Low-rise jeans are back in fashion, but where did they begin? TikTok-trendy style can thank Kate Moss, Britney – even Barbie – for its original popularity

Low-rise jeans, popular in the early- to mid-’00s, have made a comeback after a decade of sky-high waistlines thanks to influencers like Bella Hadid and Jennie

The style’s history can be traced back to the early 1990s, when model Kate Moss and designer Alexander McQueen helped make midriff-bearing hip-huggers sexy

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Britney Spears, Jennie from Blackpink and Kate Moss in low-rise trousers and skirts. The style can thank these stars and others for its popularity. Photo: Getty Images

Clare Holden

Published: 4:15am, 11 Aug 2023Updated: 7:45am, 11 Aug 2023

From 2010 to 2020, waistlines went up, and it felt like they would never come down.

Popular jeans brands adopted names like “sky-high”, “high road” and “high life” for their styles, and the return of indie sleaze – a low-rise, rocker aesthetic popular in the mid-noughties – seemed a long way away.

As we entered the 2020s, however, TikTok creators embraced all things Y2K – hip-skimming jeans, trousers and skirts included.

Some readers may have worn hipbone-baring trousers themselves in the mid-’00s, others may find them a novel concept. Either way, low-rise is back – and there are new ways to style it.

Across the board, there has been a yearning for all things ’90s and ’00s. Susie Draffan, the senior denim strategist at trend forecasting company WGSN, says this comeback is driven by the youth market.

A model walks the runway in low-rise jeans during the Diesel ready-to-wear autumn/winter 2023-2024 show. Photo: Getty Images

“This nostalgia has been manifesting in the shift to looser fits, with the low-rise a key part of that.