Published Dec 14, 2021 by Rick Cundiff
OK, I get that fashion moves ever forward. Styles change, sometimes daily. Designer this, “fast fashion” that. It’s an impossible world to keep up with. I have no problem with that.
I’m old enough to remember when designer jeans first became a thing. Before certain be-discoed celebrities came along, jeans were just jeans. Simple, comfortable, straightforward. The tag on the back read Levi’s, Wrangler, Lee and other common brands.
Then along came Gloria Vanderbilt, Calvin Klein, Sasson (not Sassoon) and others. Prices soared for jeans with the “right” name on the rump. Same denim, just some fancy script added.
It seemed silly to me, and I continued to buy the “common” brands, but whatever floats your yuppie boat.
However, today, there’s a new trend. We’ve evolved from paying for perfectly good jeans to paying for jeans that come from the factory with holes in them. And I have to say, I just don’t get it.
See, In the old days, your jeans had holes in the knees, ripped pockets and frayed hems at the bottom because you earned them. Jeans were for working, moving, carrying, sliding, dragging and lifting things in. You wore holes in them as they aged by actually doing things. Every rip, every tear, every hole became a part of your history.
Now, people spend hundreds of dollars for “distressed” or even “destroyed” jeans with pre-made holes. The less fabric actually exists, the higher the price. Before long, they’ll stop including the fabric and just sell you the holes. The emperor’s new clothes will have arrived.
Fortunately, there’s an answer to all this holey-ness. Custom patches! The original purpose of patches was to cover holes and make clothes wearable for a bit longer. So why not go for custom patches as a way to cover “distress” holes?
It could be a way to start a new fashion trend. Pre-stressed jeans with pre-covered holes. Slap a designer name on the patch, or a witty saying and you’re onto something. Cover those exposed knees with patches, please!
C’mon, give it a try. You get to laugh, and we get to make money. And if you’re a parent, here’s a great way to ruin your kid’s day. Iron on patches and your kid’s distressed jeans = comedy gold!
OK, fine, maybe not. Probably best to just let the custom patches stand up for themselves, in all the usual places. And yes, let the holey jeans crowd have their moment in the sun too. Soon enough, their children will be looking at Mom and Dad’s jeans with holes in them and say “what WERE you thinking?”
Until then, let’s just do our best to keep things patched up.
