A DECADE OF DENHAM by DENHAM

A D E C A D E O F D E N H A M 2008-2018

A DECADE OF DENHAM 2008-2018

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS Everyone has their own truth. About exploration and escape and outlandish ideas. They are meticulous and sometimes ridiculous. More intuition than conscious choice. But they are the truths that define who we are. The small things. The minutiae. The unseen. The nuances that you notice but others maybe don’t. The inside-out authenticity. The fearlessness. The reinvention. These itsy-bitsy details – that’s our obsession. The Japanese-style cold-water washing. The masterful Italian weaves. The copper hardware and gold rivets. The hidden fobs and five-point pockets. The ceaseless search for rich fabrics that age gracefully over time. Knowing that black-satin powder is more powerful than black alone. Indigo above blue. All that ripping and sewing and cutting up again. Reimagining fashion with a sharp pair of scissors. The world is not defined by rights and wrongs. Only by individual truths. And our truth is in the details.

CONTENTS 6-7

FOREWORD By Debbie Denham INTRODUCTION By Jason Denham

10-49

THE SCISSOR STORY

50-77

A Decade of Cutting

78-95

THE JEANMAKER A Decade of Brand Building

96-137

TIMELINE & MILESTONES A Decade of Dedication

138-199

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS A Decade of Detail

200-253

MADE IN JAPAN A Decade without Compromise

254-269

WASHED IN ITALY A Decade in the Laundry

270-325

DENHAM SERVICE CO. A Decade of Service

326-337

DENHAM GARMENT LIBRARY A Decade of Collecting

338-367

THE ART OF THE SCISSOR A Decade of Scissor Graphics

368-407

HOUSE GUEST ARTISTS A Decade of Friends & Collaborations

408-433

THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR A Decade at the Movies

434-474

FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL A Decade of Bricks & Mortar

475-506

APPENDIX Five Years in the Making

FOREWORD

DEBBIE DENHAM F O R T H E LOV E O F D E N H A M I met my husband, Jason Denham,

That night, I told him that one

22 years ago on a blind date in a

day he would have his own denim

gay bar in London. The set-up had

brand with his name, Denham. As

been organised by mutual friends,

luck would have it, I was right.

and as clichĂŠ as it sounds we had an instant connection. 10

In 2000, Jason began his own

positive

energy

infectious,

design consultancy where he

and his drive and passion are at

could harness his entrepreneurial

the heart of this brand. There is

spirit. Around 2004 I started

a family spirit here — not just

working with him, which was a

because the brand is named after

natural step within our careers

Jason’s ancestors, but because we

and our relationship. Then in

are building this together. We have

2008, DENHAM the Jeanmaker

an intimate connection that’s not

was born (our first baby!) and

always found in business today.

we could apply everything we’d A lot of people ask me what it’s like

learned from the years prior.

to work with my husband (and soul Jeans are a universal wardrobe

mate!). I realise it’s something quite

staple, with 1.2 billion pairs sold

rare, but also very special because

globally each year. The market is

Jason is an incredible inspiration

fiercely competitive, and if you want

to me. We work in different areas

to succeed you constantly need

of the business, with Jason as the

to push the boundaries of design.

creative and myself overseeing

So at a time when a lot of other

operations. Our knowledge and

brands were heavily influenced by

specialities complement each other

heritage and authenticity, Jason

and it works because we mutually

had a vision to make DENHAM a

respect each other’s point of view.

fresh, modern, premium brand. Plus it’s pretty cool to work with Jason is super ambitious and

your most favourite person in the

has an amazing ability to turn

world.

challenges into opportunities. His 11

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always said that DENHAM is a storytelling brand. This is our story. Introduction by Jason Denham

INTRODUCTION

B LU E BLO O D I N MY V E I N S the

never planned to stay long-term,

Jeanmaker on January 14, 2008.

but I fell in love with the city and

But the story of the DENHAM

its denim obsession. Eventually I

brand began long before that â&#x20AC;Ś

co-founded a brand called Blue

founded

DENHAM

Blood, which was an instant After graduating from university

success. I learned a lot at that

in Manchester, England, I started

time, but after six years, I started

to build my career as a denim

to realise that my adventure with

designer. I first worked with Joe

Blue Blood was coming to an end.

Casely-Hayford, who at the time

On December 20, 2007, I left the

was making jeans for the rock band

company.

U2 to wear for their Zooropa world tour in the 1993. Then I was hired

It was time for something new.

by Pepe Jeans in London, and was

And maybe it was subconscious,

later relocated to Amsterdam. I

but I always had a dream to create 14

Norton

INTRODUCTION

my own signature brand using

with people who have the best

my family name, DENHAM. It’s

skills in their field, so to brainstorm

pronounced the same way as

a creative strategy we pulled in

“denim,” so I guess you could call

some of the best inspirational

it destiny.

minds in the business including Nigel Barnes and Craig Fielding (Pirate Creative Agency), and

It was meant to be …

Neil Stevens (Converse). With a giant leap of faith, DENHAM the Jeanmaker was

We saw an opportunity to bring

born on January 14, 2008. My

something fresh, new and exciting

wife,

Debbie, and I began by

to the market. The DENHAM

looking for an office; we biked

brand would tap into the heritage

around Amsterdam trying to

trend, with amazing fabrics and

find a space, and stumbled

authentic models. (I have always

upon an amazing art gallery at

loved fabrics, combined with an

Prinsengracht 495, which was

original point of view.) My vision

available to rent. We moved in —

was to create beautiful, desirable

just us, two dogs, a laptop and a

products

flip chart. It was exciting to start

watering.”

that

are

“mouth

a new adventure. I didn’t want to build a hobby After my Blue Blood experience,

project — I wanted something

I had learned that the difference

serious. I wanted to pick up where

between a goal and a dream is

I left off with Blue Blood.

having a strong plan. I’ve always I wanted to go all the way.

believed in surrounding myself 19

dam that I was working on a new

Credit Crunch

project, and I was contacted by Patrick Maes, a brilliant Dutch guy with lots of energy and a love for product. He was setting up his own fashion fund called Zinvest,

I put the wheels in motion to bring

together with a powerful Dutch

our plan to life. I made trips to

businessman, Frank Zweegers.

the U.S. and across Europe, to

Patrick asked me what my next

see what was happening in the

step was going to be, and when I

market, and I was excited that we

told him I was working on a pre-

had a clear gap to fill.

mium denim brand concept, he immediately wanted to partner and

But on September 29, 2008,

invest. That got things going; he

the world changed. The stock

ran Zinvest, but was also active-

market crashed and the Dow

ly spending time with DENHAM

Jones fell 777.68 points, which

and helping us get the brand off

is the largest single points drop

the ground.

on any day in history. The world was fucked. Retail hit the rocks,

He also introduced us to Bob

and there was a lot of fear. But

Rijnders, a local hero and denim

despite everything going on, we

legend who owns a store called

had a fearless ambition to build

Best of Brands in Hoogland. He

something. Recession can bring

was a fantastic advisor on building

change â&#x20AC;&#x201D; hopefully positive

a brand in the Netherlands and

change.

supported us with valuable advice

Word got out around Amster-

in those early days. 20

INTRODUCTION

“Be careful what you wish for, because this is that call.” We spoke about how he and Ludo Onnink, then COO at Tommy Hilfiger, could help. When they left Tommy Hilfiger in 2014, they signed as our new investors through their Amlon Capital private investment

Unfortunately, after five years, Zinvest ran into financial trouble. Luckily for me — or maybe it was instinct — I had kept DENHAM as a separate entity, so we didn’t get sucked into the insolvency. But we had to find a new investor. My first phone call was to Fred Gehring, then CEO of Tommy

group. Ludo became the CEO of

Hilfiger. Fred had been my first

DENHAM in 2016, and Fred

boss at Pepe Jeans back in London,

continues to be a mentor and role

and I’d always kept in touch with

model.

him. He had once told me if I ever

They

ran into trouble I should give him

supportive and we wouldn’t be

a call, so I phoned him and said,

where we are today without them.

have

been

incredibly

INTRODUCTION

Our DENHAM logo mimics the

Precious Metal

silhouette of my first scissors

Once we had a brand vision and investors secured, we needed a logo. I’m a strong believer that every brand should have an icon, and without hesitation, a pair of scissors was the most natural

from university. Our art director,

choice. Scissors create the first cut

Ali Kirby, created the artwork

of a garment, and they determine

illustration and added a blue

the shape and model of a jean.

wash as a nod to our indigo roots. It’s become a trademark for our

My fascination with scissors began

brand, and every garment we

while I was in university when I

create is embellished with the

bought my first pair, and ever since

logo.

that day I’ve thought they are a

It’s taken 10 years to get there,

thing of beauty. I started to learn

but today we’re so proud that we’ve

the history of tailoring shears

become known as the “scissors

from all around the world, and I

brand.” Even my three-year-old

built a collection of thousands of

daughter walks down the street

pairs from places like Germany,

saying “Daddy’s scissors!” while

England, America, Turkey, Japan

pointing at shopping bags! That’s

and China.

the best. 22

INTRODUCTION

The Three P's PEOPLE In the early days our team was small, but everyone played a major role in making

wanted to get involved with the

the brand what it is today. Design

brand. She had no experience, but

director Liam Maher was one

she hit the ground running and

of the original brand architects,

contacted every magazine and

who helped us define the original

agency, and started to build our

concept and profile. He and I

communications channels. It was

worked in close collaboration

super refreshing and it worked

together with Ali Kirby as art

very well.

director, to create the brand DNA and framework, which has

Sjoerd Borneman had worked

remained intact to this day.

with me as a junior production Next came Vivian Holla as our PR

manager at Blue Blood, and we

and marketing manager. When our

hired him to join the team. He

first collection arrived, we needed

has all the perfect acumen for

a fit model; Viv was cycling past

production because he’s incredibly

the office so we pulled her inside

right brained; he’s very accurate

to help. She had just finished her

and to-the-point. He gets the job

studies and talked about how she

done and doesn’t let you down. 24

INTRODUCTION

When our first collection was ready in June 2008, we needed to start selling it. There was one guy who stood out to me — the only guy who could sell me a pair of jeans — and that’s Joep Polack.

London to Amsterdam — or expat Disneyland as he likes to call it. It's the people that made this business what it is today, and the people behind the scenes that keep the products moving each and He’s done an amazing job, selling

every season.

our brand to some of the best

Our brand is built on jeans and we

accounts in Holland.

have a great team of developers

Later we

also brought in

and buyers who fight everyday to

Ben Sibthorpe to oversee the

maintain our creativity, quality

international side of sales; he’s got

standards and innovation. Our

amazing connections and great

denim collection developer, Maggy

exposure. We’d known Ben since

Tuijp, is a warrior who never

our very first season, and finally

takes no for an answer (that's

in 2011 we convinced him to

my influence!); she understands

join the family and relocate from

everything the brand needs and 25

INTRODUCTION

never misses a deadline. Together with

Sjoerd,

our

right-brain

sourcing director, we have built an incredible denim team that has matured with great synergy over the years. Today we have over 50 employees at our Amsterdam headquarters, plus another 250 between our offices

Japan,

everything in one place with

Germany,

our store, showroom and studio

Australia, Shanghai and Seoul. PRODUCT

For

me,

together. We had this big gallery at Prinsengracht 495, so we put

product

the store in the front and made

has to have a point of view. I’ve

a glass door so you could see the

always hated “copy cat” brands

studio in the back. We created this

and my vision has always been to

transparent concept of design and

create products using exceptional materials combined with carefully

retail together. When we opened the store with

considered denim. I’ve always

our

wanted to make products loaded

thought we were crazy. But it was

with our signature saying: “The

all about amazing presentation

truth is in the details.”

and storytelling, and that really

first

collection,

everyone

impressed people. We had a PRESENTATION

I wanted

massive party — the first of

to build a home for the brand

many — and the reaction was

as quickly as possible, and I’d

incredible. That’s when the brand

always had a dream of putting

really became alive. 26

INTRODUCTION

Japan Love Affair

through Daikanyama and I saw a beautiful white building that was available for rent, nearby to Okura, one of my favourite stores in the world. I immediately had the idea to open a DENHAM store, to bring something fresh from Europe that

I was 26 years old when I fell in

the Japanese consumers hadn’t

love with Japan. It was my first

seen before.

visit, and I was enamoured with everything about it: the aesthetic,

We rented the space and Stefan

culture and lifestyle. Plus, it’s the

opened the store. He pulled in

denim capital of the world; their

some really cool contacts like Rin

passion for product and their

Tanaka, a famous photographer

understanding of denim is second

who made the photos for our first

to none. Today there is nothing

collection there. But after eight

visiting

months, it was a disaster. It was

Japanese denim mills and sewing

bleeding money and sales were

factories.

low. It was our first really big issue

inspiring

than

for the brand, and things weren’t Shortly after we started the

looking great. Debbie told me to

company, I visited Daikanyama

get over there and sort things out.

in Tokyo, where I met an old friend named Stefan Muller. He’s

When I arrived, I walked up to

a French guy who used to have a

the store and there was a big

cool vintage store in Paris, and he

Japanese guy sitting on the step,

sold it to move to Tokyo. We walked

wearing head-to-toe DENHAM 28

Artwork: Ikumi Nishikawa

Aki has built an incredible future for DENHAM in Japan.

