Denim Days 2018: A closer look at craftsmanship in the denim industry
When buying denim – or any garment for that matter – it’s often easy to
overlook the small intricacies that go into the production process. At
Denim Days 2018 – the denim festival running from 27-28 October at
Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam – visitors were offered an inside look at the
craftsmanship that goes into denim making. FashionUnited attended the event
and looked at a mix of traditional methods and creative new ways that
brands – and even artists – were using the fabric.
At Bossa Denim’s booth, Turkish artist Deniz Sağdıç was giving an open
workshop to demonstrate the versatility of denim as a tool in art. Sağdıç
was asking visitors to help her create her newest piece of art, an
on-the-spot portrait made using Bossa’s old garments. “This one we’ve done
over the last two days, and it should be finished by the end of today,” she
told FashionUnited. “I’ve created the outline and we’re asking people to
help fill it in by sticking on the denim to create the details.” Sağdıç’s
incredibly realistic denim artworks were dotted around the walls of their
booth, bringing together gluing, sewing, and printing techniques.
A first-hand look at craftsmanship in the denim industry
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At Atelier Reservé’s booth, designer of the brand, Deyrinio Fraenk, was
carefully taking apart a denim jacket which he would then use to
create a new, custom piece with. “Right now I’m just pulling it apart –
this part can take a while – then we create new designs, like the ones over
there,” Fraenk told FashionUnited, pointing to a clothes rack lined with
one-of-a-kind trench coats, jackets, and kimonos. “We have a lot of
business in Asia – China, Hong Kong, Shanghai. There seems to be a bigger
market for this type of work over there – vintage, bright and bold
designs,” he said. The upcycled clothing brand uses recycled fabric to
create designs that bring together old and new; East and West.
Traditional methods meet new innovation
Zunia Pascal, an ex-student of the Jean School – Denim City, was busy
drawing a free-hand design onto the back pocket of a pair of denim jeans.
“Most of the time brands wouldn’t make designs freehand like this, they’d
use machines,” she told FashionUnited. “But today I’m working
with labels to give more detailed, specific hand drawn designs. Denim Days
is a great space for creativity.” Pascal was using a white acrylic pen to
sketch her designs directly on to the denim that different brands had
offered her over the day.
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At Blue Print Amsterdam’s booth, the team was giving a workshop on denim
dyeing, using the traditional hand-dyeing methods that they still practice.
Specialising in handmade prints and bespoke products, the artisal design
studio was offering visitors a hands-on experience of the dyeing process.
“Most places don’t do it like this anymore – they do it in mass,” said
Iris, a designer at Blue Print Amsterdam. “We are a small team but we do
everything carefully and by hand. We use old methods in a contemporary
way.” Guests were given pre-cut un-dyed bandanas which they then dyed
themselves, using the methods that Iris and her team use in their
studio.
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A hands-on experience for Denim Days visitors
At Swedish label Nudie Jeans’ booth, Product Coordinator of their ‘Reuse’
programme, Mike, was busy finishing sewing an anchor design into a child’s denim
jacket. “Our Reuse programme basically takes salvaged jeans and repairs
them, often adding custom sewed designs,” Mike told FashionUnited. “I can
be creative as I want with the designs. This one took me eight hours, for
example,” he said, pointing at a bumblebee design stitched on the
back of a denim jacket. “This is my hobby – my passion,” he added.
At Jonathan Christopher’s booth, the owner and brand name was
demonstrating the process of printing on denim. “So I do the designs here
on my Ipad, then I put them on the computer, choose what type of oil I use,
the plotter cuts it out and then we press iron it,” he told FashionUnited.
“This design took me about half a day,” He added. “All the designs I hand
draw with the help of a tattoo artist.”
Photo credit: FashionUnited
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