Solution: Trendy jeans material - NYT Crossword

This is a debut and a term that I was vaguely familiar with — it’s a bit cultish in meaning, although inarguably a terrific 15-letter pick for a crossword. Very generally speaking, it’s an outdoorsy effect that indoorsy people seek out and pay more for in fashion — DISTRESSED DENIM. Denim is as storied and fussed over in fashion as silk and lace, since it’s one of those traditional American epitomes of cool, and if you choose to get specific with it you can fall down a rabbit hole (and land in Japan, apparently, where a whole prefecture is known for denim).