Barrel jeans are nothing new for Uniqlo, but this latest Uniqlo:C version has a noticeably more tailored look, and it might seem particularly familiar if you’ve been browsing Levi’s more expensive Blue Tab collection.
The new-season Uniqlo:C Barrel Jeans cost just £39.90, yet there are some striking similarities between them and Levi’s £230 Blue Tab Wide Pleat Crop Jeans.
Designed under Clare Waight Keller's Uniqlo:C label, the Uniqlo jeans abandon the conventional straight or slim denim silhouette for a more sculptural look.
They're cut loose with a wide barrel shape, creating plenty of volume through the leg before curving back towards the hem.
Up top, you get a tailored-looking front treatment and L-shaped pockets instead of standard curved pockets you'd associate with an everyday pair of jeans.
As a result, the Uniqlo:C Barrel Jeans look much like oversized tailored trousers, particularly in the black and olive colourways.
Blue jeans with tailoring ambitions
Levi’s describes its Blue Tab range as an elevated, design-led take on its denim heritage, and the Wide Pleat Crop Jeans combine a loose fit with a wide leg and prominent pleating across the front.
They're made from 100% cotton Japanese denim and have a mid-rise waist, zip fly and traditional five-pocket construction. Levi's
As you can imagine, the Uniqlo:C jeans aren't an exact copy.
Their barrel leg curves more noticeably, the pockets are different, and the standard £39.90 version uses dyed coloured denim rather than the premium Japanese fabric found on the Levi’s.
Uniqlo also offers a separate indigo version with a more traditional faded denim finish.
Still, the overall proposition is remarkably similar: 100% cotton denim, oversized proportions and a tailored trouser-like silhouette, only at a dramatically lower price.
The Uniqlo:C Barrel Jeans are available now in waist sizes 28 to 40 inches for £39.90.
The regular dyed-denim version comes in black, olive and navy, while the indigo model is available separately in blue.
