Every Garment Needs Its Cultural Moment

When I first got into fashion, one of the main questions I wanted to answer was: What makes something trendy?

Over the past few years, I’ve started to develop a better understanding of this.

A key factor in determining whether something becomes a trend is its cultural moment. This moment is what propels a niche item into mainstream adoption.

During last Sunday’s Super Bowl—the most-watched broadcast since the moon landing—we witnessed the cultural moment for flared jeans. Kendrick Lamar wore a pair by Celine, and it quickly became the talk of the internet.

Bootcut and flared jeans were already gaining traction, but Kendrick’s influence likely cemented flared jeans as the trend of the year.