INTRODUCTION

and Converse sneakers. He said,

and identity as we’ve grown.

“Hey Jason, sit here, I need to

One of Aki’s finest moments was

talk to you. What the fuck are you

resurrecting our brand at Isetan,

doing with this store? Why do you

the place to shop in Tokyo. We

have a French guy running a store

were sold there when we were just

in Tokyo?”

starting out, but we didn’t know the market and we ranked 147th

His name is Aki Negishi. We

out of 150 men’s brands, so we

chatted for hours and got to know

got kicked out. Aki got us back in,

each other; he had an amazing

and in the history of Isetan that’s

energy. At the time he was working

only happened to two European

for Italian denim brands in

brands: one is DENHAM and the

Japan, but he’d fallen in love with

other is Vivian Westwood. Today,

DENHAM and our product. Aki

DENHAM is one of the top three

asked for the keys to the store and

performing brands at Isetan, and

promised to double the business

it’s one of our most profitable stores

in three months. I thought, “What

in the world.

have I got to lose? Let’s give him a chance.” I gave him the keys, but

As unconventional as it was, I

he didn’t double the business in

always knew that having a home

three months … he tripled it.

in Japan would be an amazing flagpole for the brand back home

Aki has since gone on to open

in Europe. Our connection to

24 more stores and has built an

Japan has been one of DENHAM’s

incredible future for DENHAM

unique selling points, and a key

in Japan. He has also fiercely

contributor to our 10 years in the

protected our brand integrity

making. 31

The Italian Job Our brand has always looked forward and backward. We love

recovery. It was a challenge, but

history, but we love to modernise

we embraced it; that’s where we

things. In the last four or five years,

managed to gain market share and

the denim industry has moved

move forward.

faster than it has in the last 20 years combined. We’ve been successful

That’s when our bond with Italy

because we’ve stayed sharp in

really began. I was first introduced

predicting

to Candiani Denim many years ago

and

understanding

when I ran a studio called Clinic+,

consumer needs and wants.

when I consulted for different Back in 2008, our look was

denim brands. When we founded

about Japanese, virgin, unwashed

DENHAM, we reconnected once

selvedge denim, and that was

again to innovate our fabric

exciting at the time. Five years later,

and product. Candiani Denim

stretch denim completely changed

was founded in 1938 by a man

the landscape of jeans. Everyone

named Luigi Candiani, and it has

wanted Italian-made, super soft,

remained a family-owned mill

stretchy skinny jeans — even men!

that’s today run by Luigi’s great-

It was all about performance and

grandson, Alberto. 32

INTRODUCTION

Located in a nature reserve near

worked because we’ve always

Milan, it’s a beautiful mill that’s at

listened to and respected each

the forefront of denim innovation.

other.

In fact, it’s called “the greenest mill in the blue world” because of

It’s no secret that I love the

their unrelenting commitment to

Japanese because they’re original,

sustainability.

authentic and purist. But I equally love the Italians because they break all the rules: they’re artistic and creative. They do things with the highest levels of quality, and their methods of weaving, manufacturing and washing are

The factory is so inventive it’s mind-blowing — it’s like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” with all of the latest technology. They have an incredible team, and just when we think we’ve done it all, we’ll meet with Roberto Baroni or Simon Guliani and dream up something even better. Over the past 10 years, DENHAM and

amazing. When we inject that into

Candiani have built a valued and

our products, the result is… well,

trusted relationship and it has

mouth-watering.

Photo: Catharina Veder

Live and Learn

and manpower. As much as we’ve wanted to conquer the world, we’ve had to pull back and focus on markets like Japan, the Netherlands, Germany and, most recently, China. Within Japan, our biggest market, we have faced financial challenges in opening a

Our 10-year story is filled with

new store every season, coupled

many amazing milestones, but

with their consumers’ unique

our story isn’t complete without

demands. We have to keep a very close eye on our finances here, to support continued growth within the resources available. Then there’s retail.

acknowledging

some

the

challenges we’ve faced. Focus is key to success in any business model, and we are still a small brand with limited resources

INTRODUCTION

in our store.

In 2011 we opened a store in Shoreditch, London, when it was the up-and-coming district in

We had loved that store. It was in

London. We chose a street called

a beautiful old textile warehouse

Charlotte Road, which had all the

with exposed brick and big

coolest, most influential stores on

windows. Eventually, we had to

it. The problem with Shoreditch

close the store; it was tough, but

was while it was filled with

the right thing to do. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d still love

hipsters who loved the champagne

to build a bigger brand presence in

lifestyle, they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spend at retail.

the U.K., and one day open again

They were all out eating and

in London when the time is right.

drinking, but there was no traffic

Marianne Fay - former Head of Womenswear

Liam Maher - former Head of Design

INTRODUCTION

We also faced difficulty in Berlin,

I hope the global denim industry

where we opened a franchise store

can find a way to come together

in 2014 with Karl-Heinz Muller.

again in the future. All that said,

He’s a brilliant guy and a total

when BBB ended we refocused

denim

Unfortunately,

the investment into our retail

when his Bread & Butter (BBB)

business, which allowed us to

business ended, we had to close

open a string of stores including

the store plus face the aftermath

Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht,

of BBB’s demise. We had built

Antwerp, Hamburg, Japan and

our brand by being at the centre

China.

legend.

of trade fair activity. It was our catalyst to expand our brand

The final challenge — and perhaps

network globally, through shared

the most difficult — is managing

communication with an amazing

the people at the heart of our

audience. When BBB stopped,

brand. As is the case in business

the whole denim community

they come and go, but it’s never

dispersed — suddenly we were

easy to break up with people who

no longer connected with that

you love to work with. We respect

network. Everyone diffused and

that they need the freedom to

spread in different directions;

choose their own career paths and

the denim arena became diluted

move on to the next thing, but it’s

with trade shows, but none have

never easy to say goodbye.

been as strong as that original BBB community with buyers, press, brands, bloggers and cool hunters. We really miss that, and

INTRODUCTION

Every magician needs a stage. Our stages were B&B, Berlin and Pitti Uomo, Florence.

DENHAM at Bread & Butter Tradeshow Tempelhof Airport, Berlin. L.O.C.K. Hangar 7.

INTRODUCTION

East Meets West

We are focused on the continued development

our

product

categories. What we began as a premium denim brand has grown into a full collection range for men and women including outerwear, tops, bottoms and accessories. We’ve

When I began DENHAM, my first

also launched children’s jeans and

dream was to build a market here

tops, footwear and eyewear. We’ve

in the Netherlands. Today we have

dabbled in furniture production,

a strong distribution network

but I’d love to expand further into

with eight retail stores and 200

the lifestyle category with more

incredible wholesale partners. I

furniture and even DENHAM

then dreamed to of heading east

coffee bars around the world.

to build Asia, and I’m proud to say we’ve accomplished that too. We have offices in Tokyo, Shanghai,

After 10 years, I’ve also decided

and a newly opened HQ in Seoul; in

to introduce my first signature

the coming year we also have store

collection, The Jason Denham

openings planned for Shanghai,

Collection. It was actually inspired

Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou and

by Fred and Ludo, who suggested

Seoul. Naturally, the next step is to

head west! I would love to do the

full name, so consumers know

Americas. We’re proud to already

that there’s a man behind the

be sold in stores like Barney’s,

brand — it’s human and it’s real.

American Rag and Harry Rosen,

That triggered the idea, and the

but I’d love to open our own stores

collection reflects my passion for

in cities like NYC and L.A.

beautiful design and timeless style. 46

start

communicating

Photo: Alljan Moehamad

Introducing the

Denham to launch the premiere Jason Denham Collection. The Jason Denham Collection is a celebration of iconic styles that can be mixed-and-matched for everyday versatility. In honour of our brand’s 10th anniversary, we looked at our favourite heritage pieces — leather bombers, crombies, cashmere knitwear, and of course jeans — and updated them with our DENHAM twist. “The collection reflects my passion for beautiful design and timeless style,” says Jason Denham.

Photo: Alljan Moehamad

â&#x20AC;&#x153;When DENHAM launched, we were immediately wearing the scissors. Initial reaction: yessss!â&#x20AC;? Martien Mellema, Creative Director, Vogue Netherlands

Photo: Alljan Moehamad

INTRODUCTION

The Future Looms

I hope to be able to keep doing what I love every day, and keep working harder. I’ve never believed that we “made it,” because there’s still much more to do.

This book represents 10 years

I would like to extend the most

of hard work, dedication and

sincere thanks to everyone who

unrelenting passion. Ten years of

has been a part of the DENHAM

challenges, hurdles, growth and

journey along the way. Thank you

learning. Ten years of growing the

to the DENHAM team for taking

DENHAM brand and family into

my crazy ideas and making them a

the amazing organisation that it

reality. Thank you to our customers

is today. There’s much more to say,

for continuously supporting this

but I have the feeling this is only

brand and loving our product.

the beginning …

Thank you to everyone who’s played a role in our evolution

What does the future hold for

from that empty Amsterdam

DENHAM? First and foremost,

canal house into what we’ve built

I hope we remain exciting and

today. Believe me when I say your

relevant. I hope to increase our

contributions — no matter how

footprint as a global brand, and

big or small — have not been

have stores all around the world

forgotten.

that represent the best of people, After all, the truth is in the details.

product and presentation.

THE SCISSOR STORY A Decade of Cutting

THE SCISSOR STORY

Blue Steel The original logo artwork was created by Ali Kirby, DENHAM’s Art Director. He rendered the drawing by hand, tinted it with blue watercolour paint, and then digitised the motif. The result is a unique impression that combines both craft and technology, consistent with DENHAM’s design mantra to "worship tradition, destroy convention."

Scissor Maniac Jason Denham continues to grow his collection of shears — it is said he has the largest collection of vintage scissors in the world. Over 2,000 pairs have been accrued from places like Spain, Germany, Turkey, the USA and Japan. “We showcase the scissor collection in our headquarters and showrooms all over the world,” Denham explains. “Additionally, all of our stores have a selection, often displayed in glass cases or frames.”

THE SCISSOR STORY

S P O R T S W E A R I N T E R N AT I O N A L : # 2 6 8 Interview: Maria Cristina Pavarini Photos: Glenda Goldschmied

SCISSOR MAN CO L L E C T I BL E CUT T E R Throughout Jason Denham’s career, he has collected thousands of pairs of tailoring scissors, each with a unique story and past. But there's one pair that's the most important: his first, which inspired the brand's iconic logo.

How did you start collecting scissors? I collect all kinds of products and memorabilia around our business, however, scissors have become a big part of our archive. The first scissor I collected is my first tailor’s shear that I bought at university 20 years ago. Since then I have collected between 750 and 1,000 pieces of vintage tailor’s scissors from all over the world. The collection also includes scissors from Japan, Germany, England, France, Turkey, USA, Spain, Greece and many other

countries. It is amazing how many countries developed beautiful scissors! What is the collection or piece from your archive that you like best? Too many to mention! However my first scissors pair is memorable and is framed in our studio. We also have a French pair of scissors from about 1550 which is an incredible piece, the oldest piece in our archive and the piece I’m most fond of. How do scissors inspire you in your work? Scissors are the most important tool for a jean maker, as the cut is the essential part of the jean. They characterise the hanging system of jeans in our stores, and they're the distinctive element of our brand’s logo. Scissors are a very multi-talented tool. Did you ever organize exhibitions of your scissors? We show the collection in our headquarters, stores and showrooms all over the world. How did you become probably one of the greatest scissor collectors in the world? 60

We discovered that when hunting for scissors (mainly on eBay) that we were always bidding against the same person, David Gensler, a great collector from the US. Finally, last year we acquired his collection of 220 museum-quality pieces. Are scissors also inspiring your work and your collections? Yes! We always refer back to scissors for graphic and theme inspiration; we look at the patina, the make and construction, where they were made and how. Scissors are a neverending source of inspiration for our collections!

Schaar-face Concept: Ali Kirby Sculpture: Jon Beedell 64

THE SCISSOR STORY

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Scissors are made from two hard, sharp, metal knives bolted together. When these two blades come together, they produce magic. Whether jean makers, tailors, hair dressers or gardeners, the scissor provides the cutter the freedom to create beauty. The cutting action is decisive. There is no going back. You need to cut to create.â&#x20AC;? - Ali Kirby

Dancing Scissors Photography: Rene Mesman Art Direction: Ali Kirby

For 10 years, we have been driven by a clear strategic vision. Our mantra, "worship tradition, destroy convention," has always played a key role in motivating, empowering and inspiring us. We seek to challenge the status quo of denim design, and impact the lives of every consumer who comes in contact with our brand.

