Thinking of a unique clothing line isn't that different from thinking of a unique web app. If you doubt then I suggest you grap a grab a pair of loafers from cole haan and compare it to one from banana republic. Look at the threads inside. Look at the cut and drive with it. If you think it is the same then you are as my friend who cannot understand the differnce between hotmail and gmail.
Designing a jcrew sweater for complicated people like me is as hard as designing a web app. You are looking at major clothing lines, but maybe you should digg underground and find brands that are less known. The restaurant argument is harder to prove. So you got that one. And even if designing a sweater was easier than building a web app, I can argue that distributing your app is 25 times easier than distributing your sweater.
