Interest in Western Fashion Skyrockets

Spurred by the success of Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour, global sales of metallic cowboy hats rose by 1,601% year-on-year last August and dominated summer 2023’s festival- and concertgoer fashion. Now, with the release of her country album Cowboy Carter (which became the most streamed album in a single day on Spotify so far this year), and a string of cowgirlesque styling choices, Beyoncé has become the face of fashion’s move out west.

Western aesthetics have been on the rise for some time, but 2024 is the year they reach fever pitch. UK-based retail intelligence platform Edited has noted a huge increase in the number of western-style pieces stocked across major retailers for Spring/Summer 2024, with prairie skirts, denim shirts, western belts and worker bottoms up 64%, 119%, 17% and 41%, respectively, from the S/S 23 season. Meanwhile, Google Trends data shows that searches for “flared jeans”, “double denim” and “women’s cowboy boots” have soared since Beyoncé’s album was announced, and Levi’s stock rose 20% after the album’s release thanks to the inclusion of a track titled Levii’s Jeans.

It goes beyond Beyoncé: American country music it girls Kacey Musgraves and Kelsea Ballerini continue to gain global popularity, while musicians including Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X and Bad Bunny incorporate elements like cowboy hats, boots, fringes and chaps into their on-stage ensembles. Additionally, well-known horse girl Bella Hadid has pivoted from the polished world of competitive show jumping to the rough-and-ready rodeo scene, Lana Del Rey is set to release her first-ever country album later this year, and Taylor Swift fans anticipate the rerelease of her self-titled (and distinctly country) debut album. Even last summer’s Barbie film featured western-inspired costumes that were quickly replicated by Zara.

Fashion brands are seeing the opportunity. Cowboy boots continue to appeal to street-style stars, while classic riding boots were a major presence on the Autumn/Winter 2024 catwalks, and western references appeared in myriad collections from Chloé to Louis Vuitton. There’s also a major link with our 2024 Americana Gothic youth style cohort. British brand Dr Martens’ Gothic Americana collection (released in January 2024 in collaboration with UK-based musician Denzel Himself the Goth Cowboy) includes boots, loafers, mules and bags complete with western-style contrast stitching and gunmetal buckles, whereas New York-based Mirror Palais’s spring 2024 collection puts a coquettish, pastoral spin on the rustic look.

Elsewhere, brands are using western aesthetics to interrogate stereotypes and celebrate the communities at the centre of the trend. Pharrell Williams’s A/W 24 collection for Louis Vuitton menswear paid homage to Black and Native American cowboys, collaborating with Native American artists who made traditional blankets and hand-painted accessories for the collection.

Additionally, Californian collective the Compton Cowboys aims to uplift and support inner-city youth and work to combat negative racial stereotypes. It recently collaborated with New York-based label Sprayground on a range of bags, accessories and apparel fit for the Americana Gothic cohort. Similarly, in late 2022, denim label Lee partnered with menswear brand The Brooklyn Circus (both American) on a collection that celebrated Black culture’s immense influence on the American West.

There’s ample opportunity for brands to get on board with this ongoing western boom. Workwear brands are uniquely positioned to win this trend and should take cues from Dr Martens and Lee on how best to merge history and tradition with exciting aesthetic updates. Alternatively, Mirror Palais’s pastoral collection is an excellent example of adapting a trend so that it appeals to your specific consumers’ tastes.