A Decade of Brand Building

WE BEL CHOOSING OVER AVE LOOKING AND EXP THE DE

LIEVE IN G SPECIAL ERAGE, BY G CLOSER PLORING ETAILS.

THE JEANMAKER

Our brand philosophy is rooted in a passion for two things: details and truth. The details are what distinguish us, define us and drive us. The truth is inherently inside us and determines how we approach our work. Together, this is what makes us special over average. The details are what makes us, us. The details are our truth. THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS

WE B A L A NCE I N N OVATI ON W I TH

THE COMB IS SO UNIQ IT MAKE PULSE Q AND YOUR WAT

A R E S P EC T FOR TR ADITION

BINATION QUE THAT ES YOUR QUICKEN R MOUTH TER.

THE JEANMAKER

Our design process strikes a balance between tradition and innovation. Driven by the pioneering spirit of the original blue jean, we approach design with inventive solutions and confident European modernism, while honouring old-world craftsmanship. WORSHIP TRADITION. DESTROY CONVENTION

Photo (from film still): Jack Jack Jack

WE M AK E J E A NS TO B E

LOVED, WORN & SERVICED FOR LIFE. 97

Model: CUTTER + Fabric: VJS - Japanese Selvedge denim Worn by: Curly Pirate Years worn: 10 Washes: lost count Details: Hidden Pirate skull embroidery

TIMELINE AND MILESTONES A Decade of Dedication

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TIMELINE & MILESTONES

Jason Denham has retained a relentlessly optimistic attitude, paired with a vow to learn from every mistake. Over the past decade, DENHAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey has been filled with numerous milestones â&#x20AC;&#x201D; challenges we have surpassed with conviction, and successes we have accomplished with an unwavering commitment to innovation. As we reflect on the milestones of the past 10 years, Jason remains driven by a vision for continued growth in the future.

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Jason Denham founds his namesake brand in Amsterdam.

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First DENHAM store opens adjacent to the head office and design studio (Prinsengracht 493). Re-cut program introduced; it is later sold at Colette (Paris) and American Rag (Los Angeles).

TIMELINE & MILESTONES

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First DENHAM store opens in Daikanyama, Japan. Ribbon cutting ceremony joined by Rin Tinaka of My Freedamn! books. www.denhamthejeanmaker.com launches; website wins an award for its creative design from the Creative Review Annual 2010. DENHAM introduces House Guest Artist program.

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Release of the "Mother of Book," which compiled 8 seasonal collection books into 800 pages of mouth-watering product.

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TIMELINE & MILESTONES

‘12

First women’s store opens in the 9 Streets neighbourhood of Amsterdam.

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Store openings: Hobbemastraat Flagship and "Coffee & Concept" store open in Amsterdam. DENHAM celebrates its anniversary with the launch of "Five Years in the Making," a collectable coffee table book. Launch of "Category 5" jeans collection, celebrating the classic five pocket fit.

TO CREATE A WELL BALANCED MOUTH WATERING JEAN REQUIRES THE PERFECT

LAUNDRY RECIPE

& KNOWING WHEN TO TAKE YOUR PEN OFF THE PAPER.

T H E T R U T H I S I N T H E D E TA I L S d e n h a m t h e j e a n m a k e r. c o m

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TIMELINE & MILESTONES

JoÃ«l Reehuis - Manager Coffee & Concept Store 115

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‘14

Store openings: Tokyo (women’s boutique in Roppongi Hills and flagship store in Omotesando Hills) and Amsterdam (women’s denim bar on the Runstraat). First store in Australia opens at the Rocks in Sydney. First DENHAM movie, "Denham Psycho," wins Silver in the "Viral" category at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.

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TIMELINE & MILESTONES

‘15

Store openings: Tokyo and Nagoya (Japan), Antwerp (Belgium), Leeds (UK) and Amsterdam (men’s denim bar on the Runstraat). Flagship store opens in Düsseldorf (Germany). Second DENHAM movie, "The Jeanmaker" premieres at Amsterdam Denim Days.

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Store openings: Utrecht (The Netherlands) and Hamburg (Germany). Launch of the third DENHAM movie, "The Truth is in the Details," which tells the story of the brand to date.

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Store openings: The Hague and Utrecht (The Netherlands) and flagship in Ginza, Tokyo (Japan). First DENHAM store in China opens in Shanghai.

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ICONIC MOMENTS Jason Denhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Memorable Recollections

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2016: meeting Mr. Okawara (the last Japanese scissor maker). Being a scissor addict, I was elated to meet the "last Samurai" scissor maker in Japan. Mr. Okawara is 82 years old and he makes one pair of scissors by hand every day. I visited his workshop and witnessed him making my own personalised shears, with the skill and craftsmanship of a Samurai sword maker.

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2008: OPENING OUR FIRST STORE IN AMSTERDAM It was nerve-racking and exciting in equal measures. It’s very daunting to open your first store with your first collection, but I was sure we were doing the right thing.

2012: SHOWCASING OUR BRAND IN COLETTE Colette is one of the most legendary fashion stores from the last 25 years. It was an honour to have DENHAM presented in the store, which has one of the most curated, impressive selections of product I’ve seen in Europe. I was truly disappointed to hear that Colette will close after all these years.

2011: FIVE-YEAR BOOK & JAPANESE TSUNAMI PROJECT Our Five-Year book was special in many ways: it was great to record our journey so far, but we added another special element to the project. This was just after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2011, so we rallied denim legends from around the world to sign the book to raise funds for charity. Adriano Goldschmied, Nigel Cabourn, Karl-Heinz Muller, Renzo Rosso, Francois Girbaud and I signed the books. We had a big launch party in Berlin where we raised €15,000, and we then teamed with Adboat to sponsor a fishing boat on the Tohoku coastline, where entire communities had been wiped out. I visited the area and it was emotional, fulfilling, positive and sad at the same time. 130

2011: WWD DENIM FORUM: THE TRANSFORMERS CONFERENCE IN L.A. In 2011 I was invited to speak at WWD’s Denim Forum conference, for new thinking from industry veterans and newcomers alike. The panel of speakers included established denim legends like Paul Marciano, Jeff Rudes, Ron Herman, Giovanni Petrin, Maurizio Donadi, Stefano Rosso, Francois Girbaud, Adriano Goldschmied, Andrew Ola and Christophe Loiron. I remember at the time it was the biggest thing I’d ever done, and I’d rehearsed my speech a million times.

2014: PREMIERE OF DENIM PSYCHO We launched our first film, "Denham Psycho," at a makeshift popup cinema in Berlin, to an audience of press, buyers, and denim fans. We had an incredible night and we were thrilled that evening to get 50,000 views on YouTube. We were even more thrilled to wake up the next morning to 250,000 views, and the movie went on to earn over 820,000 hits. It was a lesson for us on the power of social media. We were so encouraged that we took the concept further with The Jeanmaker and The Truth is in the Details.

JASON DENHAM'S 10 ICONIC MOMENTS

2016: PAUL SMITH INTERVIEW The man who inspired me to get into this business. I first met Paul when I was a 17-year-old art student; 25 years later it was fantastic to meet in his studio again to talk about our shared passion, experiences and love of Japan.

2014: JASMINE DENHAM IS BORN Every parent knows it and it's a classic clichĂŠ, but needless to say when my daughter was born in 2014 my life changed forever ... and I love every moment of it. Plus, this gave me a great excuse to make some super cool kids jeans.

2017: OPENING FLAGSHIP AT GINZA SIX TOKYO This was possibly the biggest retail project weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever worked on, and we took every level of every detail to the next level. GINZA SIX is the largest and most prestigious shopping concept in Japan, with 240 luxury brands, plus galleries, cafes, bookstores and restaurants. It opened in Tokyo on April 20, 2017, with Japanese President Shinzo Abe at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. We were completely overwhelmed to rank third in overall sales on the opening day, especially when you consider the quality of all brands presented there.

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2017: ROYAL DINNER IN MILAN Debbie and I were invited to the royal palace in Milan as trade ambassadors, to support the denim industry on a trade mission between Italy and the Netherlands. The highlight of the conference was a royal dinner attended by HRH King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

JASON DENHAM'S LEGENDS

FEELING MAGAZINE Interview: Michaël De Moor

JASON & SIR PAUL A N E N GL I S H MA N A BROA D They first met in London more than 20 years ago. In April 2016, "Feeling Magazine" brought them together once again at the Paul Smith headquarters in London. Iconic designer Sir Paul Smith and jean maker Jason Denham share a conversation about fashion, Japan and the nonsense of it-bags. Jason handed two gifts to Smith: a coffee table book about DENHAM the Jeanmaker, and a pair of vintage scissors. The two immediately launched into conversation … PAUL SMITH (PS): I love scissors! The funny thing is that people immediately become attached to their scissor. They put even their names on it. Once I bought a lot of them in India. They weren’t working very properly, but looked very good. [Laughs.]

different countries, plus we had the men’s show of Paul Smith at Paris Fashion Week. JD: It doesn’t matter at all. You have inspired me, that is much more important than a gift. At that time, you told me how important details in clothes where, and that’s still something I always remember. I have a brand much smaller than yours — it’s more of a jeans label — but for a large extent you are the reason that I’ve come so far. You were very sympathetic, a real gentleman. I said that I wasn’t sure I wanted to study graphic design or fashion, but when I left your office, I was totally convinced that it would be fashion.

JASON DENHAM (JD): This one comes from the United States.

PS: Marc Newson [industrial designer] did the same recently. “You once told me one thing, and that changed my life,” he often says. But I still don’t’ know what I exactly told him … that’s hilarious!

PS: I can see that. Everything is bigger in the United States. [The scissor is enormous.] I’m sorry that I haven’t got a gift for you. It was a bit busy lately. Last week I went to five

JD: I asked you how you started, and you talked about how you worked with your wife, and how you built collections, which was mostly white shirts at that time. You spoke with 132

such passion and excitement that I got goose bumps. “The truth is in the details” is something DENHAM believes in, and somewhere I’m sure that I’ve picked that from you. PS: Indeed one of my first jobs was as a freelance designer of white shirts. Often people said, “It’s just white shirts, that’s not that special.” Then I always answered, “Yes, but these white shirts are with deep sleeves, that kind of cotton, with those buttons, and special stitching.” JD: Now I get goose bumps again! [Laughs.] The pressure on designers is huge these days. How do you deal with that? PS: I design various collections; there are several shows a year and indeed the pressure is enormous. For example, the great Alexander McQueen, I knew him well and have given him a lot of advice. He even didn’t know what a franchise was when he came to me. Clearly he couldn’t deal with all the pressure. The fashion industry is a mad carousel. The world has gone

Photo: Liesbet Peremans

“Sir Paul Smith has been a long-time inspiration for me...” - Jason Denham More than 20 years ago, a young Brit and aspiring designer, walked into Paul Smith’s London office and confidently announced he had an appointment with the famous designer. To his surprise, he was granted 15 minutes with Smith, who shared advice on how he built his global brand.

