I guess the first question might be, would you pay $425 for a pair of jeans? Possibly not. How about $425 for a pair of jeans that make it look like you’ve just pulled yourself out of a mud puddle? Almost definitely not.

Over the past few days, Nordstrom has created quite the discussion, possibly deliberately, about its new high-end fake mud-look jeans. Who knows, it might just be the best marketing ploy of the year so far, or maybe it really is that serious.

TV host, Mike Rowe, led the verbal storm through a Facebook and blog rant about the pair of muddy-looking jeans. There has been a growing trend in the distressed look within fashion, starting with acid-washed jeans and moving onto ripped jeans. Now, it appears you can buy jeans designed to make it look like you aren’t afraid to get your hands (and apparently everything else) dirty.

The website description of the jeans reads as follows:

“These heavily distressed medium-blue denim jeans embody rugged, Americana workwear that’s seen some hard-working action with a crackled, caked-on muddy coating that shows you’re not afraid to get down and dirty”.

Rowe’s argument wasn’t just about the look of the jeans, but more so about how it is suggesting that hard work can be faked.

Since the news of the jeans, Reebok has announced its own Authentic Sweat Shirt which, coincidentally, is also priced at $425. Reebok even Tweeted “Crafted by hard work, our Authentic Sweat Shirt gives you that post-workout look & smell. Pairs well w/ #muddyjeans.”

Crafted by hard work, our Authentic Sweat Shirt gives you that post-workout look & smell. Pairs well w/ #muddyjeans. https://t.co/jsMvrt4rlv pic.twitter.com/7IknOtzYIR

— Reebok (@Reebok) April 26, 2017

We have a sneaky feeling this is merely a jab at Nordstrom considering the t-shirts are apparently sold out. They have successfully managed to highlight Rowe’s point of faking hard work, which to us, seems rather useless. What do you think? Would you buy fake-muddy jeans?