仙林大学城【www.njxldxc.com】编辑WHAT does denim mean to you? Most people might think of its sexy and fashionable feel, ignoring its rugged, hard-wearing nature. But, denim jeans have completely changed from being a work garment to a major style statement. Still, not all denim brands are following that trend.
Levis was the original denim brand. In 1873, Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss created a special pair of trousers strong enough to hold in a mans big stomach. The denim industry has come a long way since then.
In 1978, Calvin Klein introduced designer denim. But it wasnt until the late 90s, with the emergence of Earl jeans from California, that the denim craze truly took hold. No longer were jeans a kind of chunky workmans wear, but a sexy item showing off the wearers figure.
"A woman needs a different pair for every occasion, just like shoes. Some days you want a sexy pair, other days you want them more relaxed and slouchy," says Suzanne Pendlebury, womenswear buyer for Harvey Nichols, a famous UK store.
Trendy elementsIn fact, the denim industry has gone beyond anyones expectations. UK sales of jeans have increased 40 percent in the past five years, according to research by consumer analysts Mintel.
But the emphasis here is on "new" and "trendy". Classic brands, like Levis, Lee and Wrangler, have to struggle in todays marketplace. Between 2004 and 2006, Levis UK sales dropped by 12.1 percent.
To make matters worse, theres been a boom in cut-rate stores such as Topshop, George at Asda and M&S. Topshop sells 18,000 pairs of its Baxter jeans a week.
"Classic brands have been squeezed out by the flashier designer brands at one end and the cheap jeans in supermarkets at the other end," commented the UKs The Guardian newspaper.
Less heritageKarl Heinz Salzburger, president of European and Asian operations for the company that owns Lee and Wrangler, said, "We have our own brand image and we are using that heritage to give our stores a bit more lifestyle."
But denim consumers today are more interested in making their bodies look good than recognizing denims historical, cowboy past.
Levis prefers to play up its historical status rather than trying to jump on any bandwagon.
Thomas M Onda, a lawyer for Levis, admits his company failed to follow the denim market shift to "a more urban, hip-hop, baggier look". But he adds, "Weve always been a rock n roll brand, not a hip-hop one."
---------------------------------------
chunky 厚实的
slouchy 懒散的
flashy 好看的
BONUS POINTS
cut-rate: adj. 打折扣的, 廉价的
I tend to be a bit leery of those cut-rate commodities that flood the racks at sale time.我对大甩卖时堆积如山的减价商品总有点不放心。
jump on the bandwagon: 赶时髦，随大流，大家在做的事都参加
With the international conference in town, hotels are jumping on the bandwagon and raising their prices. 不久将有一个国际会议在当地召开，酒店都在赶浪头，趁机提高价格。
南京仙林大学城http://www.njxldxc.com
