• Consider prairie skirts, denim shirts, and western belts for retailers seeking SS24 OTB options. Denim shirt arrivals are already +119% YoY. For men, short-sleeved checks are bubbling up, with woven checks +27% vs. 2023.
• When considering communications, choose the right persona for your customer. Pick from our selection, including Coquette Cowgirl and Mr. Rodeo Drive.
• Jeans remain the commercial backbone of Western looks. When planning for fall, take note of shifts in shape investment, noting wide fits in womenswear are +83% YoY, and baggy makes up the highest amount of majority sell outs in menswear at 26%.
• From the Fall 2024 runway, floral knits emerged as a new anchor piece for the trend, but commercial favorites, such as chocolate brown hues, suede and check shirts, returned. Louis Vuitton and Molly Goddard were the major shows to showcase classic Western themes.

Short-Term Strategies

1. Womenswear OTB SS24 Opportunities

Long cotton skirts are set to be a major trend for SS24, with options already +64% vs. 2023. Both tiered and gathered waistbands have been spotted among newness, noting checks see investment at Urban Outfitters and UNIQLO, whose C: collaboration preview included a matching crop top set that’s due to land in April.

Denim shirts are reemerging for SS24, with arrivals up 119% YoY. While oversized fits dominated bestsellers, take note of H&M’s fitted shirt with oversized cuffs this season, which saw a majority sell out within six days of landing.

Western-style belts, in particular studded designs, are seeing good performance this season and are a welcomed commercial accessory trend that act as an alternative to the cowboy hat.

2. Menswear OTB SS24 Opportunities

Despite check shirts being down on the year, with arrivals -16% YoY, within this, poplin options have grown by 27% while flannels are back 64% vs. 2023 arrivals. Styles to remember for any OTB include small grid checks and ginghams on short-sleeve shapes, spotted at UNIQLO and Zara.

Denim jackets have seen new options jump 23% YoY, with a noticeable uptick in zipped designs, feeding into the Americana workwear aesthetic. Similarly, carpenter bottoms, which were spotted at the Louis Vuitton Fall 2024 show, have seen big investment from Abercrombie & Fitch, whose options are +116% vs. 2023.

3. Choose the Right Persona for your Customer when Promoting in SS24

Long-Term Strategies

1. Take Note of Womenswear Denim Shapes

As one of the key pillars of the trend, jeans remain the commercial go-to to help build out looks; however, when planning for FW24, note how retailers have invested in fit at the beginning of 2024. While straight leg remained the top invested area, their YoY intake remained fairly level alongside bootcut and flared. The most significant investment switches were noted in looser fits, with wide and baggy up 83% and 75%, respectively. In contrast, slim, mom and skinny shapes all contracted vs. 2023.

Recent Sell Outs

2. Be Aware of the Best-Selling Menswear Denim Shapes

In menswear, slim remained the top invested jeans shape at the beginning of 2024, but options have contracted, albeit slightly. Skinny continued to downtrend, with arrivals back 34% YoY. Retailers have moved cash away from these areas and upped investment in straight fits, growing 65%. Interestingly tracking bestsellers so far in 2024, baggy shapes saw the highest mentions at 26% of majority sell outs. While we expect quantities to be lower for this more directional style, it does show that customers are responding to looser-fitting denim.

3. Runway Fall 2024 Direction – The Newcomer: Floral Knits

Emerging as a new trend for Fall 2024, Grandpa-inspired floral designs were applied to knitted jumpers and cardigans, most notably at Molly Goddard, which utilized classic Western styling, including piping and placements florals. Investment in menswear will cater to both Western and Grandpa Dressing themes.

4. Womenswear Trends

Molly Goddard was the poster brand for classic Western styling, with its rose-embroidered shirts, denim and polka dot dresses earmarked as the season’s directional buys. Besides this, the aesthetic has been built on subtle nods to the trend, with chocolate brown a key color, suede on jackets and accessories, plus corsets – noting a denim jacket with a built-in corset at Ulla Johnson.

5. Menswear Trends

Checks had a revival and work as a commercial investment that can double up into many trends (Grunge, Western, Countrysidecore). Look for inspiration from Loewe’s cotton, two-color checks, or classic red flannel buffalos at Louis Vuitton. Piping was used on Western shirts, but was also added to tracksuits at Kiko Kostadinov, giving the trend a sportier, smarter feel. Accessories, such as tie clasps, chunky belts and cowboy hats, were bolstered by their appearance at the Louis Vuitton Fall 2024 show.

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Appendix

Date analysis
Products new in Dec 1 – Feb 20, 2024 vs. 2023

US & UK retailers considered
Womenswear & Menswear: Abercrombie & Fitch, Aritzia, ASOS, Bershka, Boden, Fat Face, Forever 21, Free People, H&M, J.Crew, Mango, Motel, NA-KD, Pull&Bear, Reserved, River Island, Sosander, UNIQLO, Urban Outfitters, Whistles, Zara