what jeans to sell

Since I'm discontinuing Atelier LaDurance (for personal reasons) starting this fall, I'm looking for another jeans brand/label/line to sell. I thought I'd ask you guys since we're all kind of obsessed with finding the perfect jeans. Anyway, just for info, I carry Lee Gold (selling very well) and Sugarcane (not moving them at all) so I'm looking for something that already fits well and looks good as you try them on and not a year later---this is why Sugarcanes are problematic here. I'm considering Rag & Bone, Pace, KMW and would love Flathead but its really difficult to get them from here and I have no budget to fly to japan just yet. I'll appreciate any opinions on this topic.

PS: Of course all Forum members will get some sort of discount (depending on item/season) if ever any of you guys visit me here in lonely old Berlin .

Not to state the obvious but what about Nudie? They definitely have something for everyone, and the price/quality ratio is very good too.

Originally Posted by berlin report

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Since I'm discontinuing Atelier LaDurance (for personal reasons) starting this fall, I'm looking for another jeans brand/label/line to sell. I thought I'd ask you guys since we're all kind of obsessed with finding the perfect jeans. Anyway, just for info, I carry Lee Gold (selling very well) and Sugarcane (not moving them at all) so I'm looking for something that already fits well and looks good as you try them on and not a year later---this is why Sugarcanes are problematic here. I'm considering Rag & Bone, Pace, KMW and would love Flathead but its really difficult to get them from here and I have no budget to fly to japan just yet. I'll appreciate any opinions on this topic.

PS: Of course all Forum members will get some sort of discount (depending on item/season) if ever any of you guys visit me here in lonely old Berlin

.

Julian Red of course!

/TKL

Originally Posted by Babar

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Not to state the obvious but what about Nudie? They definitely have something for everyone, and the price/quality ratio is very good too.

Good call. Nudies would be easy to sell and thats precisely why I can't have them. They're everywhere now and I'm trying to offer brands that are just a bit harder to come by.

I personally like the look of Flatheads cuts the best but i do understand the difficulty in obtaining them. I've seen KMWs fit differently on different people so i'm not sure exactly how to judge but the rocker and 1980 seem like a pretty fair cut. I prefer most of my jeans relatively slim, and just don't like the look of Rag & Bone's offering (the rb15) that much. I thought Lee Gold's were only $170ish and the KMWs are $100 more than that and the R&Bs i think start in the low $200s so the price point is a bit higher. Flatheads retail for about $180 in japan, but self edge sells them for $280, i think because they were one of the first brands they carried as they opened and had more stuff to pay for.

I'd also say 5EP if you could stock a fair amount of the SFx5EP jean because that's the only cut i'm interested in. The lowdown bootcut seem to have a big following here though and the price point is also in the mid $200s. I also second nudies even though i'm not a huge fan because the price is right, they're very popular, and have a huge variety of good fits. Acnes are also nice fitting jeans and look pretty nice dressed up or down and have a few good fits. The last 2 aren't necessarily in the same class as the others but worth a look.

If you're looking for something that hasn't flooded the market, how about Crate? Their cuts are unique without being over-the-top. Plus they're American made, so there's probably not a lot of them in Berlin right now (if any).
+1 on Pace, by the way.

I'd probably vote R&B and KMW. Both brands are distinctly different from one another but together cover a lot of bases. R&B has some pretty classic fits, is very well made, and for my money makes the perfect dress jean. KMW, on the other hand, also is very well-made, covers the spectrum of fits, and really is all that R&B isn't: a hardworking jean.

I'm sure both brands would give you a piece of exclusivity and would look great out the door.

I'm curious if you can buy Rag & Bone in Europe - I've never seen them over there. I'd think they would fill a niche market - their quality if top notch, and their cuts are unique compared to most of the Euro brands (APC/Acne/Nudie). I like Julian Red, but they are pretty similar to Acne and Nudie (I suspect the quality is slightly better, though).

I'd vote R&B - they have a great line of product. Price point is on the high side, however.

I think Pace could do well....they have an accessible pricepoint (def moreso than R&B) and make good jean. Julian Red is also a another good suggestion. But then I seem to have an unfounded predisposed notion that your German customers might like a more homegrown product?

How about April 77

do you know why Sugarcane doesnt do well (from customer feedback)?

Crate jeans are generally very low quality. I'm not sure that's the type of product he wants.

How about APC?

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Got some great ideas so far. GS, Sugarcane isn't doing well here because of the fit: I've got the 1945 and 1947---high rise + hip flare are just not cutting it at the moment unless you have customer who knows how to wear it well. Most of them are just puzzled how small the waist it and how wide the thighs are. I really like the aesthetic but its exhausting to sell. Plus I'm not the type who pushes...Apil 77 is out because my neighbour carries it. I'm considering Pace because its relatively unknown plus its accessible to me. Of course also the fact that I like it a lot. Rag & Bone have a distributor in Milan. Its a bit on the expensive side so I'll have to think twice about it. I've decided not to go in the superslim direction ie: Julian Red as this is what all the shops are doing. I want to give people an alternative to the Acne/Dior look. Comfort, quality, tradition without looking homey. I'd love to look at 5EP but I've gotten no response from Godmother. I know its a busy time though. KMW is also intriguing but again (like R&B) I've never seen them in person and these brands don't go to the fairs so there's no chance for me to see the collections. Maybe I should just get ****** to NYC for a weekend and go to Blue on Green...

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

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Crate jeans are generally very low quality. I'm not sure that's the type of product he wants.

How about APC?

I would stock APC in a second but they have a store here in Berlin so no go. Acne also has a Berlin shop. So, I think its coming down to R&B, KMW, Pace, 5EP. Of course, assuming any of the US based brands would want to work with me. I can have Pace if I want so that's my default brand already. Again, thanks for the input all of you. Keep it coming!

Are you going to stock the clothing as well, or just the jeans? RB makes some interesting clothes as well, as does 5EP.

I would stock some other pieces as well to round it off.

I know a few stores tried 5ep in the uk a couple of years ago and they didn't sell for some reason. Could have been the price point i dont know but they ended up in the sales real cheap.