Bad Bunny’s Zara debut signals a shift toward comfort in menswear
As hemlines lengthen, experts point to a cultural move toward relaxation and a potential rejection of performative fashion
Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny has launched his debut fashion collection for fast-fashion retailer Zara, introducing men’s shorts with a mid-thigh length that have been described as shockingly normal. The release, which sees the star wearing garments that sit within a few inches of the knee, is being interpreted by fashion commentators as a potential turning point away from the era of extremely short men’s shorts that has dominated recent years.
Hikmat Mohammed, beauty editor at Vogue Business, notes that this shift is not isolated to the music industry. She highlights that tennis players, including Grigor Dimitrov, have recently been seen wearing longer shorts at Roland Garros. Mohammed suggests the move reflects a broader desire for relaxation and a feeling of being more comfortable in one’s body, describing the emerging aesthetic as more slouchy compared to the tight fits of previous seasons.
The cultural landscape of menswear has seen significant fluctuations in hemline length over the past few years. The trend for short-shorts gained mainstream traction in 2020 when actor Paul Mescal was photographed wearing quasi hotpants, a style he jokingly linked to his background in Gaelic football. The trend persisted through 2021 with Milo Ventimiglia and into 2025, when Alexander Skarsgård appeared on British television in short-shorts to look sexy, and retailer M&S launched a selection of thigh-skimmers with three-inch seams.
Some analysts suggest that political figures may also be influencing this sartorial change. Andy Burnham’s recent appearance in tiny running shorts is being compared to the impact of Rishi Sunak’s wearing of Adidas Sambas, potentially accelerating a rejection of ultra-short styles. Additionally, the hemline index, which posits that seams trend upwards during prosperous times, offers an economic perspective on why longer seams may be gaining favour in 2026.
Despite the shift, not all public figures are abandoning shorter styles. Hudson Williams wore cropped shorts in a recent Peloton campaign, and Harry Styles continued to wear tiny track-shorts in his latest video. However, Mohammed observes that in 2026, wearing short-shorts can feel quite performative, suggesting that for many, the return to regular-length shorts offers a welcome relief from the tyranny of tiny seams.