I'd have to agree for the general city population, but around the MU and UWM campuses it's a little different. When I first got to MU I never really saw ANY premium denim but now I see R&R, TR, 7 and Diesel around campus (although its still rare and only on the girls). Even so, I've noticed a lot more people know about some of the better brands even if they don't own any. The biggest issue is that there isn't really a good place in Milwaukee to buy good jeans, especially if you're a guy.

There is one guy however who consistently wears fake R&R jeans, he has maybe one pair of ones that look real but the rest are hideous (including a pair that had a hammer loop like carpenter jeans).