Why are jeans so expensive?

As in other kinds of clothes, the price tag for jeans is related to a lot of factors that have to be considered when setting the retail price.

Someone in Quora asked the following question, which I tried to answer.

Why can some jeans cost about $200 USD?

I am not sure you are asking for that specific price because you find them an expensive, fair or low price, but I can assure you that $200 USD, is an average price for a pair of well- known brand jeans nowadays, but you can find cheaper options and of course, much more expensive too.

Here are some of those factors:

– Global economy

Factors affecting the way we produce and buy -like a pandemic or social unresting- increase prices for the raw materials needed to make clothes. Have you ever heard of «the butterfly effect»? It applies to clothes too. This means that, for example, if Saudi Arabia in 2020 decided to raise the price of crude oil, those in the cotton fields will have to pay for more expensive gasoline to move their trucks along during harvest time, and those who make no- natural fibers (like nylon, polyester) will pay more for the manufacture. And so on.
And we must remember that whatever happens today in the world’s economy will show its effects into people’s pockets later on.

– Spending capability.

As the world has been developing technology and the subsequent skills to operate it, more people who are prepared for it is getting better paid and more willing to spend in themselves. The same happens to people in other employment categories, but this serves as an example.

– Supply and demand rules.

If something becomes an object of desire, people are more willing to pay a certain price for it, which means that who sells it can go up on the price. Of course, as the seller, you have to do some calculations in order to know how much you need to get back from your piece and how much more you can add to that number and, still, sell the product making a profit.

– Name brand and recognition.

Following the upper point, if the seller has made a name for his/ her brand, it resonates better in the consumer’s top of mind, and the price can go up in comparison to other offers available in the market. This is not free: As a brand, they have to invest a lot of money in talent and marketing for not being washed away into the sea of brands that offer the same product -in this case, a pair of jeans. So, if you go to a brick- and- mortar store and they offer you something to drink, or the place has a killer decoration, you might suspect that a good part of the money they earn is reinvested in their brand managing and brand building. The same happens when the clothes designer has a strong reputation and people want to consume her designs.

I hope you can get an idea about the clothes pricing in general, and you have a better idea about those $100 jeans. An important thing you must realize is that there is no rule to warranty that a $200 pair of jeans is better or worse than a $50 pair or a $500 pair. It all depends on how they fit on the person who is wearing them, and how good they make him or her feel when wearing them.

Here, some jeans options that can help you decide!

Note 1: I have only put the price of those that I have the information updated. All in USD

Note 2: The prices might change in time. These are just examples for the sake of being informative.

Find me in Quora and leave a comment about this matter: Do you find a $200 USD pair of jeans expensive, fair priced, or a bargain?