Detroit lands another luxury brand as G-Star RAW plots a July opening

If you ever thought Detroit was a premium jeans desert, consider your thirst quenched.

Metro Times first reported in March that the Dutch denim brand co-owned by Pharrell Williams, G-Star RAW, had posted a managerial job opening in Detroit — which had us wondering where in the city the premium retailer might set its sights.

As it turns out, G-Star will fit right in.

Curbed reports that G-Star RAW will be the latest to open downtown. The location, which is set to open in July, will be next to Bonobos (another high-end retailer, offering jeans around the $200 price point), and across from the mid-construction Shinola Hotel.

The Dutch brand will join the retail ranks of the recently opened Lululemon, Detroit is the New Black, Nike, Under Armour, and John Varvatos — "the most cutting-edge of the hip Gotham designer's art-meets-fashion-meets-design boutiques," as according to the Visit Detroit website.

G-Star doesn't just offer denim, though it is their bread and butter. As listed on their website, they offer a selection of accessories, footwear, eyewear, and other apparel. Offerings range from $330 jumpsuits, $230 jackets, and this $55 bucket hat.

While it may be true that Detroit is in need of more retail, $340 jeans would take nearly 60 hours for an average Detroit resident to afford based on the city's per-capita income of $15,500. In other words, 1 in 3 of Detroit residents are living below the poverty line which means 0 out of 3 could at all comfortably own a pair of G-Star RAW jeans.

G-Star co-owner Williams' official title is "Head of Imagination." It doesn't hurt to dream.

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