Western clothing craze sends sales of denim dresses and skirts soaring, Levi Strauss says

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Interest in everything related to Western fashion is driving up demand for denim clothing such as skirts and dresses, according to San Francisco-based Levi Strauss. The frenzy comes as Western wear has gained a groundswell of cultural support that’s caught the attention of consumers, not to mention the retailer’s chief executive and Wall Street. A Levi’s store at the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets in Florida. Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images

In a lyric on her latest album, Beyoncé sings “denim on denim, on denim, on denim.”

Levi Strauss shoppers are taking that advice to heart. Levi Strauss executives are ecstatic.

Western wear is booming as consumers opt for top-to-bottom denim looks, the iconic, 171-year-old clothing maker said on Wednesday. As the style wins cultural favor, its popularity is juicing denim niches — like shirts, skirts and dresses — that fall outside Levi’s widely-known blue jean offerings.

“The growing popularity of Western wear is at an all-time high,” CEO Michelle Gass told analysts Wednesday night after the California-based retailer’s latest earnings report for the quarter ended in May.

A Western renaissance has been gaining traction over the past several months, sending stylish shoppers searching for pieces like jeans, boots and cowboy hats. Levi’s scored a huge hit when its jean brand was referenced in Beyoncé’s song “Levii’s Jeans,” released earlier this year.

Beyond Beyoncé’s chart-topping “Cowboy Carter” album, the increased ubiquity of Western style has also been tied to a fashion line unveiled by Louis Vuitton earlier this year and Taylor Swift’s ongoing Eras Tour.

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Gass, who took over as Levi Strauss CEO earlier this year after previously serving as the CEO at Kohl’s, has touted that denim is having a moment in the popular imagination, with Western wear trending more broadly throughout the culture.

More specific data shared on the company’s earnings call Wednesday showed how Levi Strauss is taking advantage of demand for denim beyond its popular “501” jeans. Sales of denim skirts, jumpsuits and dresses all at least doubled in the latest quarter, Gass said. Western shirts sales are also up significantly, she said, especially on the women’s side.

Levi is find success in what the 55-year-old chief executive described as

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