How can a manufacturer sell jeans for a ridiculous price?

If people keep buying them, then they will keep the price up as long as they can. Just to get the money of course.

Ahh, the power of brand labels.

Yup. Traveosa is right. Why not sell them for $80—$200 a pair? People buy them, right?

It isn’t that they can’t make them cheap—they do. They just make ridiculous profits.

I’m not saying the cost of jeans right now isn’t absolutely insane, but some jean makers can demand higher prices because of good design, tailoring and engineering.

Jeans, particularly women’s jeans, now lift, shape, wear in the appropriate spots, and are very specifically cut to flatter figure types. Some of the denim quality is much higher too; it’s a higher thread count and mixed with other fabrics for a really good drape with a lot of comfort.

Jeans makers have always been able to get high profits by leveraging the cache of labels too – DVF, Calvin Klein, Jordache etc. were out of the normal price range in the 80’s too.

When I was in high school, I worked at a store called Dr. Denim, which catered to black men with lotsa dough. As a Sales Associate for this store, I quickly learned that “sale” items were the ones that sold the slowest. Customers didn’t even want to look at the sale racks. They wanted the most expensive jeans possible. Evisu. $575/pair.

(jaw hits ground)

Marketing. They will stop selling them for $80 when idiot consumers stop buying them thinking there is something special about them.

@Marina: Idiot consumers? I certainly don’t have enough money to buy $200 jeans all the time, and I don’t, but all of my jeans do cost between $60 and $90. I buy them because they honestly look better. $20 jeans in Walmart are not made to appear as flattering and stylish as my Guess, Express, and Armani jeans. I am not “deluding myself” – it’s not that I particularly care about a Name, but I’ve tried no-name jeans, and they just don’t look hot. I’d much rather spring the extra $40–70 on something that’s going to look great.

its like buying a Honda vs Mercedes.
Brand names for you and people buy them.

@girlofscience Sorry, didn’t mean to offend. The tenor of the thread was about the difference between manufacturing cost and retail cost. Basically, they will jack the price up as high as we will pay. Do you think the $200 jeans look better than the $80 jeans?

I agree about the quality of the fabric and manufacturing, but styles are all pretty much the same; “knock-off” or cheap brands purposely copy brand name designs. And if you think about it like this: I can buy 3 pair of jeans that are not as well made or have cheaper fabric, or 1 pair of designer jeans, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to spend a ridiculous amount of money on jeans. I just recently went from buying $40 jeans, to buying $60 dollar jeans, but I have to buy them more often, and be much more careful about what I do/and don’t do when I’m wearing my “good jeans”. I guess it all depends on one’s priorities.

@Marina: It’s okay. I’m sorry our opinions have been clashing quite a bit over these past few days.

I think my $80 jeans look as good as would $200 jeans. However, they look much better than $20 jeans. It’s all about paying enough, but not too much.

@girlofscience Sometimes we agree too. I probably should not have used the I word.

I had just seen a news story on the hooker that brought down Elliot Spitzer being spotted emerging from a New York City hotel with the scion of a construction company fortune, another married man. What did the story focus on? her $400 Jimmy Shoos and $4,250 or something Cartier diamond wristwatch. Apparently, hooking pays well.

I’m not going to lie…I own two pairs of designer jeans (My joes). Each were 150$... And they are amazing.. I also own jeans that range from 30 (Old Navy) to 50$ (Express) and even a few from thrift stores as well. Let’s just say my Joe’s fit so well that I wear them just about everyday. I’m short, and not too curvy.. And these Joes are specifically for petite women that want a shape. They also come in different styles, for different body types. I don’t think there is anything wrong with splurging on a few high quality items that fit you perfectly.

@TH I agree.

The perfect jeans can’t be beat and if you have the money to buy them sure.

The ones that fit like a glove, bring your butt out and are the perfect length.

They look nice on most women. ;)

Jeans are expensive for the same reason any item of clothing is expensive. Because they are well made and well designed and use high quality materials and are marked up. No one complains that Armani suits are so expensive, or that Ralph Lauren Purple Label shirts are too pricey. Why complain that jeans are expensive? Some just are, just like any other product in any other market. Just because they are “Jeans” doesn’t mean they should be cheap. They’ve far outpaced their status as “work pants” and made it into the fashion world a long time ago. I would think people would be used to it by now.