LOW RISE, HIGH ENERGY: HOW GUESS IS BRINGING Y2K DENIM BACK TO THE DANCE FLOOR

Fashion has a funny way of bringing things back. One minute, we’re declaring low-rise jeans a thing of the past. The next, we’re looking for the perfect pair. And right now, the early 2000s are having quite the moment again. The denim, the attitude, the going-out looks. Only this time, we’re wearing them on our own terms.

GUESS knows a thing or two about that era. The brand’s latest release, The B Jean, revisits the fitted silhouettes and unmistakable denim attitude of the 2000s, with a contemporary update. Think a low waist, a close fit and a bootcut leg – the kind of jeans that make you want to build an entire outfit around them.

To understand why this comeback makes so much sense, it’s worth going back a little further. To 1981, when the Marciano brothers arrived in Los Angeles from the South of France with their own idea of what American fashion could look like. They loved denim, but they also loved Hollywood glamour and the effortless sensuality of French style. Why not bring it all together?

Their breakthrough was a pair of stonewashed jeans called the Marilyn, complete with a slim fit and three zippers. At the time, jeans were still largely associated with practical, everyday dressing. GUESS wanted to make them something else entirely: fashionable, sexy and just a little provocative. Bloomingdale’s initially ordered only 24 pairs. They sold out within hours. Not a bad start.

Then came the campaigns. GUESS understood early on that fashion was about more than the clothes themselves. Its advertisements looked like scenes from films you desperately wanted to be in. Sun-drenched California landscapes, cinematic black-and-white photography, tousled hair, bare shoulders and beautiful people. A little old Hollywood, a little European romance, a lot of attitude. The jeans were there, of course, but so was an entire fantasy.

Over the years, some of fashion’s most memorable faces became part of that world. Claudia Schiffer, Anna Nicole Smith, Eva Herzigova, Naomi Campbell and later Paris Hilton all appeared in GUESS campaigns.

By the time the 2000s arrived, GUESS was already firmly established in pop culture. And the new decade suited the brand rather well. Low-rise jeans, fitted tops, visible waistbands, glossy hair, oversized sunglasses and going-out outfits that weren’t exactly designed to blend in. Celebrity culture was everywhere, fashion was getting louder, and a good pair of jeans could make just as much of a statement as a designer dress.

Of course, not everything about the Y2K era deserves a comeback. Its obsession with low waistlines went hand in hand with some pretty restrictive ideas about which bodies were supposed to wear them. Luckily, the conversation has moved on. The silhouettes might be familiar, but there’s much more freedom in how we wear them today. You can enjoy the nostalgia without buying into every beauty ideal that came with it.

GUESS, meanwhile, has been looking back at its own denim history. The B Jean is a good example of how the brand is bringing some of its most recognizable codes into the present. Available in vintage-inspired washes, it comes as a classic low-rise bootcut and in a version with a distinctive triangle panel along the side seam. Familiar, yes, but with plenty of room for a new interpretation.

To introduce the new silhouette, GUESS teamed up with singer and actress Becky G. It’s a fitting choice. Becky G has built a career moving between music, fashion and different cultural influences, always with a strong sense of her own identity. She knows how to make a look her own, which is ultimately what good denim is all about.

The campaign, titled Press Play, puts music and movement at the center. Becky G wears the jeans with the kind of confidence that makes you forget there’s a campaign happening at all. And in many ways, that’s exactly the point. GUESS has always been good at creating an image people want to be part of.

But what does the Y2K revival look like away from the campaign set, on an actual night out?

In Berlin, GUESS brought The B Jean to Studio 1111 for a launch party that put the clothes where they belong: out in the world, on the dance floor and in front of the camera.

Which feels appropriate, considering how closely fashion and nightlife were connected in the early 2000s. Before every outfit became content, there were digital cameras, paparazzi shots and party pictures that ended up defining much of the decade’s style. Think jeans worn with tiny tops, leather jackets thrown over bare shoulders, and the kind of outfits that looked even better at two in the morning than they did when you left the house.

At Studio 1111, there was plenty of that energy. Guests showed up in their own versions of the denim look, pairing jeans with fitted tops, leather jackets and boots. The mirrored photo wall was a popular stop, naturally. Some things about a Y2K-inspired party simply don’t need updating.

With Baby Bens among the evening’s musical highlights, the night brought together music, denim and a crowd that clearly enjoyed getting dressed up. Between the DJ, the performance and the endless photo opportunities, The B Jean got a proper Berlin welcome.

And while Becky G is the face of the international campaign, the Berlin crowd showed just how many different directions you can take a single pair of jeans. Some looks leaned into the nostalgia, others felt entirely contemporary. That’s the nice thing about denim: it works with pretty much whatever personality you bring to it.

After years of oversized everything, there’s something fun about wearing a more fitted, low-slung silhouette again. It changes the proportions of an outfit, makes you think differently about what goes with what, and brings back a certain kind of confidence. A little nostalgic, a little sexy, and refreshingly uncomplicated.

It’s also interesting to see a brand return to an aesthetic it helped establish in the first place. GUESS made denim desirable in the 1980s, became part of the celebrity-driven fashion culture of the 1990s and 2000s, and now finds itself introducing some of those same ideas to a new generation. The references are still there, but the people wearing the clothes have changed. And that’s what keeps it interesting.

The B Jean comes in different vintage-inspired washes, including darker denim options, with variations on the classic low-rise bootcut silhouette.

As for the party? Let’s just say that low-rise jeans are definitely ready for another night out.