J Brand’s Houlihan Pants Are A Huge Hit

I was reading this very interesting article on the NYTimes and I wanted to share it with you. You all know I am a huge fan of the J Brand Houlihan pants so I wasn’t surprised when I read this write up about just how popular they are! They have sold 75,000 pairs of the Houlihan and have 40,000 pairs on back order! Now that’s impressive! All within a couple of months. I have pasted some of the article below for you to read. Buy these pants at Boutique to You for $230 or buy these pants in 7 other colours at Singer22 for $230. You can also read my review of the Houlihan pants by clicking here and you can enter our J Brand Houlihan pant contest with National Jean Company by clicking here. We have gone Houlihan crazy!

Since the end of January, its manufacturer, J Brand, has sold more than 75,000 pairs of the style and has 40,000 pairs on back order. “In 33 years I’ve never shipped anything like this,” Jeff Rudes, the founder and chief executive of J Brand, said this week, noting that some customers have offered to prepay for the $230 style. Bloomingdale’s has sold thousands, according to Mr. Doroff, who wants more. Barneys New York has 1,000 pairs of Houlihans on reorder, with waiting lists at its stores. The Intermix chain said it has sold 2,000 pairs.

J Brand, a 5-year-old company based in California, is widely distributed, and this particular cargo style has apparently done well everywhere, though the hard-to-get factor may be exaggerated. On Monday, I counted five pairs at Bergdorf Goodman, and a number of Web sites indicated that they had them.

Still, there is no denying their hot-item status. Although Mr. Rudes might sell more jeans and leggings, the demand for the pricey Houlihan, which J Brand considers a novelty style, has been exceptionally intense. Fashion blogs have been discussing the style since February — the fit seems to be the main draw — and you can find scads of pictures of Houlihan-supportive celebrities, including Rihanna and Jessica Alba.

The military-style pants were aptly named, too — after Hot Lips Houlihan of the movie and television series “M*A*S*H.”

Mr. Doroff said that the response to the pants was immediate and persuasive. In early February, a Bloomingdale’s manager on the West Coast alerted him that an order had sold out in a matter of days. Then Mr. Doroff’s 12-year-old daughter told him she wanted a pair of Houlihans. By that time, however, they were sold out at Bloomingdale’s in New York.

In Mr. Doroff’s view, the Houlihan has been successful because of the lightweight yet rugged fabric, the faded olive color and the popularity this spring of cargo pants and other military looks. “The jeans business has been a little tough,” he said. “We needed some newness in the market.” He added, referring to Mr. Rudes, “He was the newness.”

The Houlihan is made of a Japanese cotton twill that contains two percent Lycra. In addition to a vintage wash, it has smooth cargo pockets and a tapering fit that ends with zippers on the outside of the legs. Mr. Rudes said, “It’s all about the fit.”

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