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How close are you still involved shop in London. in the creative process? Isn’t that something that would be more JD: Last week I was in Tokyo, and when difficult as your brand gets bigger I see what you do there it’s so great! and bigger? PS: They make your dreams there come PS: That’s a problem that Raf Simons true! [former Creative Director of Dior] already raised, as he had barely time JD: You said that beautifully. for that. I was up at 6:00 in my studio this morning. I work very long hours because I want to see the collection. What do you wish each other? You know, once I saw someone on television that I admire and I thought: PS: Health and happiness. I can never be better than him, but I can work longer hours. [Laughs.] Nobody JD: That is for sure the most important. needs a designer again, so you better be different from the rest. And don’t PS: People can be very rich and still die attract what Prada or anyone else does. young, or marry for the eighth time. But The same goes for magazines, we love you can’t live without good health. Also very important: “stick to your guns.” it, but they aren’t the Bible for us. People always try to buy my company. JD: I totally agree with you. We also I would have received a lot of money don’t search for trends, because once out of that. But I don’t need it. I’m you do that, you’re lost. Your ideas are driving in a Mini and I have the most incredible wife, that’s enough. Many JD: I think Paul has absolutely a point. what count. people live their lives like a business Indeed the world became crazy. Always it has to be faster and the pressure PS: We do have enough ideas. To plan; everything is calculated … that’s of social media has become super formulate them is simple, but to work insane. I grew up in the ‘60s; at that influential. But if you keep yourself them out, deliver on time and — time you could do whatever you wanted. under control, it definitely succeeds. importantly! — be paid for it, is all a Unfortunately, it all has changed. You know, sometimes you have to take a “Don’t look at others, but only look at lot harder. deep breath and do what you like and yourself,” I always say. We have fun during work and we produce what we You both have something with what you’re good at. Then everything will be all right. love — that’s what counts after all. We japan. will never be the largest company in the JD: I’m in love with Japan. We have a world, but we don’t have to be. big business there, and in the coming PS: You certainly don’t have to be the months there will be even more store largest one. We could be five times openings, which I think is great. bigger, but we don’t need to. And indeed what you say about social media is so PS: Earlier today I was busy for four true: it’s often no more than nonsense. hours with a team from a Japanese I have a house in Italy, and I asked the television network. The place where neighbour if his daughter wants to come they understand my energy and to London one time. She wanted that, hopefully also my talent is Japan. You so I asked her parents too, but they have to be sincere there — when you didn’t want it. They don’t even need to come up with a fictitious marketing go to the next village, a few kilometres story, they just pierce through it. I used to purchase vintage jeans in Japan and further. I love that simplicity in life. sold them at Floral Street, my first mad, I often think. Luckily I work in a very relaxed company; there isn’t really a hierarchy, and every day we work in a nice atmosphere. It’s just like sports; if you’re relaxed, your chance of doing well increases. A good woman at home also helps. Pauline has always held my both feet on the ground. I do a lot of crazy things, but once I’m home, I’m safe with her. One day — I still remember it well — I had a lunch with the British Prime Minister and then I flew to New York and back, all the same day. That was crazy. In the evening I came home and Pauline said, “You know that the car had to go to the garage today, right?” [Laughs.] That helps to keep your feet firmly on the ground. You know, all the pressure in fashion is ridiculous and is really not necessary. In fact, it’s pure greediness, so actually everything is bullshit. I am blessed that we are independent, otherwise it would be much more difficult.

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“Adriano’s finesse for womenswear is second to none. For me, Adriano is the GOAT: 'the greatest of all time.' His Genius Troupe photo sits above my desk and inspires me everyday. It was Adriano’s vision and collective spirit that pulled together some of the greatest minds in the denim business. It was this vision that spawned some of the greatest and most intriguing jeans labels from DIESEL to REPLAY." - Jason Denham 136

JASON DENHAM'S LEGENDS

S P O R T S W E A R I N T E R N AT I O N A L : # 2 7 5 Interview: Maria Cristina Pavarini Photos: Glenda Goldschmied

JASON & ADRIANO TH E F UT URE O F D E N I M Denim guru Adriano Goldschmied and Jason Denham met in Milan during the White Milano show. They discussed the future of denim during a very personal talk moderated by Sportswear International’s editor, Maria Cristina Pavarini.

but also he has a characteristic that is not very common in designers, which is about connecting design to a marketing concept. Today a talented designer needs to have a clear idea and vision of how to design, how to bring

Maria Cristina Pavarini (MCP): Mr. Goldschmied, why did you choose Jason Denham as the person that could be the best partner in speaking about the future of the denim market? ADRIANO GOLDSCHMIED (AG): Jason is a person that I really admire, even if he is not a very young designer anymore! JASON DENHAM (JD): Thank you! MCP: How did the two of you two meet? AG: I met him at the beginning of his career when he was designing for Pepe Jeans London. I have been following his career and have been supporting him since Day One. I recognized in him not only a big talent in terms of design — which no question he is —

his product to the market, and how to position it. Jason is a perfect example of this new attitude. In addition, Jason has an inspiration deeply rooted in vintage and the history of denim, but he is able to translate this, rather than into a replica, into a new concept. The market doesn’t need replicas, because we have the originals. So that’s why, thinking about who would be sitting here to talk with me about the denim business, Jason is number one. And, not less important, he is a very good friend and every time I think I have to do something important I made a call to him and also the other way. JD: My first job I got was making 137

jeans for U2, which was an exciting project doing theatre costumes. That work was voluntary — no sleep, lots of fun, no money. Then I got a real job designing for Pepe Jeans, which was a school where I managed to learn everything about the whole denim industry. There were amazing talents working in that company at that time and it was the only real jeans brand in London in those years. It was there I first got to meet Adriano. I was always a huge fan of him — now even more so — and we always kept connected. Then I started Blue Blood. AG: It was an amazing brand. When I saw that first collection it was really strong, and from that moment I totally understood the potential of Jason in terms of his ability to create a brand. That’s something totally different than making good designs. Unfortunately for different reasons, Blue Blood didn’t work … JD: But it was a great experience. When I made Blue Blood it was a time when luxury, designer and premium brands were coming to the market. It was an exciting time. This was before the whole L.A. thing took off, and that’s when denim became a luxury product.

At that time, denim became exciting for me because it was a more valuable product for people’s wardrobes. People would pay more for it because they saw the value in it. AG: I’m not saying we are going there to copy, because obviously being designers, our job is to design. But for sure it is a very interesting inspiration. JD: I think that jeans are an evolution, not a revolution. It’s not that the jeans market is suffering today, but everything is in trend and jeans are an evolution that always continues. For me the most exciting thing about an evolution is that it is going faster than ever. I have been working in denim for about 20 years and for 15 years, all denim mills have spoken about red cast or green cast — nothing really special. Today it’s amazing what mills are doing in terms of performance, recovery, technology, fibers, weights; they offer everything! That’s why designers are waking up and have started recreating some whole new things. In jeanswear people used to have a comfort zone, a safety thing which was five-pockets. Now the fabric is making designers think differently because you can do so much more. The evolution is quickly becoming a revolution. Speaking about the verticals, it’s fantastic what they’ve done but they are always following the market. They don’t lead the market. They take their inspiration from catwalk shows and designers. Gucci is doing incredible stuff with denim, like embellishments and treatments. Zara will follow that. They copy them and they will do fantastically well. But denim brands and designer labels will always have their place because they are the ones that create the concepts. They have the imagination and the vision because they really understand and know this product. What’s also making the industry exciting is the way that we are changing how we are working today.

That’s why some verticals are going so well. What a lot of us are doing now is bringing products direct to market. It’s an added thing for the speed and makes it even faster.

need brands?

JD: We do still need brands as they lasted the test of time. There are so many fresh young labels that arrived on the market but don’t stay around AG: When we say that ideas are going for long. A brand is a concept that can very quickly because of the Internet, at evolve and develop. As Adriano said the same time the desire of the customer earlier, it’s great to respect the history is going as quickly. What’s the point for of our denim traditions, but you have the customer to see a product now and to push things forward and bring new not be able to buy it? It doesn’t make ideas. A lot of brands are struggling to do that. Everyone has a great jean and any sense, honestly. a great concept, but then it’s how you keep that concept moving and evolving. Great brands stand the test of time because they can evolve; that’s the strength of a brand. AG: I really believe in brands. It’s like when you see a painting and you like it. Then the first question you ask is: Who did it? That’s the sense of the brand. When you have a product the JD: Look at Apple and the launch of first thing you ask is: Who is behind it? Plus the brand is not only about their car. product, but how you bring that product MCP: I see what Apple does, but to the market and how you create an when you produce jeans don’t you image. To sell today you have to create need more time for checking all an emotion. Everybody has already 20 pairs of jeans, and to buy another one production passages in advance? you have to create something that ... JD: We have to do that. It’s our job as a design company, like Apple is a design JD: ... gives you a reason to buy. The company. It is the same thing. You have biggest mistake in our industry today to develop a concept, keep it secret, is when denim companies think the work on it, develop it, test it, make sure only way to be successful is to compete it works, and then we bring it direct to in price. That’s not a reason to buy. If the market. It’s about confidence. If you they try and lower the price to be more really believe in your product and you competitive that is not making the have confidence, then to start you can customer become more excited because make production quantities instead of that’s not a reason to buy. Of course at waiting to get the approval from the mass market level that’s a part of what buyers. You have to bring it direct to goes on, but the price shouldn’t be the buyers. That’s going to be a big new first issue. It should be creativity, new ideas, fresh concepts. Then the price thing for the future. doesn’t matter. MCP: Thanks to the internet and social media, everything can be MCP: To create great brands copied more easily. But what about you need great creatives and the value of the brand? Why not professionals. How can you build just focus on product? Do we still such complete personalities? Are 138

pen off the paper. Too many designers are overdesigning. To make something doesn’t mean “more is more.” It just means you have to get the right balance of which details you need and about fabric, washing, finishing, treatments and styling. A lot of designers are too wrapped up in the concept and might end up thinking they create clothes that could be made for a movie or a period of time, but you have to realize that the garment will go into real life. And for sure you have to listen to your muse or your model. Educated feedback is so important, but it’s how you translate the idea into the right balance of fabric, finishing and similar aspects in order AG: This is very personal, because for to get to a good way. Hand off the paper. JD: Which is a very stupid lesson: How me the fit is about a fit model. It means What we have to learn in design is when that you establish a kind of relationship to stop. to know your value! with your fit model, and the idea of the AG: Yes! How much do you ask? What body that represents your customer. type of contract you’d like to have? Small things, but it’s the beginning of MCP: Who is a fit model exactly? your career and it’s very, very important. I think that schools should be better AG: The conversation with the fit model connected to real life. There are a few is one of the most important steps. I examples working in this direction that identify who is muse is — it can be an actor, singer, writer, whoever. I put her are in Amsterdam. picture on the wall and every the time JD: They are starting but there is a I design I look at that image and ask MCP: Thanks to technology and long way to go, especially regarding the myself: is she going wear it or not? I its progress, jeans can now be try to make a line that is very logical produced as true series-made business side, as you were saying. to a certain type of consumer. The products and no longer simply as MCP: Do you see any young striking idea to fit everybody is a big mistake. handcrafted pieces. Has technology personalities and new up-and- The consumer has to understand a also developed enough to help coming designers from what you particular brand and product has to preserve the environment and saw during Amsterdam Denim be right for that kind of body. It is workers’ conditions? impossible to be good for everybody. Days? I prefer to be a leader in a segment JD: Machines are still machines and JD: I’m sure there will be many coming instead of being nothing for everybody. you need to know what to do with them. It’s amazing that we have everything in the next four to five years. What’s great now is such a fantastic education JD: There’s two things. It is absolutely today — like waterless technology and about the product that we never had. true that the most important thing is laser treatments — but you use these I learned by running around the the fit and if that doesn’t feel right I tools really badly. You could design laundries, going around the world and, take it back immediately. The second really terrible clothes with that stuff. of course, great support from people thing that defines what is good design It’s knowing how to use and what to do like Adriano. The good news is that — or what makes a good designer with that. young designers are not scared to break — is balance. The fit comes first but the rules. In the past we were learning then the balance of getting everything MCP: Do your collections include this strong tradition about jeans: it’s right is knowing when to take your sustainability products? How ecoschools able to raise and educate got two legs, five pockets, green cast or red cast. Today, kids care about modern them? design, new technology and social AG: We shall talk about education. media marketing that can connect and There are great design schools in the make everything go very fast. It is a world but I feel like they should have whole different thing from the past and an update. They should introduce you that makes it exciting. to the design world — and obviously we all know that design is the starting MCP: You said before making a engine of everything — but they should nice sketch is not enough to make a also teach the young how to make a good product. Now there is a lot of company successful starting from a talk about fits. How can consumers very stupid thing. I’m dealing with choose their fit better and how can young designers almost every week and companies become more consumerone thing they don’t know in anyway is friendly in terms of fits and product design? how to negotiate their contract.

