Amiri Jeans, why are they so expensive?
Amiri jeans are probably the most hyped jeans out there. As seen by various celebrities such as: Kendrick Lamar, Gunna, Lil Baby, Justin Bieber, Future, Odell Beckham Jr. and many more.
But why do these jeans cost more than a €1.000?
Mike Amiri is the creative-director and founder of Amiri. This brand was founded in 2014 and started off as a single department store. Before this, Mike Amiri started off his label in the basement of a restaurant in Los Angeles, his hometown. Mike Amiri posted his work on Instagram and soon after this, his work got noticed by lots of people. The caption of Mike’s first Instagram post was: "Just making this for no reason at all. No sales, no editors, no stores in mind. I just want to make something really special." After this, Mike got his own department section in a Maxfield store in Los Angeles.
Today, Amiri has a multi-million-dollar value an is one of the leading high-end streetwear brands in the world. The brand gets a lot of support from artists and celebrities. The distressed style of the brand and the sometimes extreme designs are manufactured in Los Angeles which is the home-town of Mike Amiri.
Obviously, the popularity of the brand is one of the most important factors of the high pricing. The jeans were initially priced way lower and the prices have soared over the last two years. Some jeans by Amiri are over €2.000 while they were originaly priced at $600 when the brand started off.
Another factor of the high prices is the amount of handwork in the clothing pieces and their materials.
If you are not from the USA, the Amiri jeans (and other Amiri products) are often way more expensive than inside the USA. This is caused by the import duties and taxes that retailers have to pay to import Amiri products.
The price difference on jeans can range from €200-€400 per piece (depending on the conversion rate from the US Dollar to Euro).
Models by Amiri
The “shotgun”
The shotgun jeans by Amiri for example, are shot individually with a shotgun to make sure no jeans look the same. They are all unique and obviously it costs a lot of time, and ammunition ;) to make these jeans the way they are.
Amiri Shotgun Jeans by Mike Amiri (Labelsfashion, 2020).
The LA track
The LA track jean is remarkable and one of the signature designs by Amiri. The jeans feature a stripe along the side and has a cut on the left knee. It is a very unique and simple model.
The MX1
The MX1 model by Mike Amiri is known for the amount of detailing that goes into these jeans. The MX1 model is Amiri’s most recognizable design. A big amount of work requires special hands which can do the job. Each jean gets pinned down on a surgical table and is measured, inspected and cut one-by-one. All the patches on the jeans are applied by hand. Even the leather patch on the back which says “AMIRI” is stitched and detailed by hand. The distressing of the jeans is also mostly done by hand. The inspiration of the jeans comes from Los Angeles style and culture.
The MX2
The MX2 model by Amiri is the big brother of the MX1 model. The MX2 also has a crazy amount of detailing but there is one aspect that makes it different than all the other models; the jeans are styled with zippers on the knees or on the sides of the jeans. The look of this jeans is completely unique.
MX2 Leather Panelled Jeans by Amiri (Clothbase, 2020).
Indy’s opinion on Amiri
In my opinion the jeans are extremely comfortable, and they look very unique. The stacking of the jeans is very nice, and the stretchy Italian denim feels amazingly soft. There are no other jeans on the market that look the same as a pair of Amiri Jeans.
''In my opinion the jeans are extremely comfortable, and they look very unique. The stacking of the jeans is very nice, and the stretchy Italian denim feels amazingly soft.''
Washing your Amiri Jeans
The jeans are very delicate, so I always recommend my customers to dry-clean the jeans. This takes out risks such as shrinking in the washing machine and dry-cleaning takes out aggressive staining.
Indy's advice on Amiri
Of course it is very logical that a lot of people cannot afford a pair of Amiri jeans. You can do a lot of great things with €1.000 and spending such an amount of money on a pair of jeans sounds ridiculous to most people. Although I think that IF you can afford it, these jeans are really cool to style and are extremely comfortable to wear as well. Try finding the jeans in the ‘sale’ or check www.theatticstreetwear.com for the collection.
Tips when buying an Amiri jeans:
- Don’t put them in the washing machine, hang the jeans outside so it can ‘breathe’ or take the jeans to a good dry-cleaner if it’s necessary.
- Make sure the kneepads don’t get wet. The leather is very delicate.
- Don’t wear them with expensive sneakers before you have worn them for a while. The fresh ink in the jeans which is used to color the denim can ‘bleed’ on your sneakers.
For more information about Amiri, check the website. For inquiries about buying Amiri please send an e-mail to info@theatticstreetwear.com.