Jeans cover up ‘plumber’s crack’

Dickies may be retooling its work pants to fight slippage, but no cracks, please. Williamson-Dickie, the Fort Worth, Texas-based clothing maker, recently announced an updated version of its classic jeans, due out this spring. But one new feature is attracting attention the company would rather avoid.

The new design will offer a lower waist and a roomier seat – designed, in part, to keep the jeans from slipping down the hips when wearers bend over or crouch down, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported last week. The change would help eliminate the appearance of backside cleavage, a sight often dubbed “plumber’s crack.”

Company officials have since been declining interviews with reporters who want to discuss this particular feature. Dickies doesn’t want to disrespect hardworking plumbers or make jokes at their expense, said Kristen Kauffman, a company spokeswoman.

Officials said there were several reasons for the new design, principally to produce a jean that could be worn casually and at work. Still, Jon Ragsdale, Dickies vice president of marketing, acknowledged, “If there’s anything we can do to beautify America, we’re in favor of doing it.”