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friendly and sustainable can you said, “Ok, this is going to stay for a few be? How better can all this become seasons and then is going to be over.” Instead Lycra has completely changed in the near future? the industry. Similarly, denim knit is JD: We’ve been traditionally in a dirty a segment destined to grow very fast. industry for many years. It’s fantastic Where we can go, honestly we don’t how the industry is waking up to this know. I can only tell you that we have and how sustainability has become a been shipping the collection to stores responsibility for everyone involved at the beginning of January and we had in this industry. All of the laundries an amazing reaction. In our industry have adopted technologies to improve this approach. Sandblasting is a thing of the past and now we are working with dry ice, crystals, and all different technologies to be less harmful to the environment and guarantee better social working conditions. This is super important and it’s key in our industry for the future. today, unfortunately, when you ship AG: I can only confirm. Things are goods to a customer, what you hope really changing and the good news is is to not get them back. The fact that that the industry is understanding the customers are really reordering is importance of sustainability. Obviously, like an injection of energy for us. It money is driving the whole thing. The brings you back to the old times when good news is that the technology today we had lines of customers waiting to is, in some ways, more successful in buy — that has some way disappeared. countries that are becoming the world’s Honestly, my goal is to put customers alternative new production hubs, rather in line again. than more mature countries because the so-called “advanced” countries are JD: Also from the men’s side of the not investing in our industry anymore. business, megatrends aren’t happening Today you find more organised every day. Though one thing is factories in countries like Vietnam definitely a megatrend: men are crazy and Bangladesh more than in Italy, for for stretch performance jeans more instance. Technology is expensive, very than ever. Five years ago I used to have expensive. And they cannot afford that. a bearded hipster tattooed guy enter my store asking for 14½ oz Japanese MCP: What new mega trends do you jeans as stiff as ever. Today I see that guy coming into my store. He still has expect? AG: Megatrends are not happening got his tattoo. His beard is a bit shorter, every day. My new womenswear brand and he is asking for soft stretch, tight Acynetic represents my new way of performance denim. It is something thinking about women. It’s a 100% knit completely main stream today. It’s not denim collection. It may be a bit too just the hipster guy who’s grown a bit extreme, but it is a good answer to the older, but it’s also the everyday guy who general need for very fashion-oriented wants stretch denim more than ever. In and comfortable products. There is a my 20 years working in denim I would high demand for comfort in the market never have thought that stretch was and it’s not a seasonal trend. It can going to be so popular for men, a bit like be like when Lycra came in and we all Adriano said about Lyrca coming in. 140

We thought that would have come and gone. Instead, stretch and performance for men is a megatrend forever now. AG: Also important are other fibres as alternatives to cotton, like Tencel and Modal, and these fibres are playing a very important role. When you mix stretchability with different hand feelings, it is an amazing story. JD: Another trend that is lasting longer than I expected is black denim. Black denim always comes and goes, but black denim is right now important as a trend … and when I say “black” I mean all of the variations of black: washed down, faded, double double black and all that kind of stuff. But black is super, super important. JD: Bleached and dyed! But black is really a staple of everyone’s wardrobe, even more than indigo today in a lot of ways. MCP: Is there anything you don’t agree upon? Because it really seems to me that you always share the same vision. But there must be something you disagree about... AG: We had this discussion in the past. For sure Jason is much more designer than me, in that I try to be as simple as I can and Jason likes to create more identity for the garment. That’s why we had this discussion years ago when I told Jason: “Your design is amazing but why don’t you make five good simple jeans?” JD: That was a great advice! But then when I look at Acynetic, your new collection I saw today, I’m going to give you the same advice and ask you to make some simple jeans because your new line now is far from basic! Full circle! Now I can start teaching you for a change!

Photo: Marc Haers

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS A Decade of Detail

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: BRAND CREATION

Alphabet bags, dip-dyed by hand. Each DENHAM city store has its own unique "alpha letter."

Making the Cut Back in 2008 when we were defining our brand vision, we knew that if we wanted to survive we would have to go the extra mile, as cliché as that sounds. This is why we created “The truth is in the details” as our mantra — and we inject it into everything we do. It meant the brand wasn’t just about the name, logo, design or product, but also in our communication and storytelling, our service, and the way we treat our customers. It extends to our presentation, and even trickles down to the way we wrap things. It’s what consumer expectations are about today, and that’s the anchor of our brand building.

"Made in Japan" 10 Year Anniversary jean with a commemorative graphic Furoshiki bag wrap.

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“If you want to see the quality of a jean, turn it inside-out” - Jason Denham

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: PRODUCT

Signature Details We find inspiration in the history of our industry, but we destroy convention and create our own ideas. We’re not a copycat

Powder-coated mat black donut button / copper shank.

brand; we’re original. So when you look at our product, it has got our signature details inside and out: in the construction, branding, washing and finishing. “The truth is in the details” is our 7-point back pockets, our fishbone lining, our fabric quality and our hardware. It’s all manifested in our scissors logo, which is meticulously embroidered on the back of every jean using 691 stitches.

Embossed copper rivets. Signature scissor print on herringbone twill.

Italian white leather patch. Indigo ink hand-brushed to fade out. Custom made DENHAM selvedge with two tones of blue.

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Photos: Koers von Cremer

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: PRODUCT

CRYSTAL WATERS

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: WASH RECIPES

Volcanic rock pumice stone is used as an abrasive in the washing process. The rough, porous surface works like sandpaper, removing blue dye from the jean to create a worn, faded look.

The Laundry Master One of the key signatures of our brand is

the patterns and aging, while modernising

our passion for denim laundry and wash

the look at the same time.

recipes. Our process begins with market research: we look at natural, worn-in

From day one, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always worked

vintage pieces within our own garment

with the best laundries. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve spent a lot

library archive. We then take the pieces

of time traveling the world in search of

to the laundry, where we work to replicate

the best wash houses, especially in Italy

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and Japan. I love the contrast between

they are full of innovation. Italian design

the two countries. The Japanese are

is very modern and forward thinking; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

authentic and original, plus they are

all about the future, not the past. They are

incredible at recreating original, natural

the first innovators for creating incredible

wear patterns. The term â&#x20AC;&#x153;laundry masterâ&#x20AC;?

looks with high quality, sustainable

actually originated in Japan. I also love

techniques.

to work with Italian laundries because Inflatable jig template, used for localised 3D hand abrasion.

Rubber balls used in the laundry process for softening fabric.

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: WASH RECIPES

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Photo: Marc Haers

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Photo: Catharina Veder

Chantal Mosselman â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Assistant Shop Master, Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Store Runstraat, Amsterdam

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Best Practice The experience we offer our customers is inspired by the culture of Japanese retail and the ceremony of shopping in Japan. When a customer goes to a store and makes a purchase, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautifully wrapped and packaged. The staff member carries it to the door, hands it to the customer, bows, and thanks them for their business. I love Hideki Hashiguchi - General Manager - Sales Dept. Japan

that. We use this as a base for all of our stores. We train our staff and school them in the stories behind every product. They are fully loaded with information, so they can talk to you all day about our products.

Nagisa Setoguchi - Ginza 6 Store Soldier, Tokyo

Hitomi Horiuchi - PR Manager Japan 159

Marcia Godet - Retail Director EU

Erika Kondou - Visual Merchandiser Assistant Japan

Nadia Zouaoui - Office Manager NL HQ

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Noa Cornet - Shop Keeper, Coffee Concept Store, Amsterdam

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Ryohei Amitani - Area Manager Retail Div. Japan

Alec Kakisina â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Shop Keeper, Flagship Store Hobbemastraat, Amsterdam

Mr Hiro - Daikanyama Store Soldier, Tokyo

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Debbie de Ruijter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Shop Keeper, Flagship Store Hobbemastraat, Amsterdam

Megumi Kasai - Area Manager Retail Div. Japan

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Tomoyuki Murayama - Shop Master, Daikanyama Store, Tokyo

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Raphael Latupeirissa - Shop Master, Prinsengracht Mens Store, Amsterdam

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Tom Doest â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Shop Keeper, Mens Store Prinsengracht, Amsterdam

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: DENIM CARE

Your Journey Starts Here... DENHAM will service your jeans for life: washing, sewing, painting and repairing. Since day one, we have been ambassadors for long-lasting, high quality products. To us, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s equally as important to sell the jeans as it is to take care of them. We go on a journey with that jean, alongside every customer. We believe that jeans look better and better the longer you wear them. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also introduced a Service Co. road show, so our staff travel to different wholesale accounts around the world. In Japan, we sew, wash, dry and even custom paint jeans. Yutaro Yoshiki - Area Manager Retail Div. Japan

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Nagi Kobayashi - Ginza 6 Store Soldier, Tokyo

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: DENIM CARE

t h e b e s t w e a r pat t e r n s b e g i n w i t h v i r g i n d e n i m

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: DENIM CARE

SOAP NUTS SELVEDGE. No chemicals. No perfume. Pure natural organic laundry enzymes in a nut. Purist unwashed Virgin denim with deep indigo japanese 'Rainbow' Selvedge with natural soap nuts for soft hand laundered care. WHAT ARE SOAP NUTS? Soap nuts are fruits that grow on trees. They contain a natural substance called saponin, which, when dissolved in water, creates mild suds that are similar to soap. This soapy substance has remarkable detergent properties that easily replace normal detergents. It works to effectively remove dirt and dissolve oils from your denim. Soap nuts contain no chemicals and no perfume. They are natural, organic laundry enzymes in a nut. 100% Organic Certified Origin: Nepal

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Every Detail tells a Story We are a storytelling brand, because our products have a lot of stories to tell. Our stores are filled with graphics and signage that share our themes, inspirations and where concepts originated. Our in-house team designs each of our stores with a unique aesthetic: we combine clean, gallery-like spaces with authentic character. Walls are painted in our signature indigo, while shop fittings use

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: INSTORE PRESENTATION

Vintage zinc baths are used for DENHAM's hand-wash laundry service.

Patented scissors wall brackets are used to hang jeans in store. The ears of the scissors help create a functioning hanging system.

recycled and salvaged pieces like French trolleys and Art Deco lamps. Floors are made of wood that we reclaimed from an old French barn, and cash desks are made of vintage American yardsticks. One of my favourite details is our display walls, where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve used bolted brass scissors to the walls to act as hangers.

For 10 years, sake has been the DENHAM drink of choice. We produce our own sake with Hiro, a 6th generation sake maker.

Reclaimed vintage yardsticks are used as in store display features.

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Moral Fibres Making garments is like cooking — you need the best ingredients to get the best results. That’s why we always work with the best fabric mills in the world, specifically in Italy and Japan, to create great partnerships and product. We work with the best fibres — cotton, Tencel, modal, and nylon blends — to create the most exciting, innovative products. A Roving. A long and narrow bundle of fibre.

Specifically for women, where we want to create high-performance stretch and recovery denim, we do a lot of work on special fibres like Tencel, Modal and T400

Drawframe Sliver. The blending of natural and / or man-made fibres.

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: FABRIC

to create the perfect fabric and the perfect fit. Our preferred Italian mill is Candiani Denim. We choose to work with them because they are progressive, modern, innovative, sustainable and high quality. In Japan, we work with the most beautiful, small, hand crafted denim mills like Loomstate ready rolls of denim. Loomstate fabric is fabric as it comes off the loom. It's unsinged, raw, unsanforised, unstabilised and unskewed.

Kurabo and Kuroki.

Ecru warp yarns. "Warp" and "weft" are terms for the two basic components used in weaving to turn thread or yarn into fabric.

Selvedge is a self-finished edge of fabric that keeps the fabric from unravelling or fraying. DENHAM has created its own custom two-blue tone selvedge with Candiani MIlls.

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Photo: Marc Haers

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: FABRIC

The London Cloth Company was founded in 2011 by Daniel Harris, after he rescued a rusting Victorian era loom from a barn in rural Wales. With no experience in weaving, Harris learned to disassemble and repair derelict looms, giving them a new life and rekindled purpose. He eventually acquired a few more looms to expand his machinery collection, and founded London’s first mirco-mill in Clapton. For its Fall 2015 collaboration project, DENHAM worked with Harris to produce a bespoke fabric. The historic Victorian looms were used to blend two quintessentially English fabrics: Shetland wool and Manchester cotton, hand-dyed in rich indigo dyestuff. Woven arduously on the slow looms, the fabric was named “Union Cloth” to celebrate the union of the wool and cotton, and was used to create a limited edition Crombie coat.

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Indigo Artisan Indigo is at the heart of our DENHAM collections — it’s a passion. The beauty of indigo is that it’s an organic product, and the versatility of indigo is like no other colour in the world. It’s all about the intense blue colour, and because it’s alive, it always changes in terms of how we can wash and age the dyestuff. The more layers of indigo you use, the deeper the colour.

Natural dyeing with indigo needs a healthy indigo vat with the right pH balance. Like a chef's broth, an indigo vat is a delicate recipe that requires constant attention.

We like to put indigo in our most beautiful artisan jeans, but we also develop special hand-dyed indigo dyestuff products, like indigo jersey, knitwear, denim shirts, cotton pants, and more.

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: INDIGO

Jason Denham hand dip-dyeing t-shirts in traditional indigo vats (Kyoto, Japan).

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Photo: Marc Haers

Aviator Biker Jacket Milled Cow Leather. Soaked in Indigo

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: INDIGO

Bowhill Pilot Jacket Camel Leather. Soaked in Indigo

Photos: Marc Haers

SOAKED I

IN INDIGO

Photos: Rory Payne

AWASH W

WITH BLUE

Re-Cut Textiles Since the beginning, we have always believed in sustainability in our business. We work with some of the best vendors, suppliers, and factories with great conditions, in places like Italy, Japan and Portugal. This is also reflected in our Service Co., and the mindset to repair garments as they wear down, instead of throwing them away. In our unique “Recut Series,” we forage and “upcycle” vintage garments and materials. We take old fabrics like military silk parachutes or vintage tie-

Laura Meijering – Repair Artist, Service Co., Utrecht

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: SUSTAINABILITY

dye t-shirts, and rework them into fresh, modern pieces. In one case, we bought a mass of vintage Dutch military tents and re-purposed the original ripstop fabric, down to the seams and toggles, to create new men’s parka jackets. The parkas were produced in limited quantities, and each had a completely unique colour pending the original tent’s exposure to sunlight and wear-and-tear. We live by this approach to design; instead of throwing the product in a landfill, our approach gives a new life and purpose to these pieces. Jason Denham hunting for vintage and deadstock military surplus fabric.

