Designer Clothing - Designer Jeans

Designer Jeans

Designer jeans are usually priced at several hundreds of dollars, with some even approaching $800. Are they worth it? That is completely determined by the consumer, because it is a matter of preferences, style, and taste. Jeans are available at many different price points: $340 for Acne jeans, $350 for Ksubi jeans, $359 for True Religion jeans, $395 for Notify jeans, $580 for Dior jeans and so on. Before the Great Recession premium denim was one of the fastest growing categories of the apparel business, and there seemed to be no limit to what customers would pay for the latest label, fit, finish, or wash.

Americans bought $13.8 billion worth of men's and women's jeans in the year ended April 30, 2011, according to NPD Group. But only about 1% of jeans sold in the United States over that year cost more than $50. Since the Great Recession, however, the price of premium of jeans went down.

The difference between the $300 jeans and the $30 jeans often has to do with the fabric quality, hardware, washes, design details, abrasions, and where they are manufactured. A "fancy" pair of jeans that has been treated with abrasions and extra washes, to break the denim down to achieve a texture has undergone a certain amount of damage to get the "worn-in" feel. In this sense, the expensive jeans may be more delicate than the cheap ones. Jeans brands also try to stand out from season to season by using patented materials, such as rivets and stitching, and by using special washes and distressing methods. These might involve dying, pressing, and even using sandpaper and drills on the raw jeans. These methods can be particularly expensive when done in the United States, where factories must meet more stringent environmental and labor standards than in many low-cost nations.

To be produced domestically (in the United States), jeans have to be priced at "$200-plus", says Shelda Hartwell-Hale, a vice president at Directives West, an Los Angeles-based division of fashion consulting firm Doneger Group. The profit margins on premium jeans can be substantial. One retail executive says his gross profit margins for private-label jeans, which he makes for Wal-Mart, Sears, and other retailers, are less than 20%, whereas the margins for his own premium lines are 40%-to-50%.