Today we're chatting with Amy Leverton, an LA-based denim trend forecaster, and the author of Denim Dudes, and founder of the Denim Dudes consultancy that has become one of the most trusted voices in the global denim industry.
Amy grew up in the West Country of England — but once a year, Glastonbury Festival arrived like a city descending on her doorstep, and that collision of music, personal style, and creative energy lit something in her early on. She made her way to London College of Fashion and then Kingston University, where a project on Levi's quietly revealed what she was actually built for .
After working as a denim and casualwear designer, she landed at WGSN, the world's largest trend forecasting agency, in 2007. She spent years building out their denim department, traveling to Coachella and Tokyo to photograph street style, chasing cool kids through markets and down city blocks, and connecting the cultural dots that tell brands what's coming before it arrives. She eventually went independent, and Denim Dudes — which began as a street style book published in 2015 — has since grown into a full consultancy with all the major denim clients you can think of: Levi's, Wrangler, Gap, Guess, Old Navy – you name it.
Denim Dudes publishes a seasonal forecast subscription sharing where denim — and the broader culture around it — is headed next. On today's episode, we get into all of it: how vintage styles inform her forecasting, why she thinks the entire fashion industry needs to be paying attention to what's happening in the vintage market, the state of silhouette in an anything-goes era, and the vintage pieces she can't stop thinking about!
Let's dive right in!
DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
[3:57] Amy grew up in the West Country of England — but once a year, Glastonbury Festival arrived like a city descending on her doorstep
[8:38] She made her way to London College of Fashion and then Kingston University, working as a denim and casualwear designer.
[11:11] How Amy developed a specialty in denim.
[13:01] In 2007, she landed at WGSN, the world's largest trend forecasting agency, and spent years building out their denim department.
[16:43] How a denim trend forecaster studies the trends and looks ahead at what's to come, while looking back at vintage.
[22:00] Fashion is cyclical — Amy reflects on watching trends she lived through the first time come back around, and why a good trend forecaster can never be jaded about it.
[23:10] How vintage markets are a leading indicator for trend forecasters
[28:08] Vintage is becoming the biggest driver of the mainstream fashion industry.
[32:01] On denim silhouettes and trend cycles, and the "anything goes" era of denim
[41:53] Amy's vintage denim collection.
EPISODE MENTIONS:
Denim Dudes
@denimdudes
@denimdudes on TikTok
WGSN Trend Forecasting
Silver Lake Flea
Levi's RED
Please and Thank You Store
Saleem Ghanchi
The Bearded Beagle
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