美国国家公共电台 NPR Denim Companies Stretch To Compete With Leggings

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Why write about the business of denim¹ if you can't throw in a few puns? Bloomberg's Kim Bhasin says the jean-making industry has been just as distressed³ as the ripped denim of the same name. The reason - elastic⁴ knit pants, yoga pants, athleisure wear, leggings, whatever you want to call them. The U.S. Census⁵ Bureau says that last year for the first time ever, imports of elastic knit pants surpassed denim - distress², indeed.

And Kim Bhasin reports that denim makers⁶, big brands like Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, are mounting a comeback. He joins us from our bureau in New York. Welcome to the show.

KIM BHASIN: Glad to be here.

CORNISH: So how far does this fight go back now?

BHASIN: This fight goes back to about 2011, 2012. Back then, Lululemon was coming up real hard selling leggings and yoga pants to everyone. People were really wanting this kind of comfortable feeling on their legs instead of thick denim. And they would wear in the gym and slowly that trickled⁷ out of the gym and onto the streets.

CORNISH: Give us some context in terms of the numbers because I don't think of the American denim industry as being one that is in trouble. But what do you see when you look at the data?

BHASIN: Levi's is the most iconic brand in denim. And it's kind of a bellwether⁸ for the industry. And it had troubles in the mid-2010s. So that's 2012, '13, '14, '15. It was a slowdown. And finally, in 2017, it posted an 8 percent increase in revenue. And that was its strongest growth since 2011.

CORNISH: So you know that not only are jeans being challenged because they're not as comfortable but the actual styles of blue jeans haven't really evolved over the last 10 years. Is that true?

BHASIN: Skinny jeans have remained the dominant⁹ style of denim for more than a decade now. Little has changed on the silhouette¹⁰ front. And this is going all the way back to the, like, early 2000s back when the Britney Spears boot cut trend from back then - it's been skinny ever since.

CORNISH: So what's going on in terms of innovation? I mean, where it exists, are there any wins for the denim world?

BHASIN: The denim world was a little slow to react. In 2012 and '13, they started to finally realize, oh, we have to do something here. We just can't keep selling the same denim that we've sold forever. And Levi's in particular changed the way their women's jeans work. They added a lot of stretch. They added moisture-wicking properties to their jeans.

They just wanted more function because that's what people demanded.

CORNISH: So are you convinced the denim revival's really going to happen?

BHASIN: I'm convinced that it's already happening. The rise of leggings has earned that style a place in every woman's closet. Now, that doesn't mean denim can't reclaim¹¹ some of that closet space.

CORNISH: Are you sure about that though? I mean, is athleisure a trend we could be seeing the end of at some point?

BHASIN: I think athleisure at this point, since it's been around for five or six years now and still now increasing, it seems here to stay. And also, comfort just makes sense.

CORNISH: I don't know, friend. I still wear high heels, so we do irrational¹² things sometimes.

BHASIN: Oh, yeah, of course. People are trying to fix that too.

(LAUGHTER)

BHASIN: It hasn't really worked yet.

CORNISH: Kim Bhasin covers fashion for Bloomberg. His latest piece is titled "Blue Jeans Are Mounting A Comeback." Thank you for speaking with ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

BHASIN: Thanks so much.

1 denim   

n.斜纹棉布；斜纹棉布裤，牛仔裤

参考例句：

• She wore pale blue denim shorts and a white denim work shirt.她穿着一条淡蓝色的斜纹粗棉布短裤，一件白粗布工作服上衣。
• Dennis was dressed in denim jeans.丹尼斯穿了一条牛仔裤。

2 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

3 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

4 elastic   

n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的

参考例句：

• Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
• These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。

5 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

6 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 trickled   

v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Blood trickled down his face. 血从他脸上一滴滴流下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tears trickled down her cheeks. 热泪一滴滴从她脸颊上滚下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 bellwether   

n.系铃的公羊，前导，领导者，群众的首领

参考例句：

• University campuses are often the bellwether of change.大学校园往往引领变革的新潮。
• For decades the company was the bellwether of the British economy.几十年来，这家公司一直是英国经济的晴雨表。

9 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

10 silhouette   

n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓

参考例句：

• I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。
• I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。

11 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

12 irrational   

adj.无理性的，失去理性的

参考例句：

• After taking the drug she became completely irrational.她在吸毒后变得完全失去了理性。
• There are also signs of irrational exuberance among some investors.在某些投资者中是存在非理性繁荣的征象的。