For many, dressing for an extreme heatwave means wearing as little as possible. But for some men, not even record-breaking temperatures can dissuade them from pulling on their favourite pair of jeans.<\/p>\n
This week as temperatures in the UK rose sharply on the back of the climate crisis<\/a>, Andy Burnham stuck to his tried and tested \u201ccool dad\u201d combination of dark jeans with a dark blue (not black as he pointed out<\/a> to Kemi Badenoch) T-shirt as he made his way to London to be sworn in as MP for Makerfield.<\/p>\n Jonathan Anderson takes his post-show bow in Paris on Wednesday wearing vintage Levi\u2019s jeans and Salomon trainers. Photograph: Peter White\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Despite brands at Paris men\u2019s fashion week handing out umbrellas<\/a> and iced towels to guests in an attempt to keep them cool, the front rows have been peppered with attendees wearing jeans. Meanwhile, although Dior moved its show<\/a> from an afternoon slot to early morning to avoid the heat, the label\u2019s designer, Jonathan Anderson, still wore his uniform of vintage Levi\u2019s jeans and Salomon trainers as he took his post-show bow on France\u2019s hottest day on record.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t just the fashion crowd holding fast to denim: John Lewis reported sales of Burnham-esque indigo jeans from Nudie were up 3% this week, searches for Carhartt jeans were up 100% week on week while straight fit Edwin jeans were up 200% compared to last week when temperatures were at a much cooler level.<\/p>\n \u201cMen in shorts is the reason why men are wearing jeans,\u201d says Henrik Lischke, the fashion news and features director at Grazia. \u201cShorts have become such a sticky topic fashion-wise that a lot of men haven\u2019t quite figured them out. Jeans<\/a> with a T-shirt or shirt is just an easier way to crack summer dressing.\u201d<\/p>\n For Andrew Groves, a professor of menswear systems at Westminster University, the trend can be read as a comment on masculinity. \u201cWearing jeans in a heatwave is not really about comfort,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is about how menswear trains men to dress within systems of utility, restraint and masculine control, even when those systems stop making practical sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb Bleu Sidel and Yung Lean \u2013 in blue jeans \u2013 attend the Dior Homme show. Photograph: Edward Berthelot\/Getty Images<\/p>\n