Making a case for the anti-basic jean

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a good pair of jeans is the foundational piece of any wardrobe. Whether skinny, wide-legged, or barrel-shaped, the perfect pair of jeans is the garment that grounds the outfit while something else takes centrestage. But designers are increasingly proposing the opposite: instead of a perfectly plain pair that goes with virtually anything, they’re transforming the humble garment into a statement piece, and what was once a supporting actor becomes the talking point.

On the autumn/winter 2026 runways, Jonathan Anderson at Dior sent out jeans embellished with a scallop pattern that resembled decorative curtain swags—drawn from Christian Dior’s Juno ballgown of 1949. Stella McCartney, who has shown jazzy jeans for a few seasons now, paired a tank that read “My dad is a rockstar” with jeans studded with colourful crystals for the finale look, while Ulla Johnson showcased a metallic embellished pair with a chunky jumper.

Beyond the runway, Bode’s newly released autumn/winter 2026 lookbook also teases an upcoming collaboration with Levi’s, the jeans embellished along the seams and pockets with the label’s signature crafty style.

The appeal of embellished jeans lies partly in how easily they solve the problem of getting dressed. At a time when personal style increasingly revolves around one standout item rather than a head-to-toe look, the embellished jean offers an easy shortcut, turning the most basic tank, tee, or shirt-and-sneaker combo into something more distinctive.

While many global designers approach embellished denim through studs, crystals, and hardware, Indian designers are taking the idea further, going beyond the regular decoration and treating denim like a canvas for craft. Labels like Rkive City experiment with post-consumer denim on the daily, employing techniques that range from screen printing and patchwork to traditional Indian embroidery work like chikankari and kantha to create one-off pieces. LVMH Prize semifinalist Kartik Research often collaborates with the label on upcycled denim trousers punctuated with embroideries for its collections.

Other designers are similarly pushing the medium. There’s Divyam Mehta, whose jeans feature colour-blocked mulberry silk patches layered with intricate floral kantha embroidery, creating a richly textured surface. Labels like Chorus and Payal Pratap, too, are leaning into the trend with dainty cross-stitch florals. On social media, self-taught designer Diya Joukani is going viral as the “cool girl from India” wearing her own embroidered denim designs. Her pieces—often covered in delicate stitched motifs—tap into the same instinct: turning trending silhouettes like jorts into something personal and distinctive. If the idea of embellished jeans sounds intimidating, they’re surprisingly easy to wear. The beauty of a hardworking jean is that it does most of the styling for you. Paired with almost anything—a crisp shirt, a white tank—it becomes the single interesting piece in an otherwise simple outfit.