US clothing chain Nordstrom has launched a line of ‘dirty’ jeans which come with a ‘crackled, caked-on muddy coating’.
The new product is apparently aimed at those with plenty of cash, as the retailer pockets a cool $425 (£330) for each pair.
The firm’s website describes the jeans as typifying ‘rugged, Americana workwear’ and ‘hard-working action… that shows you’re not afraid to get down and dirty’.
Some reviewers, however, have not given them a clean bill of health, including the host of TV show Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe.
“Finally – a pair of jeans that look like they have been worn by someone with a dirty job… made for people who don’t. And you can have your very own pair for just $425,” Rowe wrote in a Facebook post that was shared thousands of times.
“The Barracuda Straight Leg Jeans aren’t pants. They’re not even fashion. They’re a costume for wealthy people who see work as ironic – not iconic.”
Another review wrote: “This is a joke, right? Do you also sell jeans covered in cow manure? Oh, that must be the deluxe model.”
But not everyone was so dismissive.
“What’s the beef about buying mud jeans?” one commentator said on Twitter. “If someone can afford $400 for a pair of dirty jeans, so what? Go for it!”
The chain is no stranger to pushing fashion boundaries, launching jeans with ‘knee windows’ last month – but for a far cheaper $95 (£74).
If you fancy giving the idea a leg-up by investing in a pair, beware of the strict cleaning instructions – machine wash cold, line dry only.