Archive for December 20th, 2007
Next Trends in Denim
Well 2007 is quickly coming to a close. The questions are, what trends are going to be big for the next years. We have seen denim prices soar to an all time high. Due to expensive processes such as salvaging and pricey detailed embroidery. Here are what some fellow experts think about the matter. -Reek
NEW YORK — While many segments of the denim market have maintained their seemingly unending momentum, in the past year the young men’s market has played the role of nonconforming teenager, bucking the bullish blue-jean trend. According to The NPD Group, men in the 18-to-24 age range spent nearly 10 percent less on denim in the 12 months ending in March 2007, just $992.9 million versus $1.1 billion during the year prior.
The dip in denim sales points out an obvious disconnect between the fast-moving young consumer and the brands that service him. He’s already bought all the over-embellished, overpriced denim that he can stand, and is instead moving towards subtler, more toned-down versions. This fact is not lost on his favorite streetwear labels, which, for spring ’08, must compete with the denim basic that seems to have taken the young men’s urban market by storm: Levi’s.
“We’re going more classic for next spring,” says Billy Rudnick, GMM of the urban retail chain Dr. Jay’s. He brought Levi’s into the store last year and has paid close attention as shoppers gravitated towards its “great price and great look. It’s been sensational, to say the least.”
For most retailers, that spells out the end of “garanimals”—denim designs that match exactly to a T-shirt, hoodie and pair of shoes. And while it doesn’t always equal bare-bones basics, for next spring there is more emphasis on “correlating” designs, rather than matching ones.
More basic versions of denim bodes well for the retailer, who’s having a tough time pushing an expensive, wildly embellished jean that can be worn with only one shirt, pair of sneakers or hat. Lando Felix, cofounder and executive vice-president of Enyce, points out that wearability is more important than price point. “Either he’s shelling out $40 for a pair of 501’s or he’s saving up for a pair of True Religion or Prps that he can get much more wear out of than a pair of jeans that’ve been ‘garanimalized,’” he says.
Owner of the specialty retail chain Up Against The Wall, Izzy Ezrailson, adds, “Instead of investing in a ‘whole’ outfit, the guy now buys three T-shirts and one pair of expensive jeans that can correlate. Except for a very specific market, you’re not going to see many ultra-matching tops with ultra-matching bottoms next spring.”
For some vendors, that means minimizing the denim embroidery to correspond with more than one top. At Mecca, spring ’08 will feature subtle detailing on bottoms. Design director Matthew Sprague plans to use a multicolor, space-dye yarn on the body stitching or back-pocket logo that can match any color top or sneaker, whether from Mecca or another label. In addition, he says, simple solid pockets in gold or silver can “hook up” with watches or jewelry instead of confining the wearer to specific apparel. Pepe Jeans will focus on five “signature jeans,” each with a simple back-pocket embroidery that “complements” the rest of a similarly themed collection, says Hala Jebara, director of marketing. “The tops category has really grown overall,” she notes. “The tops are selling on their own, so there doesn’t have to be such a direct tie back to a hoodie or T-shirt anymore.”
