A shadow of it's former jean-ius self

Back in the 90s, one of the must-have brands was Girbaud. It was a French brand of apparel and accessories, and one of the first European fast fashion brands to arrive in Manila.

They were known for their revolutionary and innovative designs, particularly with jeans. While Levi's, Wrangler and other denim brands went for simple and classic, Girbaud went for wild and unconventional. Their jeans were either super slim or ultra baggy, and had interesting details like oversized belt loops or denim fringes that went down to the floor.

Another defining characteristic of Girbaud was its price. Back then, it was one of the premium jean brands with some styles running up to P4,000. (That time, a Levi's 501 would be somewhere within the P1,500-P2,000 range.) That made it more coveted, and the brand became a status symbol of sorts.

Last weekend, I dropped by the Girbaud store in SM. It was merely a shadow of its former self. The store wasn't well-stocked, with only a few pieces of apparel and a raggedy collection of wallets and bags. Most of their items were either 50% off or on a Buy 1, Get 1 promo. And the jeans... sadly, there were very few styles available, and the innovative designs I liked about this brand were all gone.

There was one design that I liked, though. I asked for my size, tried it on, and it turned out to be really nice. When I checked out the price, it was less than P1,000. A Girbaud, for less than P1,000. That's how far they are from the Girbaud of the 90s.

Then again, I got a nice pair of Girbaud jeans for a really good price. So, being a shadow of your former self isn't all that bad.