The back-to-school denim wars are starting earlier and lasting longer

Denim is front and center in an increasingly elongated back-to-school season.

Brands and retailers are highlighting denim jeans, shorts and skirts earlier than they have in years past. Pacsun rolled out its back-to-school campaign, called “Denim Starts Here,” on July 9 — three days ahead of its “Denim Days” campaign in 2025. Meanwhile, Kohl’s debuted its back-to-school campaign featuring “must-have looks” like relaxed denim on July 8 — nine days earlier than its back-to-school effort in 2025. And Hollister began marketing its back-to-school denim collection on July 16, versus early August of last year.

Denim tends to be a popular back-to-school purchase, per Circana, so brands and retailers are banking on the category for sales. But the earlier push toward denim also coincides with a longer back-to-school shopping window. The National Retail Federation found that 32% of back-to-school shoppers had already begun shopping by early June this year, up from 26% in 2025. Nearly two-thirds (62%) said they had started their back-to-school shopping by early July, up from 55% in 2024.

Continue reading this article on modernretail.co. Sign up for Modern Retail newsletters to get the latest on the shifting dynamics between retail’s old and new guards.