Pattern pieces are cut from the original ripstop fabric. The design team works around the tents’ seams, windows, doors and flaps to create the parkas.

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ON AN INDIGO TRAIL

Photos: Marc Haers

Kendo Coat RE-CUT deadstock Army blankets. Soaked in Indigo

Blanket Flight Jacket RE-CUT deadstock Army blankets. Soaked in Indigo

Bart Koenraad - Roy Voster - Fabian Hemesath - Stephanie Beltman - Sales NL

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: THE DENHAM SPIRIT

Work hard. Be nice to People. "The truth is in the details" is not just about the "serious" part of our brand — the product, the presentation, etc. — but it’s a spirit in our day-to-day work. It’s an attitude for fun that encourages a sense of community here at our office. It’s opening our coffee bar at 8:00 each morning so we can pick up a coffee to start

Nimesh Gadhia - Senior Mens Designer

our day. It’s enjoying team lunches together, prepared by our amazing in-house chef, Sonja. It’s our "Thirsty Thursday" drinks, team dinners and cooking contests. And last but certainly not least, it’s our company mascot, Norton the Labrador, roaming the office to provide moral support to all.

Michelle Don - Head of Womenswear

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Maggy Tuijp - Collection Developer Denim

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THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS: THE DENHAM SPIRIT

Milou Dooijes - Global PR Manager

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MADE IN JAPAN A Decade Without Compromise

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MADE IN JAPAN

Mr Hiro-San is our Jean Master in Japan. Hiro and I have been jean making together since my Blue Blood days. I first met Hiro via a mutual Portuguese friend called Miguel, and we had an instant bonding for â&#x20AC;&#x153;mouth-watering product.â&#x20AC;? Hiro and I share the same passion for the art of denim and he is one of the best denim artists I have ever worked with.

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MADE IN JAPAN

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Photo: Koers von Cremer

MADE IN JAPAN

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MADE IN JAPAN

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MADE IN JAPAN

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Photos: Rin Tanaka

MADE IN JAPAN

From Tokyo to Osaka, Nagoya and Kyoto... ...DENHAM’s store presence is constantly growing across Japan. The brand’s retail concept has been injected with unique twists that bring it to the next level; its as though its European aesthetic is fused with a Japanese soul, for a experience that’s completely unique. Within Tokyo, DENHAM is sold within key neighbourhoods including Daikanyama, Omotesando Hills and Roppongi Hills. “Japan is a key market for our brand, and we’ve built a fantastic platform for continued growth there. Our Japanese stores are fully loaded with DENHAM DNA — they’re like DENHAM workshops that are a theatre for our consumers. I’ve always thought it’s really cool that a brand can cross borders and build itself on the other side of the world.” – Jason Denham

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Artwork: Ikumi Nishikawa

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MADE IN JAPAN

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MADE IN JAPAN

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MADE IN JAPAN

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MADE IN JAPAN Article from www.denhamjapan.jp

OGAWA & YOSHI DENHAM PEOPLE #1

20代半ばながらデンハムの主要メンバーとして活躍する2人のスタイルや普段の日常、デンハムでの思い出や目標など、2人のおすすめの場所とともに紹介します。

Kou Yoshizawa - Visual Merchandiser Japan

Hiroki Ogawa - Merchandiser Japan 242

Y：慣れてないね笑というかソレにまたしょうゆ入れるのがス

感じ？デンハムでは一番仲がいい？

denhamjapan.jp. "DENHAM PEOPLE"

ゴイ笑

Y：そうですね、お兄ちゃんみたいな存在です笑

focused on staff and people related to

O：不思議な味がする笑でも中華屋さんのスープって旨いで

D：サービスコメント笑

Denham. As the first step of this time, the

すよね、ご飯ものに必ず付いてくるやつ。

D：じゃあもう4～5年の付き合いだ。一緒にどこか行ったりもし

same men's buyer 'Ogawa Hiroki (Oga)'

D：うん最高だよね。

た？でも忙しいからプライベートで遊ぶタイミングがあんまり

and VMD 'Yoshi Aza (Yoshi)' appeared as

Y：なんなんですかね？自分達じゃ絶対作れない味がしますよ

ないかな？

top batters in the same age. We introduce

ね。

Y：そうですね笑

with two recommended places such as the

D：全然作れない笑

D：そういえばこの前オガちゃんと今度スノボに行こうかって話

style of the two active in Denham as mid-

O：でもこれ多分ラーメンのスープと一緒のやつでしょ？鶏が

してて。

20s, the usual everyday, memories and

らスープの。

O：結局もう行くタイミングがないかもって話でしたね笑

targets at Denham, and so on.

