'Devilish' Jeans a Hot Seller in Sweden

[Amelia]

'Devilish' Jeans a Hot Seller in Sweden

By KARL RITTER

Associated Press Writer

Fri Dec 30, 2005

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A punk-rock style, trendy tight fit and affordable price have made Cheap Monday jeans a hot commodity among young Swedes, but what has people talking is the brand's ungodly logo: a skull with a cross turned upside down on its forehead.

The jeans' makers say it's more of a joke, but the logo's designer said there's a deeper message.

"It is an active statement against Christianity," Bjorn Atldax told The Associated Press. "I'm not a Satanist myself, but I have a great dislike for organized religion."

Atldax insists he has a purpose beyond selling denim: to make young people question Christianity, which he called a "force of evil" that had sparked wars throughout history.

Such a remark might incite outrage or prompt retailers to drop the brand in more religious countries.

But not in Sweden, a secular nation which cherishes its free speech and where churchgoing has been declining for decades.

Cheap Mondays are flying off the shelves at about $50 a pair. The jeans have also been shipped throughout Europe and to Australia, and there are plans to introduce them to the United States and elsewhere.

The jeans' makers say about 200,000 pairs have been sold since March 2004 — and note they've received few complaints about the grinning skull and upside down cross, a symbol often associated with satanic worship.

Even the country's largest church, the Lutheran Church of Sweden, reacts with a shrug.

"I don't think it's much to be horrified about," said Bo Larsson, director of the church's Department of Education, Research and Culture.

"It is abundantly clear that this designer wants to create public opinion against the Christian faith ... but I believe that the way to deal with this is to start a discussion about what religion means."

Other Christians, however, are calling for a tougher stance against the jeans.

"One cannot just keep quiet about this," said the Rev. Karl-Erik Nylund, vicar of St. Mary Magdalene Church in Stockholm. "This is a deliberate provocation (against Christians) and I object to that."

Nylund complained that Swedish companies don't treat Christianity with the same respect that they afford other religions.

"No one wants to provoke Jews or Muslims, but it's totally OK to provoke Christians," he said.

Some buyers have ripped off the logo from the back of the pants, or even returned the jeans once they realized what the symbol means. But such cases are very few, according to the brand's creator, Orjan Andersson, who said he doesn't take the logo too seriously.

"I'm not interested in religion," he said. "I'm more interested in that the logo looks good."

Henrik Petersson, 26, said he picked up his first pair of Cheap Mondays a few months after they were launched because he liked their punk-rocker style and the logo caught his eye.

"I think it's a cool thing. It stands out from the rest," he said. "I haven't really reflected over whether there is an underlying message."

Martin Sundberg, a 32-year-old co-owner of a clothing store in Stockholm's trendy SoFo district, said people shouldn't get upset over the jeans.

"It's just supposed to be a bit of fun, some kind of anti-culture," he said.

The jeans are selling in Norway, Denmark, Britain, the Netherlands and France. Andersson, the brand's owner, hopes to tap the lucrative U.S. market soon — and said he isn't worried the logo will hurt sales.

"Surely, most people understand that we are not evil people," he said. "My mom doesn't think so, at least."

[cricket]

$50 for a pair of jeans is not cheap!

[Neil D]

That's cheap MONDAYS, not cheap jeans...but yeah, $50 is not cheap!.....

[Amelia]

Shoot, I have a problem with $29.99. I wouldn't even consider $50. I can usually find the brand and style I like on Ebay. I recently got a pair of work jeans for only $15 including shipping. And they were brand new too.

[cricket]

I wonder if you can wear Cheap Mondays if you work at Tuesday Morning or a weekend job at Weekends Only?

It might just be that you'd have to get a weekend job at Weekends Only to be able to afford a Cheap Monday!

[Planey]

Quote:

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$50 is not cheap

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"cheap" and "expensive" are often relativs rather than absolute terms. A pair of jeans could be regarded as cheap in one place because they are available at a lower price than other comparable garments in that particlular market. Somewhere else, jeans available at the exact same price would be regarded as expensive due to the fact that in the new market similar jeans may be priced a lot lower.

So just because a $50 pair of jeans in many markets in the USA are regarded as not cheap because of the ready access to lower priced similar products does not mean that the same priced pants in Sweden are therefore also not cheap. Perhaps the usual price for similar quality jeans in Stockholm is $75 to $80, thus making the Cheap Monday brand a bargain.

Graeme

PS The perception in much of the rest of the world is that the poorer countries subsidise the rich decadent markets of the USA. Whether or not there is any basis in reality for this view does not alter the perception. This is a contributing factor to the negative attitudes to the United States in many parts of the world.

If you lived in a part of the world where a pair of jeans cost $90, which amounted to a significant part of your monthly income, how would you feel reading a comment from a person, living in a country where $50 is just loose change, saying "$50 is not cheap for a pair of jeans!"

[Dr. Shane]

Quote:

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The perception in much of the rest of the world is that the poorer countries subsidise the rich decadent markets of the USA.

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Many products are cheaper in the US because of our open markets. Many countries have high import taxes. Such taxes protect domestic producers against competition. The domestic companies can then charge more for their inferior products without having to worry about forgien competition. What is worse is that many of the politicians recieve kick-backs from these domestic industries in order to keep the import taxes high.

A microwave oven that one can buy for $50 in the US will cost close to $200 in many countries. It is the same microwave, made by the same company in the same factory but because of import taxes, and partially due to distribution, the cost is much more.

The key to success in a capitialistic society is making one's products affordable for the masses. When industry is in bed with government, government passes laws that restrict competition and drives up prices. Consider how life is in America. Even our lower class lives better than most ancient kings did. We have running water in our homes, heaters that are themostat controlled, air conditioning, television, microwaves, cars, radio, comfortable mattresses, hot bath water, carpet, luxious furniture and refrigeration. In many contries the middle class must finance appliances and furniture because it is not affordable to the masses.

[Amelia]

I've seen many styles of jeans that command a high price because of the label "BUT" in quality are comparable to something from Mal-Warts.

[cricket]

Graeme,

I guess I'm an idiot. I don't think of $50 as being loose change. To me, $50 for a pair of jeans is waaaaay over-priced.

Maybe if I lived in another country that felt Americans were unjust in saying that $50 is too expensive--well, maybe I'd have to re-think how I felt about Americans. Maybe I'd begin to realize that not all Americans are as wealthy as the media would make us seem.

And yes...I realize all things are relative. Maybe if I were in a country that was so poor, I'd not have a computer to read these comments on.

By the way, if anyone is reading this in a country where $50 sounds like a bargain for a pair of jeans--send me $50 and I'll ship you a pair of jeans!

QB