The average American owns 8.2 pairs of denim jeans and is willing to buy still more at increasingly higher prices. This is illustrated by the premium denim market, including jeans priced $60 and above, which is growing steadily. The vast majority of innovations on denim have involved fashion, appearance, and color, but application of functional finishes to denim can provide new performance features while maintaining all the fashion possibilities of 100% cotton denim.