Spanx Jeans are a Real Thing!
Shapewear powerhouse Spanx has entered the denim market with a line of jeans based off of their popular slimming technology. To say that this is an unusual move for a company that specializes in innerwear goes without saying, but maybe it makes more sense than you think.
In an interview aired on Good Morning America, founder Sara Blakely described her inspiration to launch a denim line as stemming from her frustration in finding a good pair of jeans -particularly after having a baby where she states "things don't exactly go back to the same place". She describes Spanx jeans as being woven from three yarns -two stretch yarns and one regular (cotton) yarn as opposed to the one stretch, one regular yarn combination used in traditional jeans. (Actually, traditional jeans are 100% cotton, but who's counting). This is meant to "hold you in more" and provide better recovery.
The jeans come in two styles; the Slim-X and Signature. The Slim-X has a control panel sewn into the front for an instant tummy tuck, while the Signature has a wide waistband similar to a maternity jean for a "smooth silhouette".
Sounds amazing right? Spanx has cornered the market on slimming techology so who better to design a jean that will flatter a women's figure. It's a billion dollar company for a reason. Their product works. They work so well as a matter of fact that women are no longer hush hush about their shapewear, but proudly declare when they are wearing Spanx whether it's the actual brand or not. I've even witnessed women shaming other women into wearing them. Spanx-shaming. ha! There's no reason to think that Spanx would not make an excellent jean. Except this...
Although I adored watching the incredibly charming Blakely on Good Morning America, I couldn't help but note that she was just beginning to understand the depth of the denim industry. Many a denim designer has described their frustration in finding the perfect pair of jeans as inspiration to start their own lines. Now over a decade later there are so many denim brands and apparel brands with denim lines that it's hard to imagine that anyone would have difficulties finding the perfect pair short of going custom. And I noticed that Blakely is far smaller than the initial launch sizes of 26-32.
In addition, and I know there are many that disagree, denim as a category has been diluted by the overuse of stretch yarns. In my opinion, anything above 3% stretch has a negative impact on the qualities that make denim such a great fabric such as durability, extended laundry cycles and the ability to get better over time. It's not that I'm against stretch. I'm not. I think it's great for skinny jeans in reasonable amounts, but too much stretch and you're really just wearing an indigo-dyed legging, no?
Be that as it may, Spanx customers or going to love this jean. I'm certain of it. The initial launch sizes will appeal to a customer that has been woefully underserviced when it comes to finding the perfect pair and the prospect of a pair of jeans working as well as shapewear is just too good to pass up at any size.
