PAGE 6
THE DECREE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1974
Why Does Everything
(Especially Jeans And Penny Loafers)
Cost So Much?
By JILL GERSTON
Midis may come and minis
may go; clogs may be in one
year and saddle shoes the next;
but jeans and loafers—ah, they
will be around forever!
They’re attractive, comfor
table, practical, adored by
mothers, borrowed by sisters,
accepted by high school prin
cipals and are appropriate for
any occasion, from a date at the
drive-in to dinner at your
aunt’s.
And this .year they’re some
thing else: more expensive.
Everything is more expen^
sive these days—a quart of
milk, a gallon of gasoline, a pot
of lip gloss, even a chocolate
bar. Blue jeans and loafers are
no exception.
What’s the reason behind the
cost increase of these two
wardrobe staples? How are the
rising price tags affecting
sales? Is there any way a
young, budget-conscious shop
per can stretch her clothes
allowance?
These questions were re
cently put to manufacturers,
retailers, buyers, marketing
and fashion experts and a
random sampling of teen-age
shoppers from the metropolitan
New York area.
Among the answers given
were these: The price of loafers
and jeans has gone up mainly
because of an increase in the
cost of cotton and leather,
labor, marketing, shipping,
overhead (i.e., rent, taxes,
insurance, utilities, other office
expenses) and bank interest
rates. Despite the price hike,
sales haven’t dropped, a fact
which is attributed to the
“quality,” “durability” and
“timeless style” of denim pants
and leather moccasins.
The table on this page
illustrates the price rise from
1970 to 1974 for apair of
straight-leg blue jeans by Levi
Strauss & Co. and a pair of
penny loafers by the Bass
Company. (The prices given are
the companys’ suggested retail
price, which may vary slightly
in different regions throughout
the United States.)
Back in the days of the
California Gold Rush, when
Levi Strauss, the founder of the
company bearing his name, sold
denim pants to miners (who
originally used the tough cotton
fabric for tents) a pair of Levi’s
cost one dollar! The comparison
of the 1850 price with the 1974
price makes you realize that
denim jeans are one of the last
of the old-fashioned bargains
around.
Just since 1970, said Bud
Johns (Levi Strauss’s director
of corporate communications),
labor, shipping and overhead
costs have practically doubled,
while the price of denim has
increased a whopping 91 per
cent.
Why is this homely, un-
glamorous, blue cotton fabric so
costly?
^'\ ni
“For one thing, cotton is a
natural fiber, and was not
subject to federal price controls
as synthetics were,” explained
Mr. Johns. “For another, the
demand for denim far exceeds
the supply. There just aren’t
enough denim mills to keep the
world market supplied.”
Denim mills, Mr. Johns went
on to say, aren’t being esta
blished because they’re very
costly to operate (particularly
because of the dyeing equip
ment) and not very versatile (as
compared to woolen mills,
which can produce a wider
range of fabrics).
1970
1974
Blue jeans
[ straight-legged ]
$ 7
$14
Penny loafers
$17
$22
“We estimate that we could
sell at least 50 per cent more
denim goods if we could get
hold of the fabric,” he said.
Retailers and customers agree.
“Jeans always sell, regard
less of the season,” said a
sportswear buyer for a large
New York Department store.
“Everyone from toddlers to
grandmothers wears them be
cause they look good, feel
comfortable and go anywhere.
What more do you want for
your money?”
“I think the reason young
people are such great jean fans
is that jeans fit so well with
their life style,” said Terry
Mayer, fashion coordinator of
the Denim Council, an or
ganization made up of the
leading denim mills. “They’re
casual. They’re unpretentious.
And they’re very personal
when you add your own
decorations and embroidery.
For the same reasons that
the price of Levi’s is climbing,
so is the price of Landlubbers,
according to Leonard Rubin,
vice-president of the company
that makes them. In 1970, the
retail price of their popular
denim hip huggers was $8;
today a pair costs $11.
While the tab for these and
other moderately priced jeans
has increased, they’re rock-
bottom bargains compared with
the $50 tags found on imported
French jeans that are currently
the rage among the celebrity
set in New York, California and
St. Topez. (One Manhattan
boutique which specializes in
even more extravagant, hand-
embroidered jeans, is deluged
with orders, despite the $100 to
$500 prices!)
The story behind the loafer
price rise follows the same
script as the jeans scenario.
According to Richard E. Solz,
the vice-president of the Bass
Company, which began manu
facturing shoes back in 1876
and is best known for its Bass
Weejun moccasin, the $5 price
increase over the 1970 to 1974
period is attributed to “the
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