and brands are gathering at Informa Fashion Market’s Project trade show, taking stock of what’s next in denim.
There, the Rivet editorial team selected the best in F/W 22-23 denim across seven categories: Best Women’s Collection, Best Men’s Collection, Best Trend, Editor’s Choice, Best Storytelling, Best Collaboration and Best Sustainable Collection.
From strong streetwear statements to fashion-forward collections that key into the category’s new trend cycle, the fourth edition of the Rivet x Project Awards recognizes the brands bringing newness and creativity to the denim market.
Best Women’s Collection: 7 For All Mankind
7 For All Mankind’s women’s assortment is a choose-your-own-adventure of denim, spanning jumpsuits, floral printed co-ords, coated jeans and pieces made with recycled hardware.
The brand leans into effortless dressing with several one-pieces, including a button-front wide-leg jumpsuit with spaghetti straps, a long-sleeve jumpsuit with Western-inspired details and soft V-neck jumpsuit with puff-sleeve and a self belt—the latter of which is also available as a short dress. Meanwhile, a strapless black coated denim jumpsuit makes a strong case as the cool-girl alternative to a little black dress.
Wide-leg jeans covered with black crystals is 7 For All Mankind’s big ’90s moment, but a range of black coated pieces including jeans, jackets and a circle skirt gives the collection a downtown edge. To contrast, floral printed Trucker jackets and matching jeans are accented with sweet scalloped-edge labels. Other jeans feature floral embroidery and the phrase “oh yeah.” Black and pale pink wide-leg corduroy trousers with deep cuffs offer a cozy yet elevated alternative to jeans.
Best Men’s Collection: Jack & Jones
Launched in 1990, the Bestseller Group-owned Jack & Jones label has good bones to stand on as it aims to reestablish itself in the U.S. The brand’s F/W 22-23 range covers must-have men’s trends, including preppy varsity jackets and Gorpcore staples like corduroy shirting and plaid shackets made with recycled polyester and heaps of knits.
These seasonal items, however, complement Jack & Jones’ bread and butter: jeans. The brand’s NOOS range—short for “never out of stock”—offers retailers a risk-free way to ensure they always have bestselling jeans available. Once they buy a start box, they can reorder top styles and buy core sizes and colors. NOOS products, which span slim, skinny, joggers and more, account for more than one-third of turnover.
The collection is not without its specialty and trend-driven items. The Blue Journey range offers “designed in Italy” jeans made with Candiani Denim fabric. A rep said the brand takes key accounts to the Italian mill for a guided tour to learn more about the denim-making process. For consumers seeking a wider fit, Jack & Jones offers the Loose Chris, a high-rise jean with a loose thigh, knee and leg opening. The style is available in indigo and white, but a bandana laser-printed version is a standout.
Best Trend: Driftwood
Bohemia is part of Driftwood’s DNA, but as the popularity of DIY and nostalgic denim grows, the brand’s embroideries, patchwork and retro silhouettes never felt more current.
The F/W 22-23 collection is dense with rich autumnal colors, floral embroidery, and mixed media patchwork. With rich textures across a myriad of fits spanning flare, relaxed, wide-leg, joggers and bell-bottoms (complete with side insets), Driftwood manages to offer variety without losing its aesthetic. Even low-rise jeans without back pockets—a style Gen Zers with a Y2K fetish would swoon over—have a boho vibe.
Standout items include jeans and denim jackets with celestial embroideries, corduroy jumpsuits, jean jackets with dark floral velvet panels and a range of knitwear and jackets that would fit in on the set of “Yellowstone.”
Best Storytelling: Scotch & Soda
Space exploration may be a popular theme in escapist fashion, but Scotch & Soda is interested in bringing consumers back closer to home. The Dutch label imagined what space on Earth would look like in its F/W 22-23 collection. Tops with surreal landscapes are literal examples of the concept, while sunset gradients, utility details and shackets with unexpected color schemes nod to Scotch & Soda’s exploration-inspired story.
The collection also highlights the brand’s environmental efforts. In addition to focusing on low-impact washes, Scotch & Soda is a long-term partner of Trees for All, a “global scope” foundation that has carried out reforestation projects in Central and South America, Africa and Asia as well as in the Netherlands for more than 20 years.
Key denim items in the men’s collection include a denim jacket with shearling insets, jeans with Amsterdam-themes embroidery and a denim shacket with a slight shawl lapel. The theme is echoed in the women’s range, where jeans and shirting feature subtle beadwork, shearling jean jackets are cropped and tonal patchwork updates balloon-shaped jeans.
Editor’s Choice: Dead. Than. Cool.
As premium denim labels begin to chase streetwear trends to resonate with younger consumers, Los Angeles-based Dead. Than. Cool. is capturing that desirable market by staying true to its aesthetic. Known for details like abrasions, hand sewn repairs, 3D logo embroideries, high-shine hardware (button hems are a signature) and paint and bleach effects, the jeans are as fun to look at as much as they are a strong brand story for retailers. A rep said consumers are even beginning to wear the brand’s tags.
The F/W 22-23 collection offers more colorful tie-dye jeans, bleached denim jackets and jeans and tonal patchwork. Recycled polyester tops offer a more accessible alternative to its silk shirts.
Best Collaboration: PRPS
PRPS will launch a F/W 22-23 collection of jeans and tops with Jimi Hendrix. The collection includes tie-dye graphic tees and jeans decorated with Hendrix-themed newspaper-like prints. PRPS plans to fete the collaboration with an event in the fall. Tie-dye, in general, has been gangbusters for the brand, which is also celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
Best Sustainable Collection: Mavi
Hemp is here to stay. Mavi is the latest denim brand to introduce the low-impact fiber to its blends, beginning with a men’s workwear jacket and jean. The fabric includes cotton, recycled cotton and 13 percent “brushed” hemp. In general, the brand is ramping up its sustainability efforts and reporting. Along with performing LCAs for products, Mavi will release an updated sustainability report in April.