Designer jeans were a silly little fad of the '80s. Fashion designers, accustomed to designing clothes for debutantes were suddenly slapping their names on the asses of the masses, in (gasp) denim! All of the great fashion moguls had lines of jeans: Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, Versace...and of course, Willie Nelson and Jerry Reed.
I can only imagine what the fashion magazines of the time had to say:
"Willie Nelson is known for his clean lines and bold colors while Jerry Reed prefers muted tones with whimsical patterns. Both are showing jeans this fall that work equally well in the boardroom or at the discotheque." –Vogue, 1982
First of all, what a weird concept. Both Willie and Jerry were regular guys, country boys, first and foremost. Designer jeans were for city boys and designing jeans was best left to women, or to city boys, if you know what I mean, and I think you do. So, who was the jeanius who came up with this marketing ploy? And really, what self-respecting fashionista would want to walk around with loaded up and trucking written on their butt?
