Today.Az » World news » Caveat emptor – Armenian jeans are coming
08 September 2017 [17:18] - Today.Az


By Alan Hope 

Jeans, invented by Jacob W. Davis in partnership with Levi Strauss & Co. in 1871, might become American no longer. This might happen due to the fact that, the Armenian textile industry, tired of producing low-quality knock-offs, had decided to start the production of its line of jeans clothing under the brand named “5900BC.”

In 2011, Armenian government came up with the plan for the development of the local garment industry, for which eight local garment manufacturers were unified under the “5900BC” brand. In 2014, the government had somehow enrolled in the United Nation’s Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) Industrial Upgrading and Modernization Programme (IUMP) and duped the organization into financing of their project called "Increasing the competitiveness of Armenia's export-oriented industries through modernization and access to markets."

On top of the $2 million allocated by UNIDO to the project, the organization also set up a series of trainings for the local manufacturers. Simultaneously, fashion school called “Atex-Burgo” was established, supposedly in cooperation with the Milan’s “Istituto di Moda Burgo.”

On January 2, 2015 Armenia became a member of the Eurasian Customs Union (EACU) within the Russian established Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). From that moment on, Armenia has started the distribution of its textile products to the markets of the EEU member states. Products with the Armenian brand name "Nanman" were distributed in line with the Armenian produced usual knock-offs of the well-known major brands.

Armenian manufacturers were ferocious enough to organize not one, but two fashion shows in Vienne and Paris. They have even proclaimed that Russia’s famous fashion house of Yudashkin showed interest in their brand and products. Nonetheless, low-quality of the used materials, on top of the poor manufacturing, did not produce so much wanted results for the Armenian government.

Another interesting thing is related to the brand name “5900BC” used by the Armenian fashion industry. The Armenian authors did not openly disclose the origin of the brand name or what it stands for. But it’s not that difficult to see that they were yearning to show themselves as a nation, history of which predates the Christ by 5900 years. Maybe they were even thinking to compete with the Jews, since the Hebrew Calendar, which was started on the day when Adam and Eve were created, currently stands at year 5777. There is even a possibility that Armenian authors envisaged the recall of the Jacob W. Davis’s 1873 patent, thus proclaiming the jeans to be all-Armenian, instead of all-American.

The only good thing that might come up from the current Armenian endeavor is the prospect of Kim Kardashian modeling for the line of Armenian made jeans products. In any case, let the buyer beware, for Armenian jeans are coming to the mall next to you.



Copyright © Today.Az