Ruohan Wallis

Contributor

Photo Via Glamour

As winter changed over to mild spring and the weather started to heat up, so did a particular portmanteau trend. By early summer, people were hit with the full blast of this bottoms sensation. Are they jeans? Are they shorts? Nope, they’re jorts. 

While jorts can confusingly refer to any type of shorts made of denim, in this particular instance they are most known for being slouchy, wide legged, and loose. Their hemlines range anywhere from mid thigh to knee grazing. 

The gravitation towards these roomy and lengthier jean shorts is fitting. People have been shifting to larger and slouchier denim styles for both style and comfort. For Zoe Wallis, a student at College Durocher, fashion has the last word. The owner of multiple jorts, she is pulled in by its distinctive edge when it comes to style, pairing the loose bottoms with a tight top for a contrast. Wallis notes, “It’s just more different to wear that then, let’s say, just shorts and a tank top, you know?”

For others, they are appreciated for their modesty, especially compared to the recent reign of cheek grazing short shorts. “I don’t like to reveal my leg that much,” explains Natthakritta Saengsok, an Industrial Design student at Dawson College. With the stifling heat of summer, jorts are equally appreciated in keeping to their ‘shorts’ function. Ava Jeuris, a Dawson College Arts and Culture student, summarises, “They’re long enough that you won’t be judged and they’re short enough so that you’re not too hot.”

Jorts have been sliding in and out of fashion for the past decades. According to an August 2024 article in The Washington Post “Jorts are no joke in this summer of slacker style,” baggy and oversized versions of jean shorts began to gain prominence in California’s skate and beach culture in the 1980’s. By the 1990’s and early 2000’s, jorts were in full swing before stepping off stage, taking a breather by being skewed as a tacky Dad aesthetic.

Since its grand reemergence and hitching a ride on Y2K movement, the trend is ever growing. A July 2024 article “The Jorts Trend Revival Isn’t Up for Debate” in Marie Claire found that there was an additional 13% increase in jorts’ popularity that month to the already 75% increase three months earlier. JeanJeansJeans has been on the front lines of jort action. “There was a demand in the 2nd half of this last summer,” stated a spokesperson of the Mile End based warehouse retailer in a recent email correspondence. Known for its extensive variety of jeans and incredible customer service, they receive brisk business from all ages. Yet in this case, the clientele for jorts were from the trendier crowd, ages ranging around 15 to 25.

In this day and age, social media is ingrained in young people’s everyday lives and that culture has helped jorts to resurface. By shaping how they connect, communicate, learn and interact with the world, mainstream trends and social commerce are highly effective on consumers, particularly youth. Every interviewee admitted that they first became aware of jorts or were influenced by the trend through social media, iterating popular digital platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

For others, these denim bottoms are just another ridiculous fashion trend. Ksenia Sidorenko, the founder of denim upcycling brand UseDem, was at first confused by the term ‘jorts.’ She was amused once it was clarified, “That’s shorts.” Sidorenko further explained by text correspondence that it’s a trick in making something fashionable. “Take something that was cool 20 years ago, call it different and Tadam! New fashion.”

Jort wearing season has long since passed but as we slide back into another winter many are hopeful that they will withstand the lengthy cold until the warmer months. “They’re perfect for every summer,” says Jeuris before jokingly adding, “I hope they never go out of style because I’ll also go out of style.” The suppliers are banking on such hope as well; at JeansJeansJeans, they are already preparing for the upcoming future. The spokesperson revealed that a big preorder of the knee length bottoms had already been placed for summer 2025. Now all that there is to do is wait!