Hip Chixs Jeans was a premium line of denim jeans that was invented by Aimee Miller and Megan Carrecker with the intention of making them comfortable and stretchable. The product was made of cotton and spandex, with a waistline designed to prevent muffin tops as well as prevent customers from feeling too hot in the heat of Texas. The two entrepreneurs met in college and stayed friends even after graduation. They carried their interest in fashion forward with this concept.
They designed the jeans because they wanted lightweight breezy jeans for the weather of Texas. They wanted to manufacture fashionable jeans that would fit comfortably while being loose as compared to most stiff denim jeans. They described Hip Chixs jeans as being ‘buttery soft’ to touch. They made the product after years of testing different fabrics and designs.
Are They Still an Active Company?
The company is currently not active and is out of business.
How Did the Shark Tank Pitch Go?
Aimee Miller and Megan Carrecker came to Shark Tank seeking an investment of $150,000 for a 35% share in their company. They started their pitch by showing their denim line, which was designed to make women appear slim and prevent the waistband from riding down. They added that despite their low sales, they’d done a lot of market research and testing to see if their premium product would be well-appreciated by customers.
The pitch was brief, after which the Sharks started critically assessing the product and business. Lori Greiner looked at the waistband first while Kevin asked about sales since the two didn’t mention them in their pitch. They shared that they’d only managed to get $12,000 through sales which was a pretty low valuation for the Sharks. They explained that their salesforce was quite small, which was why their sales were low. Robert pressed the two entrepreneurs for their long-term business strategy.
Miller responded by claiming that they planned on using the Shark Tank investment to expand the product and add more designs to the company. They’d also projected $850,000 in sales for the upcoming year, and had already reached out to boutiques and other investors. They shared that each pair of jeans cost $68 in the product, was sold for $80, and retailed at $187. Kevin immediately disliked this profit margin.
Daymond also stepped out along with Kevin, because he felt that the jeans were too expensive at $180 and most jeans were sold at $120 at that time. Lori stepped out for the same reason and because she felt the market for jeans was oversaturated already with a lot of competition. Mark was the last to step out because although he liked their enthusiasm, he wasn’t prepared to invest in the company.
Overall, the Hip Chixs Shark Tank Review was negative and they left without a deal. They started a Kickstarter campaign after Shark Tank but only managed to raise $19,579, which was way below their goal of $150,000. Because the market for denim jeans was already so competitive, the company had no option but to shut down in 2019.
Our Review of Hip Chixs Jeans
We decided to review Hip Chixs Jeans for ourselves to see how they would fare in practice.
The good news is that the jeans have a well-designed waist band that effectively prevents them from slipping down during wear. Unlike their competitors, the material doesn’t include polyester and is mostly cotton- making them much breezier and lightweight in comparison. The soft stretchable fabric makes them popular with customers living in hot areas. The curved design is perfect for hiding underwear lines plus they cling to your body and accentuate natural curves. On top of which, they’re designed to create a slimming effect, for people who want to look thin.
The bad news is that the jeans are quite expensive to buy, and there are similar cheaper options on the market. The product is also targeted at a particular niche customer base of people living in hot regions and who have a specific body type. Their denim line didn’t have a lot of variety for different rises for people with shorter torsos. They only offered two styles of jeans, unlike their competitors, who have many options for people with different body types.
Pros of Hip Chixs Jeans
- The contoured waistband prevents slipping down
- Breezy and lightweight cotton instead of polyester
- Accentuate natural curves
- Slimming effect of jeans
Cons of Hip Chixs Jeans
- Expensive
- Limited styles offered
- Suited to a particular body type
- Suited to a specific type of weather
Who Is Hip Chixs Jeans for?
Hip Chixs Jeans are mainly targeted at women who live in warmer regions and want breezy comfortable jeans. This is for women who are looking for slimming jeans that will enhance their curves.
Are There Any Alternatives?
Although the breezy comfortable design of Hip Chixs Jeans was unique, the denim market is full of alternative options for jeans.
Lucky Brand’s Women’s Jeans are a good alternative to Hip Chixs. They have the same contoured waistband design and shape that highlights your curves as Hip Chixs does. However, they are much cheaper in comparison and have many positive reviews on Amazon.
Lucky Brand’s Women’s Jeans are made of polyester, cotton, and spandex, meaning that they’re also stretchable. They’re also lightweight and come in a wide variety of cuts and rises.
Our Final Thoughts
Hip Chixs Jeans are well-designed, however, they offer only limited styles – Skinny Bootie and Straight and Narrow. This means that they don’t have enough options for people with different body types or shorter torsos who might prefer high-rise or boot-cut jeans. They’re still a good buy because of the comfortable and stretchable option, particularly for those living in Texas since they were designed with the Texas heat in mind. However, they’re quite expensive at almost $200 and most people might prefer going for cheaper alternatives with more variety in design.