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Couture denim is stepping into its main-character moment
Rhinestones, dramatic hems and upcycled craftsmanship are giving jeans a bold new identity
- PUBLISHED: Thu 26 Feb 2026, 12:46 PM
“I wouldn’t wear denim to a red carpet, to a funeral, or to a wedding,” says Dubai-based fashion designer Mariam Yehia. Other than that, all bets are off. Yehia’s decade-old brand, Mrs Keepa — the name is an homage to her husband — has gradually expanded its denim offering to a full line of high-octane styles (calling them jeans would be a disservice to the couture-level aesthetic).
This evolution mirrors denim’s ongoing glow-up, from the basic ‘jeans-and-a-nice-top’ going-out outfit of my formative years, to the main character energy of denim in 2026. Mrs Keepa’s ‘MK Signature Denim Pants’ have a hem circumference of a whopping 135cm. Per leg. That’s wider than many a ballgown, despite Yehia’s assertion that she’s not quite ready for jeans on the red carpet.
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The beauty of OTT denim is that you can stand out sartorially without running the risk of being overdressed, overly formal, or looking like a contestant on The Apprentice. Rhinestones, cut-outs, acres of volume, it’s all perfectly acceptable at any time of day when it comes in denim form. Much of the most interesting denim around is being driven by labels, such as Yehia’s, that aren’t traditionally jeans brands.
“I didn’t introduce it in my very first collections because Mrs Keepa is very eclectic and every piece has something to say. To just introduce a pair of jeans that doesn’t have a flavour isn’t something I was keen to do,” Yehia says. When she did finally launch the category two years ago, it took weeks to perfect the process.
Now, Yehia manufactures basic jeans in a factory, before upcycling three pairs to create just one of her signature pieces. “It cannot be done in a factory, it needs a lot of handwork,” she explains of the atelier construction.
As for those extra-wide hems, “The volume is super well studied, so it’s big volume, yet done in a way that flatters the body and does not make the person look bulky,” Yehia says.
Speaking from personal experience, I concur. Massive jeans can be massively flattering. Earlier this month, I hosted a fashion event wearing a giant pair of jeans by A.W.A.K.E. Mode and was flooded with messages asking where to get them (Ounass). Self-Portrait also does great rhinestones and embellished jeans, injecting the staple with its partywear flair.
These high-low fashion hybrids are perhaps no surprise. We are reluctant to relinquish the comfort that Covid ushered into the decade’s defining style, but neither are we fading quietly into the fashion background. The answer? Couture-energy plus casual execution equals wardrobe jeanius.
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