How far would you go to get a pair of free jeans? Would you bake in the sun for three hours? And would that muddle you enough to think the promise of a pair of free jeans falls short when you get only one set and not two? That’s one of the funnier moments from a giveaway that fashion apparel brand Jealous 21 had organised for young women across Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Chennai earlier this week.
The brand says it gave away a whopping 5,000 pairs in two days across select stores in these four metros. Going by postings on social media about #freejeansday, there were long lines, endless waiting and billing glitches, as well as appreciation for mothers who accompanied their daughters in this venture, and happiness/sadness at finally getting or not getting a pair that cost nothing.
To participate, girls had to register on the brand’s website. They had to visit the store and take a selfie wearing any Jealous 21 apparel and upload it, tagging the brand and event on Instagram or Facebook. Over 30,000 registered.
A spokesperson for Jealous 21 says they had expected to redeem 10 per cent of this number. However, the number of walk-ins was very high and when 2,000 jeans were given away on the first day, the brand shipped around 3,000 more from other stores in the cities. An equal number of jeans were distributed in all the cities.
The prices of the jeans started from ₹1,600. Some women had to go empty-handed for lack of the right size. The spokesperson says they referred to the history of sales ratio to arrange the sizes and model of jeans. The participants were asked for their required size and preferred colour. “The hot sizes were 26, 28 and 30. We couldn’t let them try on the jeans because of the limitation of time.”