It's still difficult to put my finger on what attracts me to denim. More than any other fabric, perhaps, denim is just as much about a feeling as it is about objective metrics like fabric weight or tensile strength. Maybe it's because the fabric has meaning. I've always been into utility wear - workwear, military, etc. - because it is designed with a purpose, and is more than just clothing designed for a certain "look".
When I decided to develop my own denim, I knew that it had to have meaning. I am not trying to make 30's-40's workwear reproduction denim. If I tried to imitate those pieces I would never be able to be authentic with myself, because the intangible element that makes those jeans so special is the original intention behind them. This wouldn't be authentic to me, as a creator. For me, authentic means comfortable, durable, and masculine. Of course, vintage denim is part of my personal story, and you'll see that inspiration in our Social Sculpture denim series as well, but all of this was filtered through the lens of our generation to create a modern fit suitable for everyday wear. I loved the way my vintage jeans faded after months of wear, and I designed out Social Sculpture denim with this in mind. Looking at the fading on my vintage jeans, however, I soon realized that this vision could only be achieved by rethinking what is possible with yarn. A recurring theme for our company is creating from the yarn up, and we have done this with our denim as well. We developed a yarn from scratch by intentionally mixing yarns with different slub lengths, so that the resulting fabric displays both visual and tactile unevenness that becomes more pronounced over time.
We use a process called rope-dyeing for our denim, where the yarns are twisted and dipped repeatedly in a bath of indigo. The result is a yarn that has a deep blue outer shell and a pure white core, untouched by the dye. It is much easier to throw a bundle of yarn into a vat of indigo and pull it out when everything turns blue, but the resulting yarn will be too soaked through with dye and will not fade will. Rope-dyeing is time consuming and not conductive for mass production, but when the denim is worn it will exhibit beautiful fading.
Like I said, I did not want to simply make reproduction denim. As important as it was for me to learn from vintage denim, it was just as important for the jeans I made to fit a modern lifestyle and wardrobe. This is why our unwashed denim is coated to prevent shrinking, even though not coating it would have been closer to vintage American denim. All of our silhouettes are updated from their vintage forebears and are designed to be worn with modern clothes, with enough variations for most body types and dressing styles.
It is important to always have a concept. Having a concept and designing a product, versus merely trying to mimic a look will yield vastly different outputs. Everything about our denim is designed exclusively for us: the color, the yarn, the custom rivets, the two-toned stitches, the natural indigo dyed deer skin patch...everything is deliberate, and embodies our "meaning".
When I design, I project myself onto the product and use myself as a reference for my clients. The denim that we produce right now is absolutely the only denim I ever want to wear. It's a manifestation of me staying authentic to my original vision, and also staying true to the needs of my customers.
Denim follows your life, it shows your life, it shows your character, and as you wear it more, the more you come to like it. The denim that you come in and pick up from one of our stores...that is just the starting point.
Visvim
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