D：ラーメンのスープともちょっと味が違うんだよね～

D：だってここから店舗リニューアルや新店舗の準備で忙しい

Y：そうですね～、もやし旨いな。

でしょ？

ー2月某日、まずは2人が前から気になっていたという渋谷・代

店員さん：はいチャーシュー炒飯2つと普通の炒飯と単品の餃

Y：確かにそうですね～

官山にあるデカ盛りで有名な中華屋さん「仙台や」にランチを

子ね。

D：そういや日曜にスノボ行ってくる予定なんだよね。今結構

食べに。

全員：いただきまーす。

雪降ってるから面白そう。

O：炒飯旨いね。

O：結構大雪ですよね？そういえばザウスは行ってました？

DENHAM（以下D）：雰囲気いいね～、昔から気になってたんだ

Y：おいしいです。

D：実家の近くにあったけど1回も行かなかった笑

けど来たことなかった。

D：でもあんまり言うほどデカ盛りじゃなかったね。

ス世代じゃない？

で、何食べる？やっぱり炒飯と餃子かな。

Y：そんなにデカ盛りじゃなかったですね。

O：自分が小学生の時ですね笑 1回だけ行きましたよ。

小川（以下O）：迷うなー何にしようかな・・チャーシュー炒飯っ

O：やっぱ大盛りで注文しないとかな？

Y：自分も1回だけ行きました。

てのもある。

D：餃子旨い！

D：2人も地元千葉だもんね。

吉澤（以下Y）：チャーシュー炒飯いいですね。僕それにします。

Y：餃子めっちゃニンニク入ってる。

Y：家から15分ぐらいでした。

D：それ多分チャーシューの量とご飯の量が5：5ぐらいなやつ

O：旨い。

O：今IKEAがあるとこでしょ？

だよ笑じゃあチャーシュー炒飯2つと炒飯と餃子1人前で。そ

D：そういえば2人は歳いくつだっけ？ 25？26？

Y：そうそう、なんでなくなっちゃったんだろう？やっぱ難しかっ

ういえば2人とも夜はいつもどこで食べてるの？

O：ヨッシーが25で、自分が26の歳です。

たんですかね？

O：僕ほぼ三宿で食べてます。毎回同じところですけど笑

D：学年が1個違う？

D：相当建物大きかったもんね。そういえば千葉だと船橋とか

Y：行き着く店は一緒みたいな笑油そばとか。でも僕最近アレ

O：そうですね。

の飲み屋さんが味があって面白いのかな？今は駅前きれいに

ックスしか行かないです。

D：若いね～

なったけど。

O：アレックスいいでしょ？

Y：でももう若いって感覚はないですね。

Y：あとどっかありましたっけ？津田沼は結構きれいですよね。

Y：アレックスはいいね。

D：働きすぎて？笑 2人ともロレックスとか車とか持ってるけど、

O：味があるところ・・

O：俺おととい行った。三茶にある洋食の定食屋さんです。

欲しいものは大体買った？笑

D：浦安も味があるよね？

D：へーいいねえ。

O：いやまだまだお金が欲しいです笑

Y：浦安は味あります笑大好きっていうやきとり屋さんがある

Y：チキンカツカレー食べました？

全員：笑

んですけど、あの辺結構いい感じの雰囲気です笑

O：いや俺いつもハンバーグとカニクリームコロッケ。

Y：もうおなかいっぱいになってきちゃった。

D・O：大好き笑

Y：旨いよね、あとオムライスが旨い。

D：そういやまだそんなに腹減ってなかったね笑 2人ともデ

Y：みんな行くんですよその店に。で誰かしらいるみたいな笑

D：そうゆう昔ながらなのがいいよね～お洒落なカフェとか最

ンハムで働いてから何年ぐらい経つの？

D：でも浦安駅と新浦安駅はちょっと違いみたいなのあるよね

近全然行かないもん。

Y：4～5年ぐらいですかね。

笑

O：女の子と一緒だったら行きますけどね笑

O：4年ぐらいですね。

O・Y：あるある笑

全員：笑

D：どっちが先に入社？

Y：新浦安周辺の人たちは駅にあるモールの飲み屋さんで飲

D：最近は新宿の思い出横丁でちょこちょこ飲んでるかな。

Y：ほぼ変わんないですね。

む。

O：ああゆうところいいですよね～三茶だと三角地帯みたいな

D：代官山店から入ったのかな？2人とも代官山？

D：あと駅前にあるホテルの地下とか？

ところ。

Y：そうです。時間があればストックでずっとデニム畳んでまし

Y：そうそう笑あーホントそうです笑で浦安駅周辺の人たちは

D：それとこの前久しぶりに渋谷ののんべい横丁に行ったけ

た。ずっとやってましたよね？

ほんとローカルなトコで飲みます。

ど、おばちゃんの態度がそっけなくてソレが逆に良かった笑

O：ずっとやってたね。

D：行徳も結構あるの？

Y：逆に良かった笑うわ！もやしあるじゃないですか！

Y：オガさんその時すごい優しかったです笑

Y：行徳もあります。

O：食べる？

D：優しかったの？笑

O：行徳ってどんな感じだっけ？自分昔よく行ってたんだよね。

Y：食べます。もやしってどっかのお店でも出てこなかったっ

Y：「こういうストック整理もすごい大事なんだよ」と。僕はアパ

あー分かった、あそこめっちゃ旨いラーメン屋がある。いつや

け？

レル初めてだったんで。

ってるんかわかんないっていう笑

O：あれだ、福包。いつも行く中目黒の餃子屋さん。あれ？これ

D：オガちゃんは元々違うアパレルブランドにいたんだっけ？

Y：その時の気分？

ソースじゃん！

O：そうですね。その後オーストラリアに行ってました。

O：そうホントに。定休日とかもわかんない。

全員：笑

D：結構お店が混んできたね、この辺あまりないんだろうね中

Y：行かないとわかんない？

華屋さんが。じゃあ同時期に働いててそこからの付き合いって

O：行かないとわかんない笑

series

special

contents

243

2人はザウ

D：そういう店ってあるよね笑

の魅力について語られましたよ笑

O：乗ってますよ。

Y：でもめっちゃ旨いです。

全員：笑

D：ホント？

D：お店も混んできたしそろそろ行ってみようかね。結局飲み屋

Y：「コレ俺の生デニムなんだよ」みたいな。写真みせてもらって、

O：そりゃあ乗りますよ笑

とかの話ばっかりしてた笑

「うわ！コレめっちゃカッコイイ！」と思って、そこから生デニム欲

D：どこ行ってんの笑？

D：今日着てるのは春夏コレクション？

しくなって。もともとオガさんが教えてくれなかったら僕はこん

O：え？まあ・・笑

O・Y：春夏のメインです。

なにデニムに興味ないですね。

Y：色んなところ徘徊してる？笑

D：そうなんだね～いい話じゃん笑

O：そうそうそう。

に太くなくて結構スッキリしてるね。

Y：めちゃめちゃカッコイイやつ履いてたよね？SKIN VJSS。あれ

D：夜中徘徊してるの？

O：サンプルがすごく大きかったんですよ。サンプルは履いたら

今までで一番カッコよかったよ。

O：夜中徘徊してますよ。

すぐズリ落ちました笑

D：今持ってないの？

D：元気だね笑

D：笑ヨッシーのV65 JACKETは自分でパッチつけたの？

O：実家にありますよ。

O：そこしかないですからね乗るチャンスは笑

Y：自分でつけました。これはデンハム阪急メンズ大阪店で置い

D：じゃあ今度アーカイブで公式サイトで紹介しよう。

D：じゃあ今度みんなの愛車を集合させた企画でもやろうか。

てるJANTIQUEさんのパッチ。あとは古着屋で買いました。

Y：めちゃめちゃカッコよかったもん。商品化すれば？アレ超いい

Y：そしたらその時はめっちゃ洗車していきます笑

D：靴はレッドウィングのアイリッシュセッター？

色ですもんね。

ー仕事もひと段落したところで、一日の最後は2人の行きつけと

Y：アイリッシュセッターのスエードです。最近コレばっかり履い

O：そう、アレ超いい色笑

いう高井戸の温泉施設「美しの湯」へ。

てます。

D：ロレックスはもう何年ぐらいしてるの？

D：目の前の環八はよく通ってたんだけどココも寄ったことなか

O：俺も持ってた茶色、18歳とか19歳の時。固くて全然履かなか

O：これは2年ぐらいですね。

ったなあ。2人はどのくらいぶりに来たの？

った笑

D：オガちゃん買って、すぐヨッシー買ったの？

O：3ヶ月前ぐらいだよね？いいですよねココ。

全員：笑

Y：いやちょっとしてからですね。

D：露天風呂がいい感じ温度だった笑

D：でも専用ミンクオイルで手入れすると柔らかくなるよね。

O：ちなみにデンハム社内のロレックスブーム作ったのもともと

んだ？お腹減ったからちょっと食べて帰ろうか。

O：あの缶に入ってるヤツですよね？

俺なんですよ。

Y：そういや今までレストランで食べたことなかったです。

Y：野球のグローブ磨くみたいなヤツでしょ？

D：ホント！？

O：何食べようかな・・すごい迷う。じゃあソースカツ丼かな。

O：そうそう笑

Y：そうそうそう。

D：俺カレーにしようかな。そういえば2人とも商品企画室だよ

持ってたなあ。

D：仕掛け人じゃん笑

ね？ヨッシーはVMDだけど商品企画室なの？

D：ちなみにデンハムのデニムに合わせやすい靴は？

O：これ2個目で、はじめエクスプローラーI付けてて。でサブマリ

O：一応そうだよね？

Y：最終的にはコンバースのチャックテイラーになりますよね、

ーナに変えたんですよ。

Y：商品企画室の中で僕省かれてませんもう？笑 1人だけいる

結局。

D：いいよね～デンハムはサブマリーナ率が高いんだっけ？ヨッ

みたいになってるんですよ組織図でも笑

D：本国のデンハムショップで扱ってるからか、デンハムの店頭

シーもサブマリーナだもんね。

全員：笑

スタッフも含めてみんなコンバース率高いよね？やっぱり一番

Y：サブマリーナ多いよね。

O：確かに笑

デニムに合う？

D：ラグジュアリー志向なんだよ。やっぱオガちゃんは。

D：VMDはリテール事業部だよね？ホントは笑

Y：合わせやすいですねデンハムのデニムに。

O：いや、そんなことないですよ。ミーハーなんですよ笑

Y：どっちかというとそうだと思います。

D：チャックテイラー何足ぐらい持ってるの？オールスターとかコ

D：バックパックもプラダだしね。ヨッシーも同じのだ。

D：しかもなんで商品企画「室」なんだろう？笑

ンバース全部で。

D：ウォレットチェーンはどこの？

全員：笑

Y：コンバース全部だとトータル10足ぐらい？履いてないのもい

O：これはワークスタットミュンヘンっていうドイツのブランドの

O：多分何かこだわりがあったんだろうね笑

っぱいありますけど。

なんですよ。

Y：確かに笑

O：自分はチャックテイラーしか持ってないです。

D：へー、普通に日本で売ってるやつ？

D：ちなみにデンハムのやりがいとか面白いところは？自分のや

Y：結構持ってない？オガさん？

O：あんまり日本で売ってないブランドみたいで、自分の誕生日

ってる仕事とかで。商品が売れたときはやっぱり楽しい？

O：俺結構持ってる。ブルーでしょ、グリーンでしょ、黒、あとスリッ

に買いました。22歳とかそのぐらいの時。

O：そうですね！

ポン、あとオレンジも持ってる。

Y：これいいっすよね。

D：最近は日本企画がちょこちょこ増えてきたけど？

Y：オレンジ持ってるの？

D：ヨッシーのは？

O：やっぱり企画した商品が当たったときはうれしいですね。

O：持ってる。一回も履いてない。

Y：ノンネイティブのやつです。

D：昨年だと8月から販売開始した3パックTシャツかな？

Y：うん、一回も見たことない。

D：ウォレットにつけてるの？

O：3パックTシャツですねー

O：ブルーも一回も履いてない。

Y：何も使ってないです。チェーンつけてるだけ。

D：すごい人気だったよね。

Y：履いてないよね笑

O：俺はカギつけてます。

Y：すごいっすよね、1000パック売れたってことですよね。

O：7～8足ぐらいです。でも最近はあまりスニーカー履いてない

Y：ベンツの？

O：ほぼ完売です。だから今回春に出る3パックTシャツはちょっ

ですね。

O：そう。

と不安ですね。

D：革靴だと今日履いてるチャーチ？

D：車買ったの去年だよね2人とも？

Y：いや手に入ってない人が結構まだいますよ。

O：パラブーツと、あとウェストンとか。

O：自分は12月です。

O：何パックかまとめて購入した方もいたもんね。もしかしたら

D：JMウェストン？良いの持ってるね～

D：ヨッシーが秋？

今回リピーターの方がいるかも知れないです。

O：昔から革靴のほうが好きなんですよね。デニムは最近育てな

Y：秋、10月ぐらい。

D：お問い合わせも結構あったよ。「また発売する予定あります

いけど靴は育ててますね笑

D：乗ってる？まあヨッシーは乗ってるか。

か？」って。

Y：いや、でも僕代官山のストックルームでオガさんに生デニム

Y：ちょいちょいというか、まあ仕事で乗ってますけど笑

D：オガちゃんが履いてるのFATIGUE

TROUSERだっけ？そんな

そういえばレッドウィングのエンジニアブーツも

244

地下にレストランもある

MADE IN JAPAN Article from www.denhamjapan.jp

SHIRA & SHINYA DENHAM PEOPLE #2

相次ぐ新店舗オープンであっという間に駆け抜けた上半期を振り返りながら、ゆるいテンションで仕事や趣味を語る30代男子のプライベートな会話の様子を紹介します。

Shinya Inako - Sales / Supervisor Retail Div. Japan

Ken Shirasawa - Retail Manager Retail Div. Japan 245

よ」って言われて。そのあと連休明けに来て、そのあたりからみ

昔の話のような感じ。その時の写真も載せておきますね。そう

んなも来だして、逆にだんだん俺がGINZA SIXに来なくなって

いえばあの時期はあの時期で結構忙しかったよね？

って感じです。だから今日はちょっと久しぶりですね。

I：結構ぎゅうぎゅうでしたよ。

I：みんな毎日ここ来てますもん。

D：新宿高島屋オープンする前だし、秋冬のセールが終わって

S：ゆっくりできるこうゆう雰囲気のお店ってあまりないじゃな

ちょっと瞬間時間が空いたときだったかな。

いですか。

I：ちょっとした息抜きで行った感もありますよね。

D：確かに今は少ないよね。

S：髪型が大きく変わってるかもしれないですよ俺。

S：アイスコーヒーもプラス150円で飲めるんで。店員さんの気

I：俺もっすよ。

ー6月某日、GINZA SIXグランドオープン以降、デンハムスタッフ

さくな雰囲気も良くて、最近はデンハムのみんながおばちゃん

D：コメさんは変わってると思う。シラさんは・・

達が足しげく通う銀座の裏路地の喫茶店「リーフ」にて。

と仲良くなっちゃってますね笑

S：もうこうなってましたっけ？

DENHAM（以下D）：確か3月だったよね。3月頭。

D：笑こういうお店がやっぱり落ち着くよね。

D：こうなってると思うよ。

稲子（以下I）：3月！？

S：落ち着きますねー

I：いやなってないです笑

白澤（以下S）：そんな前でしたっけ？

I：いいすよね、こうゆう雰囲気って。

S：なってないよね？

I：俺2月のイメージがある。

S：男は結構みんな好きだよね。

D：笑

D：新宿高島屋店がオープンする前だから3月だね。

D：前に新宿でインタビューしたとき、紀伊国屋ビルの地下に

I：そのころはまだモヒカンじゃないですね。

I：あーもうそんな経つんだ。

ある珈穂音（カポネ）に行ったけどあそこもいいよねー

S：だってこの髪型にしたのGINZA SIXオープン前ですよ。え、モ

D：そう。あの時雨降ってたんだよね。

S：最高ですね。ランチ食べたんでしたっけ？そうだ！珈穂音も

ヒカンなのコレ？

I：確かに。最悪な天候でしたよね。

載せてくださいよ笑あの時ちゃんと若旦那に撮影の承認得て

I：モヒカンじゃないすか笑？モヒカンをセットしてないだけで

D：しかもすごい寒くて2人ともダウン着てたし笑

ますからね。

すよ笑

S：着てましたねー、そのネタを今出して大丈夫なんですか？

D：了解です笑その時の写真載せておきますね。確か自分とシ

D：うん、モヒカン流しみたいな笑

D：笑

ラさんが焼肉丼食べて、コメさんがとんかつ定食だったかな？

S：モヒカン流し笑。

I：もう夏っすよ笑

いま振り返ると、インタビューする側が完全にしゃべりすぎて

S：その時はGINZA SIXどうなるかねって話でしたっけ？

D：3月に新宿でインタビューしてから、なかなか公開できずこ

た笑

D：その前に新宿高島屋がどうなるかなって話だったね。

んな時期になっちゃった笑

全員：笑

店員さん：アイスコーヒーは甘いの入ってるのと入ってないの

全員：笑

I：ちなみに、今日はなんかお題あるんですか笑？

どっちがいい？

D：いやーもうコレはホントね、完全に自分のせいです。だって

D：やっぱり3月の新宿インタビューの内容をまずは振り返って

D：あ、入ってるほうでお願いします。それぞれのオープンはだ

忙しかったんだもん笑

みたいなと。

いぶ良かったよね。2店舗とも店内に洗い場もあるもんね。

S：あの時期ネタが豊富でしたもんね。

I：つなげる感じ？

I：GINZA SIXでも毎日デニム洗ってますね。

D：そう、新宿高島屋店がオープンとかコラボアイテムの発売と

D：そう、つなげる感じ笑で、珈穂音でランチしたあとに喫茶

D：ハックション！あ、コメさんのバックの中にくしゃみしちゃっ

か、3パックTの発売とか。3月だけでもネタが豊富で・・で4月は

店いったんだよね。珈琲タイムス。あそこも昭和の雰囲気がま

た笑

GINZA SIXがグランドオープンでしょ。

た最高で。3人でケーキセット食べたよね笑

I：かんべんしてくださいよ!笑

S：第一回の小川・吉澤のインタビューからだいぶ空いてます

S：行きましたね！あの時何話してたかなあ・・

全員：笑

よね笑

D：確か、2人が普段身に付けてるアイテムの話をしてて。腕周

D：ゴメン、隣にあるから自分の荷物だと思ってた笑いやー

D：そうね・・だいぶ空いてます。

りだとシラさんがロレックスのサブマリーナで、コメさんがイ

オープンは良かったねー笑

I：ジャパンデニムの座談会っていつでしたっけ？

ンディアンジュエリーのバングルかな？で、靴はシラさんがコ

S：良かったですね笑

D：あれは1月末にやって2月中旬ぐらいに公開かな？

ンバースで、コメさんがバンズ。

I：大成功。

I：オガとヨッシーのは？

S：全然覚えてない笑

S：大成功。

D：あれが3月頭ぐらい・・

D：で、そこから神社に行こうって言って花園神社に行ったんだ

I：それに続きGINZA SIXも。

I：そういえばあれメチャメチャ反響あったらしいですよ！

よね。

S：そうだねー大成功です。

D：ホント！？

S：行きましたね～

D：いやホントにオープン時は業界内ですごい話題になってた

S：周りから結構言われますよ。

I：そういえば、神社でおみくじ引いて俺大吉でした。

よ。

I：「あ、ホームページの人だ」って言われるらしい。

D：俺も大吉。

S：GINZA SIXはヤバかったですね。

D：お客さんに？そうやって聞くと嬉しいね。

S：・・

I：やっぱそうなんですか？

店員さん：はいオムカレーの人ー？

D・I：笑

S：周りからメチャメチャ言われました。

D：はーい！そういえばこの喫茶店はGINZA SIXがオープンして

S：俺中吉でしたっけ？吉？

I：確かに僕も言われましたね。この前銀座のレストランあづ

からすぐ見つけたの？

D：吉でしたね笑

までランチしたあとに、バーニーズさんに寄ったんですけど、

S：いやオープンからちょっと経ってからですね。

I：中途半端なやつです笑

I：シラさんがいいところ見つけたって言ってたのがGINZA SIX

D：で、ちょっと歌舞伎町をプラプラして、最後におでんやさん

ントオープンは大変でしたよね、どーなるのかなって思ってま

がオープンして1週間・・2週間ぐらい後？

のお多幸に行ったんだよね。

した。でもやり遂げましたよね。

S：ゴールデンウィーク前に1人で来たんですよ。その時「ゴー

S：行きましたねー！おでんや。

D：いやー確かに。その後ちょっと落ち着いたけど、これから7月

ルデンウィーク中はやってます？」って聞いたら「お休みです

I：おでんや懐かしいなー、相当美味しかったですね。

だからまたセールで忙しそうだね。

D：ね、おでん適当に頼んで大皿でくるみたいな。もうずいぶん

I：そうですね～

In this second edition, Shirasawa Laboratory (Shira), manager of the Retail Division that manages and manages Denham's stores, and Supervisor's Shinya Inoki (Rice) appeared.

