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A Guide To Designer Jean Brands

By Art Micklewraith
The appeal and financial opportunities of reselling high-end designer blue jeans are obvious. A high price point and the relative lack of risk and expense involved with shipping make designer denim a resellers dream.

However, shifting trends and confusing brand names can cause the dreamer sleepless nights. If you're not a member of the fashion intelligentsia but still want a share of the denim market some basic information about some of the hottest brand names should help.

Seven For All Mankind

Seven for all mankind probably deserves the nod as the most trendy of the designer jeans. It is only a matter of watching an hour of entertainment news to get a grip on the appeal of the brand name. Every celebrity and semi-celebrity has been photographed wearing the trendy brand.

A word on names, Seven for All Mankind should not be confused with, the even more unlikely named, Seven 7 Jeans. Seven 7 is a different but also highly desirable brand name. The two companies have had a live and let live attitude up until recently when they became involved in litigation. Reinforcing the notion that you're no body until somebody sues you.

The Vernon , Ca manufacturer claims they took in $13 million in their first full year of operation. It's only been growth since then. The company has a retail presence in 35 countries including the U.S. , Japan , and all over Europe . Their blue jeans are retailed in nearly all the big name stores and fashionable boutiques. Seven for All Mankind www.7forallmankind.com jeans are found for as much as $300 at high-end retail stores and as little as $75 at discount web sites. An average price for the jeans would be about $150.

Countless pairs are sold everyday on eBay for somewhat less. A quick sample of the auction site showed many pairs going for around $70 with some getting a good deal more. As is often the case with items sold on eBay authenticity is a major issue but real pairs of Seven for All Mankind jeans can easily sell for over $100.

Small retailers looking to take advantage of the new demand can purchase Seven for All Mankind jeans in wholesale lots of manageable size. Searching the web will turn up any number of suppliers. For example, one Internet wholesale auction site sold cases of the jeans containing 36 pairs for $52 a pair or $1900 for the case. Another wholesaler was selling the same size case for only $1,300 a case or $38 a pair. Of course the retailer must also factor in shipping costs that vary depending on distance. A 50 lbs case is a good number to work with and shipping should add about one dollar to the cost of each pair.

Diesel Jeans

In the world of designer jeans Diesel had become the 800 lb. gorilla. Diesel was once the rebellious child challenging the world of fashion to a fistfight but with unusual ad campaigns and appealing style has become a heavy weight. The Italian design house got its start in the early nineties. Renzo Rosso, founder and chairman, immediately turned the jeans industry on its ear with an advertisement campaign different than almost any seen before. He shunned the fashion-istas and aimed his advertisement at the hip and rebellious, a crowd normally resistant to traditional advertising. He put his jeans on the average looking and even the unattractive. They avoided regular television advertising as too expensive and unable to reach the select market the jeans maker was looking for. The highly effective ads have been compared to those made by the Benetton Co. in the 1980s.

A visit to their web site www.diesel.com will assault the unwary with a barely tolerable level of camp. Once you persevere past the initial eyesore you'll find the company's more than 800 styles. Take a look at the many accessories including sunglasses, scents, and a line of children's clothes.

One interesting thing on the site is the section promoting the various contests and awards Diesel supports for fashion and marketing students. They include an on line flash film festival and making exterior space available for fledgling artists. Efforts to support the up and coming reinforce the company's image of youth freed from the chains of tradition.

While ads that rarely show the company logo and fairly simple styling may not seem like the key to business success it has certainly worked for Diesel. The jeans maker recently polled as the 15 th most recognizable luxury brand in the world. Diesel placed higher on the list than did either Armani or Jaguar. That sort of name recognition can mean only one thing, tons of sales. A couple of years ago the company claimed more than $600 million in sales.

Needless to say the jeans can be found at every major retailer including Diesel's own relatively modest chain of stores. Not to mention the backsides of celebrities and beautiful people everywhere.

While $600 million is a gigantic amount of money no matter how you figure it, still it is a little easier to understand when you consider the Diesel jeans often sell for more than $200 a pair. Even on eBay than can be found selling for more than $150 a piece. Some of the styles such as the leather jeans can cost much more.

Looking into the wholesale pricing on an on line auction site Diesel jeans turned up lots of a dozen pairs with a starting bid of $499 or $41.53 per pair. This is of course a starting bid but even if the price doubles paying $83 for a product that can sell for $150 or more is not a bad opportunity. Divide in the approximately $40 in shipping and you get a good idea of the sort of initial investment someone looking to pick up the jeans line for resale is looking at.

While there are many excellent brands, a retailer who is looking to expand into high-end blue jeans should look at Diesel first. The jeans have maintained a giant slice of the market share for a long time and unlike many trendy products, the beauty of a line like Diesel jeans is durability. Diesel has been selling millions of pairs of pants a year for over fifteen years.

True Religion Jeans

The Bush twins wear them. The new Dukes of Hazard movie practically stars them. True Religion jeans once lagged far behind the denim superstars listed above but that has changed. A gigantic media presence and smart businesses decisions have brought the Los Angeles based company into the big time. In the first quarter of 2005 True Religion reported just over $20 million in sales. This time last year they had sold a relatively paltry $2.7 million. That kind of growth in so short a time means a brand name that no clothing retailer can afford to ignore.

Founded in 2002 by design couple Jeff and Kym Lubell True Religion began its climb up the legs of Hollywood and the fashion world. Three years later the company is setting itself up to handle its new growth. In the next year they plan to add new lines of jackets, skirts, and twill pants.

True Religion ( www.truereligionbrandjeans.com ) has added Joseph Coulmbe, the business wiz behind the very successful Trader Joe's chain and who serves on the board of Denny's, to its board of directors as well as other big business types.

Recently the company has made special sales commission arrangements with very high-end retail stores while also pushing the jeans into mid-market department stores. Neiman Marcus and Urban Outfitters are just two of the many highly prestigious retail chains that feature True Religion denim. In the most retail locations a shopper can expect to drop $200 or more if they want the 'destroyed finish' status that comes with True Religion.

Taking a tour of eBay reveals dozens of pairs of the jeans with a 'buy now' price between $200-$300 each, although some pairs were as much as $355. Most pairs seemed to closer to $150 each. A movie driven demand for 'Daisy Duke' style shorts will probably drive auction site prices for the tiny item higher than the $129 presently asked.

The starting bids for several lots of fifty pairs was $1500 or $30 per unit. Even should the bidding reach $5500 for the case, $110 each for jeans that will resell for $175-$200 is not a terrible margin. Shipping will, of course add to the expense but careful shopping for your wholesale supplier should keep your expenses lower than the example above.