Designer clothing is expensive luxury clothing considered to be high quality and haute couture for the general public, made by, or carrying the label of, a well-known fashion designer. Brands Designer clothing is not always created by the founder of the company. For example, the actual designer of Chanel is not its original founder and designer, Gabrielle Chanel, but French designer Virginie Viard. The quality of the clothing and degree of its resemblance, if any, to the designer's work vary considerably depending on the licensee and the terms of the agreement the designer has struck. Some terms may limit the number of garment styles that may be produced, allowing the designer to veto any designs he or she finds unappealing. Examples include: Armani Alexander Wang Balenciaga Balmain Berluti Bottega Veneta Burberry Calvin Klein Chanel Céline Christian Louboutin DSquared2 Diesel Dior Dolce & Gabbana Escada Fendi Givenchy Gucci Hermès Jean Paul Gaultier Jil Sander Karl Lagerfeld Kenzo Karl Lagerfeld Loewe Longchamp Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs Max Mara Michael Kors MISBHV Oscar de la Renta Ralph Lauren Philipp Plein Prada Saint Laurent Paris Salvatore Ferragamo Tod's Tommy Hilfiger Valentino Versace This licensing of designer names was pioneered by designers like Pierre Cardin in the 1960s and has been a common practice within the fashion industry from about the 1970s. Designer jeans Designer jeans are available at many different price points usually at several hundreds of dollars, with some even approaching US$1,000. Before the "Great Recession", premium denim was one of the fastest growing categories of the apparel business, and there seemed to be no limit to what customers would pay for the latest label, fit, finish, or wash. Americans bought US$13.8 billion of men's and women's jeans in the year ended April 30, 2011, according to market-research firm NPD Group. But only about 1% of jeans sold in the U.S. over that year cost more than $50. Since the "Great Recession," the landscape for premium jeans has changed: "Charging $600 for jeans for no reason at all — those days are over," said You Nguyen, the senior vice president of women's merchandising and design for Levi Strauss & Company. The difference between the $300 jeans and the $30 jeans often has to do with the fabric quality, hardware, washes, design details, abrasions, and where they are manufactured. A "fancy" pair of jeans that has been treated with abrasions, extra washes, etc., to