The Chinese High Street has more muscle

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http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/malcolmmoore/100077827/the-chinese-high-street-has-more-muscle/#

As a foreign correspondent, I’m always griping that there’s never enough space to really get all the details of a story down.

That’s especially true of my report today on the denim industry in Xintang, the town that makes a third of all the pairs of jeans in the world.

We chose to look at denim, but the broad gist of the piece is that the entire clothing industry is facing a serious problem – cotton prices have spiked so high that factories are struggling to stay profitable. Just have a look at this graph.

All of the factories we visited told a similar story. The broad trends are:

 1. Cotton prices are making it impossible to manufacture cheap clothes.

2. It is impossible to find any good workers, even for wages that are ten times higher than they were five years ago.

3. We would prefer to sell our jeans to Chinese companies than to foreign companies.

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Jeans to suit your genes

Could it be shape, not size nor style, that really counts in flattering jeans?

That’s what Levi’s now says. The brand that first brought denim jeans to consumers nearly 130 years ago says the longtime emphasis on waist-size and silhouette – boot-cut versus skinny-leg, for example – hasn’t really given women what they’re looking for: jeans that complement their body type.

A new line called Levi’s Curve ID is set to change that, pledges company president Robert Hanson.

“One of the most frustrating things for women is that they are not finding the right jeans for their body,” he says, putting jeans in the same shape-sensitive category as bras and swimsuits.

True Religion jeans: win a his and hers outfit

True Religion, the must-have denim brand are holding an exclusive competition to give away a True Religion outfit, including jeans, T-shirt and sweater to one lucky guy and girl.

By Natasha Cowan

This week the Telegraph fashion desk is giving away a super-chic look from the must-have brand, True Religion – one for a women and one for a man. The look comprises a pair of jeans, a T-shirt and a sweater.
True Religion, the premium denim brand, is a hit with stars such as Lily Allen, Cheryl Cole, Beyoncé, Megan Fox, Kristen Stewart, Hilary Duff, Gisele Bundchen and the sport heroes, David Beckham and Danny Cipriani.
Every pair of True Religion jeans is made in America and designed with a 1970’s feel. Known for its signature horseshoe logo adorning the back pockets, the brand’s newest styles include the ‘Rocco’, a slim fit for men offering a cleaner silhouette; and the ‘Casey’, a stretch skinny for women.

The famous feature is in the stitches, named Super T Stitch, the Big T stitch, and the Single End Stitch – all providing the jeans with a timeless, hippie, bohemian feel.
The first UK branch of True Religion opened in London last month in Covent Garden.
Enter the True Religion competition here
True Religion store: 27 James Street, Covent Garden, London WC2; also available from Harrods; www.harrods.com; 020 7730 1234. True religion also offers a maternity range of jeans.
Terms & Conditions

One male and one female will be selected to win an outfit each. For women, a pair of Casey jeans is £162-198 depending on wash; tops from £50 and a sweater £150-170.

For men, Rocco jeans are £205-225, t shirts from £59; hoodies £185-199.

True Religion stock sizes: 24-32 women’s; 28-38 men’s

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/7868267/True-Religion-jeans-win-a-his-and-hers-outfit.html

Denim for a City That Takes a Tough Hide

By JON CARAMANICA
AS the water line crept higher and higher in the bathtub, it was hard not to think I had been hornswoggled.

A few months ago, on a trip out of town, I bought a pair of Levi’s 501XX jeans: raw denim, unwashed, shrink-to-fit. They had a pleasing crispness, like cardboard or a snack chip. The inseam was long, 38 inches, but one thorough drenching would take care of most of that overage, I was assured. After that, for purposes of authenticity — these 501XXs were modeled after a 1947 style — all they would need was a chain-stitched hem and I’d be in business.

Just thinking about this process was about three steps more effort than I would normally devote to denim, and so the jeans languished in my apartment, folded and ignored.

But I had grown tired of soft, malleable jeans, quick to turn billowy after just a few months of wear. These 501XXs promised something more durable, more authoritative. They were like armor, and why wasn’t I wearing them?

Eventually, I relented. First things first: a warm-water bath. One Web site I read — there are no shortage of freelance denim experts online — suggested full-body immersion, so that the denim would succumb to my form. Sitting in the tub, waiting for the denim to cave, felt creepy, so I settled on a regular soak, body not included. (One trick I did employ: putting on the jeans after pulling them out of the tub, then crouching low to the ground for a few seconds, After hanging dry, they were bent to shape.)