Remember the days of decent $30 jeans? Yeah, neither do we. Ever since jeans expanded from its role as everyday casual gear to a high-fashion statement, the price of these rugged pants — along with the frequency of heavy washes and glaringly intentional tears — has gone up.
Of course, there’s expensive, and then there’s expensive. The latter was detailed in a about Scott Morrison, the founder of 3×1, a denim company that produces premium jeans. $1,200 premium jeans.
Of course, 3×1 puts out jeans by the tens, not the thousands, with a focus on customization rather than mass production. But there’s a host of other larger companies selling high-priced denim — and while they might not touch 3×1’s fourth digit, the sticker shock’s still enough to give most people the blues.
Here’s a quick look at who’s selling high-priced jeans in a store near you:
Abercrombie & Fitch: The popular retail brand is known for its ear-thumping in-store experience, and higher prices than rivals like American Eagle (NYSE:). Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:) does a number on jeans, selling the (also available in Destroyed Wash) for $120.
Levi Strauss: The gold standard for reasonably priced jeans? Sure. But Levi knows the money is where the money is. Enter the , which Levi doesn’t sell directly, but it goes for $178 on amrag.com. Of course, Levi has put that number to shame on a pair of original 501s that sold for $60,000 in 2005 on eBay (NASDAQ:).
Guess?: Another name famous for their denim, Guess? (NYSE:) at that same $178 price — Lincoln Jeans (Establishment Wash and Rural Wash) and Rebel Jeans (Attic Wash).
Saks Fifth Avenue: The Saks Inc. (NYSE:) store comes even nearer the $200 mark, selling for $195.
Joe’s Jeans:
Smaller specialty retailer Joe’s Jeans (NASDAQ:) inches even closer, with the selling for $198.
Macy’s: Macy’s (NYSE:) doorbuster deals are the stuff of legend, but when the retailer wants to go big, it goes big. Macy’s offers for $198 from 7 For All Mankind and Ralph Lauren (NYSE:).
True Religion: Finally! Not just beating but shattering the $200 mark is True Religion (NASDAQ:), which sells its jeans for $330.
Nordstrom: The big jaw-dropper came from Nordstrom (NYSE:), whose website actually included a $500-$1,000 button in its jeans section. There you can find for a robust $565.
— Kyle Woodley, InvestorPlace Assistant Editor
