Is Jhus’ new clothing line, The Ugliest, too expensive?

Rapper Jhus, debuted his clothing line, The Ugliest, earlier this month by releasing four collections with a variety of clothing, from pyjama sets and silk durags to t-shirts and puffer jackets. 

The Ugliest embraces cultural inspirations from around the world and makes a stand for individuality, bearing the slogan, “If everything in this world is in reverse. Then I must be the Ugliest.”

Jhus has taken over the UK rap scene with hits such as Did You See and #1 album Big Conspiracy and now starts to take over the fashion industry with his new clothing brand. 

The Ugliest, plans to “ show you the militérian you were always born to be”. In his mission statement, Jhus explains the brand's slogan, stating that “they tried to force their insecurities onto me, told me I was UGLY, so I took ugly and turned it into gold.”

The designs definitely make a statement. All sampled in the East London, the puffer jackets, available in pink and black, are embroidered with a vibrant blue butterfly on the front and spring flowers on the inside, opposed with the gun and the brand's logo sprawled across the back along with the slogan stitched at the bottom of the jacket.

Admittedly, the prices aren't for the faint-hearted and conversations have been had on social media about the pricing of the ‘garms’ Jhus is selling, with some explaining that the prices are too high from someone who made it “from the streets”. 

The most expensive item is the ankle-length puffer jacket named, Pink Blood, going at £850. To buy a pyjama set, you’ll be looking at spending £600, plus £15 if you want a pair of socks to go with it.

Most of the time, when a celebrity or public figure releases a clothing line or any kind of product, the first in line to splash the cash are their fans, building the misconception that the product is merchandise, however, Jhus was quick to clear that up via Twitter: “This shit ain’t merch ni66a. It’s not for no broke boy. If you don’t want it then go and invest in one of them racist brands. I don’t beg no1. Kmt.”

In other words, yes, the clothes are on the pricey side, but if you’re happy to spend big bucks in racist brands such as Chanel and Prada why not invest in The Ugliest and support a black owned brand instead?

Of course, a quality check is still on the way to see if it is worth the money. The products were manufactured in Italy and embroidered in Portugal, like many big designer names are, and are "specially developed" according to the detailed descriptions on the website. The Army Tank No Blank t-shirt is “elaborately designed via water based printing on structured neoprene fabric to produce the highest resolution quality available in the garment industry.”

I have high hopes for The Ugliest, the promotion for it has been peppered across our social media feeds, with a video and tons of images, including some outfits styled on Jhus’ sister icee tgm, who also featured on Big Conspiracy. There is clear evidence that Jhus has researched and explored the industry he is about to venture into and the quality and effort across the website and in the creation of the clothes themselves has been at an incredible standard.

Despite the uproar, all items on the site are now sold out but feel free to have a browse: https://theugliest.net/.