Revel in blue jeans
When Levi Strauss first popularised denim jeans in the 1850s, they were worn mainly by workers who needed a sturdier alternative to traditional trousers. Today jeans are no longer considered just a functional piece of clothing, with designer brands launching denim-dedicated collections, as seen in Lanvin's recent collaboration with Acne jeans. More brands are also specialising in premium denim, turning what was once a basic item into a fashion must-have.
'Denim is very much a cultural canvas that reflects the times,' says George Gorrow, co-founder of Australian label Ksubi. 'The wash and fit of a pair of jeans can send you straight back to the era it came from, and now, with all the advances with the cloth itself, the image of jeans has changed dramatically.'
'Denim over the past several decades has acquired an enhanced cachet in social class acceptance,' says Richard Atkins, founder of The ProportionofBlu, a new label that counts Kate Moss and Lindsay Lohan among its fans. 'This is due in large part to the importance of technology and craftsmanship in improving the quality of the cloth and finishing. The form of the garment itself has remained quite static since its creation.'
While jeans continue to evolve in terms of style and fit, the fabric itself has also changed over the years. Lasers, high-temperature ovens, resins and polymer coatings are being used to treat the material, making it a much more exclusive and expensive fabric.
'Technology has resulted in the development of new denim materials and manufacturing techniques that have allowed designers to apply denim in other areas such as shoes, bags, dresses and so on,' says Federico Tan, head of marketing for Diesel Asia Pacific.
With the demand for denim continuing to grow, brands have become more creative and innovative with the fabric. Jeans today are not the mass-produced pieces of the past; producing a pair these days is a labour-intensive process that requires stringent attention to detail. Brands such as Diesel use double layering and double stitching for all their denim garments, while DSquared distresses all of its denim products by hand. The increasingly detailed work has sent the price of denim products skyrocketing, with styles sometimes costing thousands of dollars - prices you'd expect to pay for a piece of designer clothing, not everyday wear.
'Denim nowadays is itself a couture fabric,' says Dan Caten of DSquared. 'In our collections, every single pair of jeans is unique with every stitch, abrasion and detail being applied individually by hand and the price reflects the amount of time and work that goes into that.'
Of course, not all high-quality denim brands are costly. The economic downturn has led to the rise of mid-priced brands, many of which are high quality. Eizelle Taino, owner of local boutique Indigo, recently added one such label, New York's Blank, to her stock. A pair of Blank jeans costs from HK$700 to HK$750.
'I see little reason for jeans to be so pricey these days. I think it is completely reasonable to find a great pair of jeans for HK$2,000 and below from new brands,' she says.
'As a buyer, I'm very wary of the brands that try to push the envelope with pricing, especially given the current economic climate.
'[Having said that,] there is a difference between high-street denim and designer denim and you can't eliminate that discrepancy. The factors that make up this price discrepancy include the origin of the denim, and the processing and hardware, which can combine to make a superior fit.
But that doesn't mean that a customer can't find what they're looking for from a brand that doesn't cost a fortune.'
With the market becoming more saturated, what factors should customers take into account when choosing a pair?
While fit is obviously of the utmost importance and varies from person to person, it's also important to consider the origin of the fabric. Japan, Italy and the US are known for having the best quality and most innovative denim fabrics.
Buyers should also consider how much of the work is done by hand. Other details such as the stitching, the quality of materials used for the rivets, the uniqueness of the design, and embellishments and embroidery also need to be factored in, and they too will affect the price.
'The market is already so saturated with new brands that each must offer something special to stand out from the crowd,' says Gorrow.
'People are looking for something very specific. That comes down to the quality of the fabric, the workmanship, design, fit or the price point. They will look for the brand that stands out the most in giving them what they want.'
Blues with a feeling
Current/Elliot
This celebrity favourite is making waves with its distressed, retro-inspired designs, such as its cuffed 'Boyfriend' jeans and its 'Elephant' line of bell-bottoms.
Blank
This New York-based label offers styles such as the straight leg denim trouser and 'super skinny' jeans, all with details on the back pockets.
The ProportionofBlu
The label says every pair is designed using Euclid's golden ratio, a mathematical principle believed to govern all that is considered aesthetically pleasing. Also expect details such as 18k gold rivets and materials including luxury Italian stretch denim and Japanese selvedge.
Genetic Denim
This label is known for its denim leggings and it now carries jeans in many other styles and washes.
