An All-American classic has been one of the few bright spots in stores this year. Sales of blue jeans are up, with consumers lured out of their shopping malaise by fresh cuts and fabric treatments.
“Denim has clearly been the one standout commodity throughout the economic downturn and consumer conservatism,” says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for the NPD Group, which follows consumer trends.
“They’re not buying five pairs and not buying $300-a-pair jeans, but they’re still buying,” Cohen says. NPD’s online consumer surveys said denim sales were up more than 4 percent from January to June this year over first-half 2008 sales, while overall retail sales declined in the same period.
“Jeans are a purchase that makes people look better and feel better,” Cohen says. “It’s both a passionate purchase and a need purchase. The quest for perfect pair never goes away. “
One way jeans makers are keeping what Cohen calls “desire, passion and necessity” in the equation is by offering better products and more choices under $100, less than what many so-called “premium” denim jeans sell for.
J. Crew Group Inc. in July launched Madewell ’37s jeans, which sell for $60. Millard “Mickey” Drexler, chairman of J. Crew, told Women’s Wear Daily he thinks there’s a place in the market for “cool, well-made, well-designed jeans at $59.50 and up to $100.”
Gap is among the companies that decided to focus on its core denim product for fall, completely redesigning its jeans, which sell for $54-$78. Gap offers a dozen new fits (even though some have such familiar names as Long & Lean), as well as novelty cuts like baggy “boyfriend” jeans for women and a limited-edition skinny jean for men. Gap launched 1969 Premium Jeans — named for the year the company started — with a splashy advertising campaign, a website (borntofit.com), and parties with music and discounts in selected stores (Cherry Creek hosts one tonight from 7-9).
Patrick Robinson, Gap’s executive vice president for design, says it is important for the company to focus on fit. That was a tricky technical challenge, requiring fit models in various sizes; experimenting with different washes so every pair fits the same in a given cut whether the fabric is stiff or soft; rethinking where seams hit the body and how the jeans fit in the back; and even retraining factory workers on how to sew the garments.
The result, Robinson says, are jeans featuring “a lot more handwork, better fabric and more attention to fit.”
Robinson, who’s a personal fan of the Authentic fit, says jeans are a bigger part of most people’s wardrobes than they used to be, which is why he felt so strongly about making sure Gap’s assortment was reworked.
“Jeans used to be for the casual part of our life, but now they’re for all parts — you wear them on a date, you might wear them to work,” Robinson says. “It reflects what’s going on in the culture today.
“Instead of wearing a dress, a woman can wear a great sexy pair of jeans; a guy can wear dark-rinse jeans with a blazer.”
Over the past couple of years he has been with Gap, Robinson has become a keen observer of jeans trends.
“There is a fascination with destruction right now,” he says. Customers want jeans with light washes and fabric that has been nicked, abraded and shredded. “It takes years to get that naturally; this jumps you ahead, gives you an attitude.”
And despite the trendiness of lighter washes, “there are still a lot of people who feel comfortable in dark and use them for high-stake events,” Robinson says.
Women, he says, are still gravitating to skinny fits, but are buying the range, from loose “boyfriend” styles to boot-cut and straight legs. Therein lies the difference in how men and women approach denim.
“A guy looks at jeans like a car,” Cohen says. “He only needs one at a time.
“Women want jeans to wear with high heels and flats, dress up or down.”
Indeed, in a Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor survey, women reported that even though they’re buying less clothing for themselves and have less money to spend on clothes than they did last year, they’re buying the same number or more of jeans.
For women, Robinson says, “there isn’t one single fit — most will find a couple that works for them.”
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com
Our Experts
Sherrie Matthieson, a wardrobe stylist and author of “Steal This Style: Moms and Daughters Swap Wardrobe Secrets,” says the trendiest denim styles — including super-skinny fits and ripped and torn jeans — are best left to the young. “That’s the time to experiment,” she says.
Still, there’s such a variety, you can find jeans to wear from cradle to grave. “I love that you can dress them up or dress them down,” Matthieson says. “The critical point is to get the right fit, even if it means taking them to the tailor to get a quarter-inch taken in. It’s such a staple in your closet, why not get it perfect?”
Tom Julian, trend expert and author of “Nordstrom Guide to Men’s Style,” says that since premium denim became popular in the 1990s, jeans have become a much more important part of a man’s wardrobe.
In his book he encourages men to find their lifestyle and body type to seek the appropriate clothing that works, but when it comes to jeans shopping, “we’ve actually been an advocate of men ‘stepping’ out of their body type,” he says. With so much variety in styles, treatments and finishes, it takes some time shopping to figure out what meets your needs.
