Luxury vs Premium Clothing

I thrifted two of my favorite pairs of jeans. The first is a slim-fit pair of dark wash jeans from the Japanese brand, Momotaro, that I got from a thrift shop in San Francisco last year. The second is a regular fit, dark wash pair of jeans from Jil Sander that I thrifted here in New York. The Momotaro’s retail for around ~315 and I got them for $30. The Jil Sander’s retail for $1100 and I bought them for $75.

Jil Sander jeans retail for 3 times the price of Momotaro jeans, despite the fact that both are made in Japan using selvedge denim. While the Jil Sander jeans have a beautiful cut, the Momotaro jeans feature finer details, such as pink inseams, custom rivets and buttons, and a leather patch at the back. However, ignoring the price, I’d assume the Momotaro jeans were more expensive.

This is a good example of the difference between premium and luxury. Momotaro is a premium clothing brand that uses high-quality materials, dyeing techniques, and manufacturing methods, all produced in Okayama, Japan. Jil Sander makes high-quality clothing but they are a luxury brand. Are the Jil Sanders 3x better in quality than the Momotaro’s? No. The brand perception and desirability drive the price difference between luxury and premium products, not quality.

There’s a saying I think about often that says, “Luxury is a necessity that begins where necessity ends.” This is especially true when it comes to clothing.