Best jeans brands to shop in 2023

A wardrobe staple, shopping for the best jeans brands can seem a daunting task. With so many options out there, we’ve asked the experts what makes the best quality jeans brands and what to look for when you’re investing in new denim, whatever your budget.

Looking for the best jeans brands this season? With great denim available at all price points, it's hard to decipher just what to look for. As a general rule, the best jeans brands use top-quality denim and have great cuts and fits. Of course, the most flattering jeans for your body type will differ from person to person and shopping for jeans can be quite subjective but when it comes to online shopping for the best jeans brands, Danielle Hill, Buyer at luxury retailer TheHut.com has this advice: “know your own measurements inside out. Always measure your waist and length before buying denim. The Hut provides extensive buying size guides for each of our denim brands such as Wrangler, Lee and Good American to help advise the size that is perfect for you.”

While this may seem like a no-brainer, each jeans brand’s fit will have subtle differences and certain factors such as the wash of the fabric can also affect the fit - if you’re opting for a darker finish such as indigo or black, the fibers will be stiffer from multiple treatments to achieve the color so don’t be surprised if you need to size up slightly, particularly in styles with little or no elastane content.

9 BEST JEANS BRANDS TO SHOP IN 2023 FOR STYLE, QUALITY AND FIT 

Shopping for jeans is considered by many to be a minefield at the best of times but knowledge is power and once you find your best jeans brand, it’s the start of a beautiful friendship - true blue, if you will.

To help get you started, we’ve picked the nine best jeans brands and selected the styles that will have you looking and feeling your best when you don your denim. Whether you’re looking to splash the cash on the best designer jeans brands or looking for a straight-to-market hero, we’ve got something stylish for every budget.

1. GAP

Gap accounts for one in five pairs of jeans sold every year in the UK and it’s not hard to see why the brand is considered to be one of the best jeans brands around. Not only does it offer a broad range of cuts, colors, and sizing but Gap's affordable price tag has seen them become a style staple. If you’re looking for the best jeans for you, you’re likely to find them among Gap’s on-trend denim offering.

Discussing the types of jeans we can expect to see this season, Sapna Brooks, Head of Buying for GAP UK says: “We introduce new denim styles, washes, and fits each year, refreshing our bestsellers in line with changing trends and lifestyles. This season more relaxed, looser fits are key, such as our wide leg high rise, the ’70s Flare, or the ‘90s Loose. New for spring, we have refreshed our easy taper Girlfriend Jean and will launch our easy lower rise, looser legged Low Stride jean, for an ultra-relaxed look.”

2. Levi's

 The true blue of the denim world, a pair of Levi’s jeans can be found in most fashion insiders’ wardrobes. Founded in 1853, the American clothing brand has become synonymous with the best jeans styles, launching iconic cuts from the classic 501s to more recent styles such as the Wedgie and the Ribcage. With over 25 key styles available in a variety of washes, lengths and even fabrics, there’s a pair of jeans for everyone, making this one of the best jeans brands for style choice and size

Levi’s jeans are made from rigid or low-stretch denim, meaning they have very little give initially but when worn over time they gradually mold to your body to create the perfect fitting pair of jeans. This season sees three new styles join the brand’s range, based on cult classics - the 501 81 is an eighties-inspired reimagining of the iconic 501 with an added mom jean fit; The Baggy Boot, a bootcut jean with a slouchy top block and finally, The Middy. With a return to the mid-rise waist and stylish straight-leg shape, this is the ideal fit for those with a shorter torso who struggle with popular high-rise waistbands.

3. Everlane

American fashion label Everlane has become known as one of the best denim brands 2023, having brought out its first denim collection in 2017. The brand’s Way High jean is considered by many fashion insiders to be one of the best high waisted jeans out there, selling over 130,000 pairs since its launch in 2021. If you’re looking for a touch of old skool style, the '90s cheeky jean is another popular style – made from rigid denim and with a vintage-inspired style, this is definitely a contender for the best mom jeans.

Made from 100% organic cotton, Everlane also has great green credentials, with all of its denim being produced by denim partner Saitex, certified as the cleanest denim factory in the world, making it one of the best sustainable clothing brands too.

With all of this in mind, it’s no surprise that Everlane has many celebrity fans of its denim, including Nicole Richie, Kate Bosworth and Jodie Turner-Smith, to name but a few. Looking for inspiration for what to wear with black jeans or for some new mom jeans outfits? These three stylish women can show you a thing or two.

4. Paige

With a list of celebrity fans including Cindy Crawford, Priyanka Chopra and Beyonce, the Los Angeles-based brand has become a byword for Californian cool and subsequently one of the best jeans brands. Co-founded by Paige Adams-Geller and based on her own experiences as one of the top fit models in the denim industry, Paige jeans are designed to be a foundation piece in your wardrobe. Each design is fully wear-tested to ensure that they are the most comfortable jeans, that deliver on flattering fits that will stand the test of time.

