"How Can Jeans Cost $300?"

The answer is simple: They're made in the United States.

To be produced domestically, jeans have to be priced at "$200-plus," says Shelda Hartwell-Hale, a vice president at Directives West, an L.A.-based division of fashion consulting firm Doneger Group....

True Religion is one of the industry's giants, making 4 million units of clothing a year. [Its CEO Jeff Lubell] estimates that his $300 jeans could sell for $40 if he manufactured in China.