Out of Sync.

What so special about these jeans?
Diesel - one of my favourite brands. Special edition.
Even at today's exchange rate for the depreciating Rupiah - the Indonesian currency - the price is US$557.

US$637!

The question is, who is prepared to pay US$600 for a pair of jeans, however special is the edition and however rich the person?

And this is Indonesia, where many of the 2.7m population earns less than US$1 a day - though of course these jeans are displayed in the reputed Harvey Nichols in Grand Indonesia Jakarta for the minority elite of rich citizens. But why would a rich Indonesian pay US$600 for a pair of imported jeans instead of blissfully flying over to the neighbouring Singapore or Hong Kong or even taking a long-haul vacation to any European or US destinations to her liking for surely more satisfying and thrilling shopping sprees?

Indeed there is no shortage of hugely glamorous but sparsely footprinted shopping arcades in Jakarta like Grand Indonesia. Sadly, with questionable volume of transactions of recklessly priced items, it is hard to imagine how shops are sustainable - although the sale of one pair of "special-edition" jeans can probably support the wages of five keepers.