As Adams-Geller herself says: “PAIGE is known for fit, fabrics and quality. You can take everything in this collection and wear it from morning to moonlight. The PAIGE customer is someone who appreciates fashion, comfort, craftsmanship, elevated details and effortless styling. Our quality is second to none and we make clothing that is so comfortable that you want to live in it!”

In 2021, the brand expanded its offering with Flaunt Denim, a collection that embraces curves. Updating the waist-to-hip ratio, Paige reimagined several of its bestselling styles to cater to customers with fuller hips and thighs but small waists utilizing its extensive fit expertise.

5. H&M

Working to a budget for your new jeans? Our top pick for wallet-friendly styles has to be H&M. The Scandinavian clothing brand's extensive denim collection includes both petite and plus styles, as well as excellent maternity denim offerings in classic cuts as well as updates every season to cover the latest denim trends.

Despite often being labeled as fast fashion, H&M’s drive to become a sustainable brand has also meant a move towards recycled fabrics for many of its products - the company has set the goal that 100% of all clothing will be made at least in part using recycled materials by 2030 and its well on track to achieve this, given that 65% of its items are already made from recycled yarns, including denim.

6. Good American

Launched in 2016 by Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede, you might be tempted to write off the label as a vanity project, given its celebrity co-founder. But we have to give credit where it’s due - Good American makes excellent jeans, becoming one of the best jeans brands to invest in right now. The brand champions body positivity, with size inclusion ranging from 00 to 24, which is reflected in the models used to showcase products on the website, with each product shown at least two different-sized models so that consumers have a realistic representation of how a pair might fit.

If you’re looking for the best slimming jeans, Good American’s Compression Denim is worth investing in. Offering an even broader range of sizes from 00 to 32, the collection is available in three levels of compression, from light to mega. Behaving like the best shapewear, the variety of styles offers tummy smoothing technology, a signature no-gap waistband, and adjustable buttons as well as internal corsetry for the perfect fit.  

7. Madewell

If you’re looking for jeans with a great fit that do good for the planet, check out Madewell. Its 'Do Well' initiative has seen the brand make a push towards a cyclical fashion and sustainability model, setting up its own clothes recycling program via both resale and recycling. Madewell has collected over one million pairs of jeans in six years and aims to double that by the end of 2023.

Many of the brand’s most popular styles draw from modern takes on vintage cuts as a nod to the original Madewell brand, founded in 1937. From rigid denim to extra comfort super stretchy styles, the brand also caters to a variety of sizes with petite, curve, tall and taller range of jeans, making some of the best jeans for tall women.

8. Frame

Celebrating its ten year anniversary last year, Frame denim is considered by many to be one of the best quality jeans brands around. Despite being founded in Los Angeles, the denim capital of the world, the brand actually has its roots in Sweden, where founders Jens Grede and Erik Torstensson both hail from. Inspired by the French ethos of dressed-up casual, Frame’s range features expertly crafted classic styles.

The duo decided that rather than taking on the wealth of cuts and styles in the denim world, they would focus primarily on creating the perfect skinny jean before slowly adding to its repertoire over the years. With such emphasis on fit, Frame denim has garnered a loyal league of fans, including celebrities such as Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber to name but a few.

9. Abercrombie

While you might turn to TikTok for a variety of denim tips and hacks such as how to style straight leg jeans or inspiration when it comes to white jeans outfits, in 2021 the social media platform brought Abercrombie & Fitch’s Curve Love denim range to the masses when its new designs went viral.

Once seen as a collegiate label, Abercrombie & Fitch has been staging a quiet style revolution in the last few years. Listening to customers' complaints about gaping waistbands, the design team added an additional two inches through the hip and thigh of popular styles, ensuring a perfect fit if you have a curvier lower body but a small waist

With inclusive sizing ranging from 23-37 waists plus short, regular, and tall lengths as well as extra short lengths, Abercrombie & Fitch’s Curve Love is the denim brand to visit for jeans that fit like designer styles but come with a high street price tag. With all this in mind, Abercrombie’s Curve Love gets our top pick when it comes to jeans for curves.

What jean styles are on trend right now

Overwhelmed by choice? Can’t decide when it comes to boyfriend jeans vs mom jeans or straight vs skinny jeans? Hill has this advice about styles to start with on your odyssey for the best jeans for your shape:

“Skinny jeans instantly flatter every body type and are a classic. High-waisted jeans are another classic for any body type, but especially petite figures as it can help add height and elongate your figure. Flares and wide-leg jeans are always a go-to when you are tall as they help to sculpt and create an hourglass figure. “

Of course, just like any type of fashion, denim moves with trends and if you’re wondering what the next denim trends will be, Farrah-May Archer Boadi, Styling Team Lead at Stitch Fix says you should take your inspiration from the Nineties:

“Baggy styles, low rise, and acid wash jeans aren’t going anywhere, with Y2K trends still leading the way on the SS23 catwalks. Overall, the denim trends are fun, bold, and playful with an element of utility and grunge thrown into the mix. On the SS23 ready-to-wear catwalks of Givenchy and Isabel Marant, we’re seeing Y2K classics such as cargo trousers and baggy jeans combined for a fresh, 2023 take on the year’s hottest '90s and '00s trends."