As the Class of 2026 walked into RCHS on the first day of school, some students were wearing more than just their back-to-school best. Showing off their school pride and artistic abilities, seniors transformed their jeans into an art project.
A trend originally popularized through Pinterest and TikTok has officially made its way to Rockbridge, turning denim into a unique way of celebrating senior year.
Senior Elsa Kerin-Rice painted jeans with her friends as a way to mark their senior year.
“Painting jeans was about just having fun and something all my friends could do together to mark the special time,” Kerin-Rice said.
With hundreds of inspiration photos to take into consideration, Kerin-Rice decided to keep it simple with black and white paint and fabric glued into her pockets.
“I doubt I’ll wear them again, but they’re a nice keep-sake,” Kerin-Rice said.
Kerin-Rice isn’t the only senior to take on this trend. After seeing previous graduation classes participate in this trend, senior Sierra Hostetter has been looking forward to painting jeans for years.
“I really enjoy crafts and painting, so this was right up my alley. I also like to be unique and different from everyone else,” Hostetter said.
To show her uniqueness, Hostetter customized her jeans with both school spirit and her own hobbies and interests.
“On the back left it says ‘RCHS’ on the leg, along with ‘Wildcats’ in blue and white and the pocket has the masks of comedy and tragedy. The back right pocket has a softball and the leg says ‘SRH’ with my name written in blue and white,” Hostetter said.
Hostetter has worn her jeans for photos and the first day of school. Proud of her project, she is looking for every opportunity to show off her creation.
“I plan on wearing them as much as possible, whether that be for spirit days, activities, or just for fun. I will definitely keep my jeans for as long as possible even after this school year,” Hostetter said.
Senior Maisen McKemy opted for bright colors rather than just sticking with blue and white.
“I wanted something colorful and more me rather than just doing school colors,” McKemy said.
McKemy’s jeans, decorated with bows and paw prints, doubled as part of her photographer rep event with Brandi Wimer Photography (BWP).
“I have worn them for senior sunrise and for a photo shoot with BWP. I might wear them one more time, maybe on the last day of school. At the moment they were just a fun project to start senior year off strong,” McKemy said.
Taking inspiration from social media, whether creative, simple, or colorful, painted jeans have brought students together in a fun way to start their senior year. While some plan on keeping their jeans as a keep-stake to remember this stage of life, others plan on pulling them out for spirit days, photo ops, and events all year long.
This growing trend continues to take over Rockbridge, and these students are helping to pave the way.
