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Ask HN: Review my idea - fix the way girls shop for jeans

4 points by dkokelley ↗ HN
I know this is a predominately male audience, but you are a group of smart people who can hopefully provide objectivity and help develop this idea.

The way girls shop for jeans is broken, IMO. Girls must browse through arbitrary, unstandardized sizes and try on a range of jeans from size 2-4, for example, to find ones that fit right.

Men have it easier. Two simple measurements, waist and inseam. I know that women would need more dimensions like hip and thigh to get a closer fit (us guys don't particularly care if our pants accentuate the right places).

What I want to do is bring uniform measurements to women's jeans, and allow women to custom-fit their jeans by ordering online, with a generous return policy like Zappos did with shoes. It's essentially a new brand of jeans that sets itself apart by making it easier for women to find jeans that fit them perfectly, every time.

Thoughts, suggestions, critiques?

8 comments

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maxdemarzi
I like the idea. I log in, put in my measurements/traits (as many or few as I want (petite, bottom heavy, large bust, full figure, etc) and the system matches me up with clothes that not only FIT, but also look GOOD on me or at least complement my body shape.
lizzy
Currently if a woman wants to wear jeans in a new brand or style, you are right, it is a good idea for her to try them on before buying them. Depending on the woman, she may or may not consider going jeans shopping a chore.

In your proposed system, the woman instead needs to measure her waist, hips, thighs, inseam, and probably some other things too. Having done some dress making in the distant past, I know it is easier said than done to measure yourself in the correct places. And it is not fun. But sure, if you offered jeans that were customizable on enough size points, as well as in styles, perhaps you could sell your jeans online without a lot of returns.

I think the key to the success of a new brand of jeans though is not just about how well it fits. Just take a look at all the women in ill-fitting skinny jeans out there! My hunch is that women on average have a less utilitarian attitude to fashion than men (men often just want something that looks decent and fits well?).

Perhaps instead of taking on the risk and challenge of building a new fashion brand, you could leverage the brands of others. Take measurements of all the popular jeans brands in all the major sizes and then write the matching tool. Its not as lucrative a revenue model (it would be affiliate), but it would help you test part of your idea.

maxawaytoolong
I did this 12 years ago. Nobody really wants this. I would advise against it.

Men have the same problem, btw. Size 32/32 jeans at Old Navy are not equivalent to size 32/32 Levi's 501s or size 32/32 Diesel "skinny jeans" and so on and so forth.

dkokelley
Could you elaborate? I'd love to see what you did, what worked, and what didn't. Did you have a website set up? Is it still up?
maxawaytoolong
The fundamental flaw of your idea is that you think the way women shop for jeans is "broken". It is not. Women like to go to the store and try on clothing with their friends. It's also not just jeans... it's t-shirts, bras, shoes, coats, blouses, etc.

Anyway, I made a website for a large PANTS manufacturer. You'd measure your hips, waist, inseam and then put it into a web form and get a custom pair. After much promotion, we had an amazingly low number of customers. Like.... less than 50... for a site that we charged $300,000 to build. The men's version did a little better... but not much. The website is no longer available. Like the Kin and Google Wave, it was put out to pasture a few short months after going live.

You could try it again but I don't think shopping proclivities have changed much.

dkokelley
Thanks for the info. Do you think that the failure might be due to the online shopping landscape of 12 years ago? I know that in 1998, buying things online was the 'new' thing, and there were lots of concerns about security. Has the mainstream acceptance of online shopping progressed to the point where people are willing to buy clothes without trying them on?

You accredited the low acceptance of the site you worked on to the theory that women want a shopping 'experience' possibly with friends and lots of physical connection (trying things on, feeling the materials, etc.). Are women still as interested in this, given how their relationship with the internet has evolved over the last 12 years?

Thanks for your input. I really appreciate it.

maxawaytoolong
Has the mainstream acceptance of online shopping progressed to the point where people are willing to buy clothes without trying them on?

Yes, but you need a good return policy. Expect a lot of returns.

However, I still don't think women want custom jeans.

rada
Girls must browse through arbitrary, unstandardized sizes and try on a range of jeans from size 2-4, for example, to find ones that fit right.

That's simply not true. Yes, there are a few brands that make everything in their own sizes but most denim manufacturers make jeans by waist size. Go to saks.com and check out their denim shop. Not a single brand sized by 2-4 as you say... everything sized by actual waist in inches. The others (Gap, J Crew, whatever) have repeat shoppers who know their sizes in that particular maker so it's not at all confusing or "broken".