And now, let’s take a look at what was going on in the denim world outside of Diesel around the time we left off - towards the beginning of the ‘90s, post the higher waist tapered and skinny looks of the ‘80s.

Next in line was the low-rise hip-bone-grazing jean of ’94 that made it’s mark- re-introduced into popular culture mainstream as seen on Madonna, when she wore a pair of the McQueen Bumster jeans in an ad for MTV.

The rise was just 3 inches, exposing significant amounts of ‘bum cleavage’ (picture here of McQueen’s Bumsters).

There were thoughts that McQueen originally got his inspiration from the so-called “builder’s bum”- when trousers accidentally slip too low.

But McQueen said it was about elongating the female form.

“That part of the body … not so much the buttocks, but the bottom of the spine—that’s the most erotic part of anyone’s body, man or woman” – Alexander McQueen.

Then the boot cut makes a come back in ’96, and in ’97 JNCO (short for ‘Judge No-one Choose One) comes out with their skate boarder cool ultra wide straight leg,

low slung over-sized baggy jeans,

embracing the principle of non conformity,

challenging conventionalism and the status quo of the slim, tight jeans that had been ubiquitous for two decades.

JNCO jeans ushered in a new era of style: from suburban malls to urban influence.

The brand’s creators Jacques Yaakov Revah and Haim Milo Revah were Moroccan-born, French raised designers who developed the jeans after noticing how Latino men in LA tended to wear baggy pants.

And with the rise of R&B, Hip Hop, and Rap. Rap being the expression of a genuine, undiluted, unmediated subculture, which came from the streets, baggy pants became a general unquestioned signature.

For a time, JNCO jeans disseminated the culture of the new music into American suburbia, transitioning the style from a sub-culture to mainstream.

In 1998 Helmut Lang moves his show from Paris to New York, kicking off the premium denim craze by charging more than $200 for his bum-grazing pants.

Hilfiger is soon to follow in ’98 with darker denim anointed (embroidered) with the American flag.

The low rise jean continues to permeate R&B and Hip Hop (which has that parallel sartorial history of saggy, low slung pants to reveal underwear- often designer ‘Calvin Klein’ underwear).

In the video of “Are you that somebody?” Aaliyah wears a pair of oversized nylon pants yanked low and layered over a metallic undergarment.

Lil’ Kim attends a book party for David La Chapelle in an asymmetric- or one-legged- pair of lavander trousers with a barely there rise.

In its spring/summer ’98 collection, Gucci shows low rise skirts with visible thong lines.

In her 1999 video for “Heartbreaker” Mariah Carey wears a pair of classic blue jeans with the waistband cut off, giving them a super low rise.

Sisqo releases “Thong Song”, a celebration of the underwear low rise jeans reveal.

Jennifer Lopez is another ambassador for that style, flaunting hip bones in performances and on red carpets, soon followed in the early 2000s with Destiny’s Child, Pink, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears.

In 2001 Britney makes the low rise pant’s elongated, exposed abdomen look iconic when she performs “I’m a Slave 4 U” at the MTV Video Music Awards in hot pants that reveal sculpted muscles and hip bones plus bralette top and a python.

And then in 2001 7 For All Mankind launches in California and soon makes the low rise, boot cut jeans the ubiquitous must-have prestige item.

In 2002 Christina Aguilera rebrands her diva image with the lubricious “Dirrty”, layering chaps over her boy shorts and low rise pants over visible thongs in the video.

In 2003 Keira Knightley jumps in, wearing low rise to the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Lindsay Lohan goes for low rise boot cuts for red carpet appearances.

In 2004 The New York Times reports that the thong “may have reached its tipping point”, but this may have come too early as celeb style continues to favour the low rise, with lace-ups yet further revealing the abs and hips.

In 2005 the New York Daily News runs a story on the ‘preponderance of unflattering low rise jeans among average New Yorkers with the headline “Muffin-Top Mayhem”.

In 2006 Kate Hudson appears on TRL in what became a signature pairing: a belly bearing vest over low rise boot cut and distressed jeans.

And in 2007 Britney mounts a come back after an infamous episode in which she attacked a too-eager paparazzo with an umbrella, appearing in her lowest rise jeans yet, leading the Daily Mail to ask, “How low will Britney jeans go?”.

In 2008 the last legs of the visible thong trend appears on a pair of low rise jeans that come with their own built-in bikini bottoms. “In the long and varied history of fashion faux pas”, writes the Daily Mail, “this may be the worst.”

And by 2008/9 innovations in denim stretch technology and the stretchy skinny jean quickly descends from Hedi Slimane’s Dior Homme runways to premium denim lines (JBrand being at the front of the pack here),

and soon mass market retailers, which together with the jegging (stretchier, more lightweight, softer denim), and general fatigue from overkill of the low rise, shifts the focus in denim from butt cleavage to comfort and rebellion against low rise bootcut saturation.

It’s then all about the ‘ombre’ wash- a lighter wash in the middle of the leg, then darker at the bottom, like an ombre effect to make your legs look longer.

Soon the ascendance of Katie Holmes as an A-list in her new leading role as Mrs. Tom Cruise puts the boyfriend jeans back in the picture- and the rise of the waist marks the fall of the bumster, for now.

By 2013/14 while skinny jeans become ever skinnier, with boyfriend the other way (loose, oversized, baggy), distressed, decorated and patchwork denim come back into the picture with the rise of the festival scene, as do overalls and jumpsuits.

From 2015 waists start to climb higher, and high waist skinnies and crops- crop boots and crop flares- become popular.

By 2017 the high waist continues but the focus shifts to the hem line, unhemmed, frayed and step-frayed hems are now in fashion.

And in 2019, after their short stint as a come back in 2014, overalls and jumpsuits are back in, but more fitted and cropped than before, and more varied whether utilitarian or more dressy.

2020 is a strange year for denim (especially during lockdown), all about cosier fashions and the looser more relaxed fit, all vintage inspired with light distressing, rips and tears.

2020-2021 also sees the comeback of the ultra low rise, with a twist.

Lower than ever before, now paired with a thong worn high for effect, covering that butt-crack at the same time - how cool is that?

And this trend is not going away any time soon - if anything it’s only going to get more popular through 2022.

In 2022 denim makes a comeback with a vengence, vintage inspired and sustainability led.

The trend being to buy less and pay more, invest in quality denim and it’s all about provenance and the lengthening of the life-cycle of a pair of jeans.

In 2022 we have also seen the return of double-denim, and standout silhouettes include the “puddle pant” and “billowing out” denim styles.