Trendsetter
Mariah Carey claims this 2000s trend was her idea
The iconic singer tells the story of how the jean trend came to be
Before high-waisted jeans were all the rage again, the early 2000s were all about the low-rise jeans. And if you recall, the lower, the better. Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez – you name it – were all rocking ultra low-rise denim, but who made them an IT trend? Well, Mariah Carey claims the idea of low-rise bottoms became a thing thanks to her and her stylist at the time, Tonjua Twist, when they decided to DIY a pair of jeans for the music video of her 1999 hit, Heartbreaker.
In a video for Billboard’s “Throw It Back” video series, the singer takes fans through memorable moments in her career while sharing fun facts along the way. One of them was about the jeans she famously rocked in the video. "The jeans that people were wearing were high-waisted, and I was like, 'Why? Why are we doing a high-waisted jean? That's not flattering.' I didn't understand it," she said.
The quick fix to that was: "we cut 'em, then ripped 'em" she said. "I noticed that really soon after, all these designers were doing the same cut of jeans," she added.
However, the hip-bone grazing jean is accredited to the late Alexander McQueen, who in 1994 debuted his first collection titled Taxi Driver and allegedly presented the Bumster Jean. Nonetheless, the Obsessed singer definitely made a fashion statement when she sported the sexy jeans, and they remained a wardrobe staple for the rest of the early 2000s.
To this day, the 49-year-old star remains a fan of the low-rise trend and you likely won’t find her wearing any other style. "I still hate high-waisted jeans," she said. Well, what goes around comes around when it comes to fashion, so their return might be upon us. Only time will tell!
