Sew Pricey

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For the celebrity who has everything, Michael Hong offers something unique: a pair of jeans that costs $10,000.

Hong is the entrepreneur behind Key Closet, a small fashion collective in Huntington Park. The company has a crew of designers who hand-paint clothes mostly T-shirts and hoodies for celebrity buyers. Its clientele include NFL star Terrell Owens, comedian Jamie Foxx and rapper Lazarus.

On June 26, the company unveiled its high-end jeans at the Runway Magazine Summer Splash Fashion Show in Los Angeles.

So what does $10,000 buy in a pair of pants? Start with handcrafted denim that has been through a special wash-and-grind process to soften the material. Each pair is custom-fitted to the buyer’s body and hand-sewn, a two-day process.

Then a graphic designer paints on the cloth and embellishes the design with jewels and metal studs. Each pair of jeans has at least 1,000 rhinestones and crystals made by D. Swarovski & Co. in Austria. Besides the glitter, stones, studs and water paint, the artists also employ foil and spray paint.

Finally, in the middle of each back pocket there’s a one-carat diamond set into white gold.

These jeans “will appeal to those who create trends rather than follow them,” said Hong. “You are not just purchasing a piece of clothing but instead a wearable work of art.”

While the jeans may be eye candy for fashionistas, they weigh several pounds and with a lump of the hardest substance known to science in the middle of each seat area, they put comfort as a second priority.

“The back pockets each have one carat, but to make it comfortable to sit they have flaps that cover them,” explained Bonnie Moss, a spokeswoman for the company. “It’s easy to sit or hide when you just want a more plain-toned look.”

For now, each pair of the jeans is one-of-a-kind, but in time they will be available in limited edition runs, according to Moss.

Although demand for the company’s celebrity wear has grown by more than 200 percent per year since the startup in 2006, Hong is determined to bring his products to more than a handful of clients. To that end, at the Summer Splash fashion show Key Closet introduced Konquest, a high-end casual label that will reach a wider audience at more affordable prices.

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