In a surprise move Ralph Lauren plans to shut down its Polo Jeans line citing "over promotion and over distribution." In the fiercely competitive denim category among teens and college students, Polo Jeans has been in a mainstay as one of the top 10 denim brands purchased by teens and college students over the past five years, although it was not considererd a premium brand. As one door closes another one opens for Polo. The apparel maker plans to introduce a new premium denim line as part of a longer term strategy to complement its already popular Rugby label and its other premium labels like Purple. Polo is a brand that resonates well with young people and I am pretty confident that the introduction of a new premium denim line should fare pretty well with the older portion of the Gen Y audience, the same audience that is already shelling out $100 to $200 on jeans made by brands like Seven and Lucky.
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