Fashion fans are all saying the same thing about bizarre 'distressed' jeans on sale for £40

Daily Mail​

09-06-2025

A pair of jeans that retails at £40 (AU$59.99) has taken the internet by storm - for all the wrong reasons.
The 'distressed' jeans, on sale at Australian clothing brand Cotton On, are available in different shades of blue denim but feature the same washed-out dirty look.
However, fashion lovers have taken issue with the design of the jeans and say that, rather than looking 'washed out', the trousers instead look like they have been stained with human faeces.
Shoppers went into a frenzy when TikToker Adele, who goes by @adelesspammo, posted the clip, racking up a staggering 1.7 million views and tens of thousands of likes.
She stumbled upon the jeans while out shopping and immediately took a video, which she captioned: 'What was Cotton On thinking?'
The clip shows the pair of blue jeans on a display in-store, stained with suspicious-looking brown dye down the front and back.
Adele wrote: 'Someone had an accident', and hundreds of commenters were similarly taken aback by the offbeat styling.
The jeans, pictured here as they are advertised online, seem to look more offensive in person, according to commenters
One person joked: 'No way people who design stuff like this have a job and I don't.'
And another said: 'Yes, because we absolutely want to look like we just had explosive diarrhoea in our jeans…'
Many noted the sloppy design choice, which they did not think warranted the £40 price tag.
'So, you're telling me I could have accidentally slipped in mud, put my jeans on that pile, and got money for it,' wrote one incredulous user.
Commenters joked that the jeans were 'pre s**t-in' so that lucky wearers don't have to go to the trouble of doing it themselves.
One said: 'PRE POOPED JEANS!!! I've been looking for something like this for so long, because it gets sooooo tiring having to do it myself for every outfit.'
And another wrote: 'To be fair, walking around with actual s**t on your jeans would be pretty uncomfortable, so this is a better option.'
Eagle-eyed fashion fans noticed that the unusual jeans are likely a 'dupe' or an imitation of a similar pair by luxury fashion house Acne Studios.
The original 'distressed' jeans are sold by Acne for a whopping £600, and feature similar brown shading around the knees.
One mother wrote: 'As if I would be paying money for that when my kids can do that to my clothes and furniture for free.'
However, many observed that the version of the jeans advertised online appear much less offensive, and it is the in-person colouring which took them by surprise.
'The worst part is they look completely different online and actually nice. I was shocked when I saw them in the store,' one person commented.
Even a former Cotton On employee weighed in, saying: 'I used to work at Cotton On and spent every shift trying not to laugh at some of the s**t we were selling.'
One user wrote: 'When I say I want jeans that look a bit dirty this is NOT what I mean.'
It seems even would-be customers looking for a more relaxed and dishevelled look are not a fan of Cotton On's latest venture.
Fashion Stylist Donny Galella told news.au that such imitations are cropping up more frequently in the fashion world.
Incredulous fashion fans rushed to the comments to express their shock at the offbeat design
'Acne is definitely one of the world's hottest brands,' he said.
'And we are living in dupe culture world.'
'But given the cost of living crisis, many people don't have a spare $1400 laying around for a dirty looking pair of jeans, especially for a "trend" style pair of jeans that will have a short shelf life.'
FEMAIL has contacted Cotton On for comment.