「GINZA SIXどうなんですか？」って1人1人に聞かれました。ホ

246

D：で、そろそろ秋冬コレクションもだいぶ揃ってきて。

ています。でもやっぱりお洒落じゃなきゃって思っちゃうんで。

I：音がまたいいんですよ、キャブ車なんで。俺もうブロンコ飽き

S：秋冬も色々と面白い企画を用意しているみたいなので、展開

D：いや気持ちはすごいよく分かるよ。基本まずはカッコいいか

ちゃったっす。

が楽しみですよね。

カッコ悪いかだもんね。話し変わって、9月はまた新しいお店の

S：最近カマロ欲しくて。

D：春夏に引き続き、新しいジャパンデニムの展開もあるし。

オープンとかあるから、また8月ぐらいから本格的に準備がはじ

I：意外ですね笑

S：プレコレクションでは4型ですね。1型は店舗絞って展開にな

まりそうだね。その前にそろそろ海の季節だけど？

S：意外でしょ、でも新しめのカマロだよ。

ります。

I：最近はちょいちょいサーフィンに行かせてもらってるんで。先

I：トランスフォーマーに出てくるタイプ？

D：春夏コレクションのものとは少し内容違うけど。

週ぐらいからですね。2月に行ったぶりですよ。

S：うん。

S：あとメインコレクションでも登場しますよね。春夏のときはメ

S：僕もちょこちょこ行ってるんで・・

I：あれカッコイイですよね。車はどんなの好きなんですか？

インコレクションではジャパンデニムはなかった。

I：海ですか笑？

D：俺は現代的なほうが好きで・・

I：そうですね。

D：ロングですか笑？

S：プリウスとかですか？

D：ほぼ完売だったもんね。

S：僕も海行ってることにしておいてください笑

I：ハイテクな？

I：すごかったですよね～

I：シラさんもサーフィンやりましょうよ。

D：普通にプラドとかが好き。

S：いいサイズはホントすぐなくなっちゃいましたね。

D：でも今までちょいちょいはやってるんでしょ？

I：安定の。

I：手に入らなかった方も結構いらっしゃいましたもん。

S：おなかのここが痛くなるんですよね。あと波待ちができないん

D：現代的で新しめのSUVが好き。壊れないし燃費もいいし扱い

S：時期的に暑いので、秋冬コレクションはそこまですぐ完売に

ですよ笑

が楽なんで。

はならないと思うんですけど、全然わからないですよね。

I：あばらのトコですね。擦れるんですよね。

S：ランクルのLXはカッコイイですけどね。でも負けねーぞって

D：そういえばGINZA SIXオープンのタイミングでCROSSBACKが

S：そうそうそう、ホント泣きたくなるぐらい。

思います。

ひさびさに登場しました。

D：ウェット着ててもですか？

D：でもカマロとかだと、女の子のタイプが固まっちゃうんじゃな

I：あれも人気ありましたねー！

S：ウェット着てないです。

いですか？

D：今日履いてるデニムがそうですよね？

I：ウェット着てたら大丈夫っす。

I：ハードコアになりますね笑

S：そうです。デンハムの生デニムは他にも3 ～ 4 本持って

S：でもその前に波待ちができないとカッコわるいじゃん。

S：そうかな～

て。RAZORとDRILLとFORGEとCROPの生デニムが家にあるけど

D：まあ基本ですからね。

I：いやハードコアになると思います笑

全然育ってない・・

I：あれってみんなこうやって足掻いてバランスとってるんです

D：でもコメさんはハードコア好きだもんね笑

全員：笑

よ。

I：そう笑ハードコア好き笑

I：その他のデニムもあるから、デニムオタク並みに持ってるんじ

S：そう言われたけどできない笑クルンってなっちゃう笑

S：今の車も結構その方向性だもんね。普通の人だと引かれるで

ゃ笑

全員：笑

しょアレ。

D：でもまあリテール事業部長としてはそのぐらい持ってないと

I：それ板がペラペラなんじゃない？

I：俺の車が好きっていう人はちょっと変わってる人が多い笑。

笑

D：多分板も合ってないんですよ。

全員：笑

S：そうですよね笑

S：俺体重軽いのに浮力が強いやつ乗っちゃってるから？

I：多分俺の車は一般的には見た目はダサいんですよ笑ブロン

D：コメさんは今日何履いてるの？

I：いや浮力があったほうが安定する。

コはカッコいい部類ではないです笑

I：チノパンです。

S：あ、そうなんだ。サーフィンの話じゃなくてアメ車の話にしませ

S：渋い部類。

D：春夏コレクションのヤツ？

ん笑？

D：まあ渋いよね。男から見たら相当カッコいいけど。

I：そうです。FATIGUE TROUSER ですね。

全員：笑

I：やっぱりアメ車だとシボレーとかサバーバンとかのほうがカッ

D：Tシャツは？

I：ちなみにシラさん次車何乗るの？

コいい部類ですかね。俺はちょいダサが好きなんで、ブロンコの

I：Tシャツも春夏です。

S：次？根岸さん（デンハム・ジャパンCEO）には「お前次レンジロ

あの見た目でマットカラーだからバランスいいんですよね。

D：あれ？そんなのありましたっけ？ネック切った？

ーバーだな」って言われた。

S：いい野暮ったさがあるよね。

I：いやいやコレは元々です笑俺最近なんでもカットするって思

全員：笑

I：そうですね。それは普通の人はわかんない部分ですね。あの

われがちなんですけど笑

S：そんなお金ないっすよ。とりあえず今のタホは40歳になるま

野暮ったさがわかる人って・・

S：コメは最近いじりすぎなんだよ笑

で乗って、次は少し落ち着きますよ。

S：やっぱ変わってるよね笑

全員：笑

I：いいすね、最近調子いいですか？

I：この前シラさんにご指摘いただいたんで最近は自粛してます・

S：調子いいよ、ヘッドライトが相変わらず点かないけど笑修理

・周りのスタッフが真似しちゃうんです。

しないと。

S：そうなんすよ、コメがやるとみんなが真似しちゃう。

D：でも時間あれば乗るようにはしてるんですよね？

I：限度がありますよね笑でも一応僕なりにこれはやっていいと

S：そうっすね、ちょっと早く帰った日は乗るようにしてますね。

やっちゃダメを思いながらやってるんですけど、考えないでやっ

I：気持ちいいっすよね今の時期は。俺も最近車乗る頻度が高く

ちゃう人もいるので気をつけようと。

なってきた。前まで1ヶ月丸々全く乗らない時とかありましたも

D：まあね笑

ん。

S：まあシャツの裾切るぐらいだったらいいけどねえ。裾切って、

S：今度お兄ちゃんのK-5乗ってきてよ、超見たい。

襟切って、袖切っちゃったら原型がなくなっちゃう笑

I：あ、いいですよ。うちの兄貴がタンドラっていう車からシボレ

全員：笑

ーのK-5っていう古いに変えて。まじカッコイイんですよ。街中走

D：まあ切りっぱなしとか今の気分でカッコイイけど。

ってたらみんな振り返りますもん。

I：流行ってますけど、あんまりやりすぎちゃダメだなって反省し

S：K-5はやばいよ。

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MADE IN JAPAN

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INSTAGRAM: #DENHAMJAPAN

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MADE IN JAPAN

OCEANS MAGAZINE O CE A N S T E N "I have been a fan of Japanese

magazine designed for the modern day

magazines for a long time. For 20

Japanese/international man. Like our

years I have collected numerous

brand, the magazine respects history

editions of titles like CLUTCH, FREE

but is also excited about the future. The

& EASY, 2nd and LIGHTNING. But

editor-in-chief, Yuji Ota, is a dynamic

one magazine has always stood out

personality and I am honoured to be a

for me and that is OCEANS magazine.

guest personality in his magazine."

OCEANS is a fresh, alternative

- Jason Denham

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OCEANS INTERVIEW WITH JASON DENHAM 2017/8/24

イスといったブランドのデニムを手掛け、デニム業界で知られる存在となった。「理想のデニム作りを追求したい」という思いを募らせたデンハム氏

ブランド知りのモノ知らず

は、2008年、満を持して自身のブランドを始動。メンズウェアにおける世界

いわゆる有名ブランドのことを、我々は

最大のファッション見本市、ピッティ・ウォモに出展する。豊富な知識とテー

どの程度知っているだろう。その名前だ

ラリング技術に裏打ちされた品質の高さを備え、モダンにアレンジされた

けではなく、歴史とモノ作りの哲学を知

デザインのデニムは、各国のバイヤーたちの間でたちまち話題となった。

ることによって、本当の意味で「ブランド

「ある日本人バイヤーが気に入ってくれて、すぐに日本での販売が決まっ

の価値」を理解できるかもしれない。

たんだ。僕が大切にしている小さなこだわりを、世界一のデニム生産国であ

今年4月、東京・銀座に新たなショップを

る日本人たちがきちんと評価してくれたことが、何よりうれしかった。」

オープンし、日本での人気をますます高

デンハム氏は「神は細部に宿る」と言う。ミリ単位でシルエットのバランス

めているデニムブランド、デンハム。

調整を繰り返し、生地からボタン、ステッチ糸までとことんこだわる。こうし

設立者のジェイソン・デンハム氏が語る

た微差を最も理解してくれたのが、日本のデニム作りに携わる人々であり、

「デニムと日本に対する愛」とは。

日本のデニムファンだという。「ブランドのコンセプトは“デニム・インテグリティ”。これはデニムに対す

「14歳のときに買ったデニムに今もときめくんだ」

る真摯な姿勢のこと。過去のモノ作りや技術に敬意を払いつつも、常に新

去る4月20日にオープンした「ギンザシックス」。銀座エリアで最大のこの

しい可能性を模索する。そうして、人々にとって実用性に優れた服を生み出

商業施設に、オランダ生まれのデニムブランド「デンハム」のショップもオー

していく。これが僕の信念だ」

プンしている。ファンにはお馴染みの「デニムラボ」を備え、買い物がてらコ

湧き出るインスピレーションの源は旅やアート、写真などなど。だが最も

ーヒーを楽しめるカウンターも用意する旗艦店だ。さらなる躍進を遂げた

重要なのは自信が収集してきた膨大な数のヴィンテージデニムだという。

今年、設立者にしてデザイナーであるジェイソン・デンハム氏が、ブランドの

「子供の頃からデニムが大好きで、頭の中はデニムのことばかりだった。

歩みとデニムに対する思いを語ってくれた。

デニムの魅力に目覚めたきっかけは、14歳のときに買ったリーバイスの

「1992年、当時U2の衣装を製作していたジョーケイスリーヘイフォード

501。今でも大事にとってあるし、このボロボロの501を見ると胸がときめく

のワークショップに、インターンとして就職したんだ。それが僕のキャリアの

んだ。そうそう、デニムとデンハムって発音もけっこう似ているだろう？」

始まり。よく徹夜でデニムにリベットを打っていたよ・・・。今思えばとてもい

そう言って笑顔を浮かべるデンハム氏。今最も勢いのあるデニムブラン

い経験だったね。」

ドを率いるこの人物は、もしかしたら世界一のデニム好きかもしれない。

その後ペペジーンズでプロダクトマネージャーとしてキャリアを積んだのち、’98年に独立。アムステルダムにて、「クリニックプラス」というデニムのプロデュース会社を立ち上げる。そこでベンシャーマンやケンゾー、リーバ

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Photo: Catharina Veder

WASHED IN ITALY A Decade in the Laundry

Photo: Sharon Jane

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Be careful what you wash for. Aside from producing the most exciting denim material in the market today, the Italians are second-to-one with laundry technology and innovation. I have worked with the laundry masters “Tiziano” and Paolo for as long as I can remember. I have lost count of how many mouthwatering wash recipes we have created together, and it’s all credit to Tiziano. He’s the finest laundry chef working in the best Italian laundry kitchen, in my humble opinion. The greatest thing about the Italian laundry today is its advanced technology and dedication to sustainability; they save resources like energy and water with no pollution and chemical waste.

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Photos: Alljan Moehamad

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WASHED IN ITALY

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WASHED IN ITALY

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MADE IN ITALY Interview: Lydia van de Kreeke Photos: Catharina Veder

DENHAM X CANDIANI MA D E I N MI L A N For 10 years, DENHAM and Candiani have worked in close collaboration to propel denim manufacturing to unprecedented levels. Alberto Candiani (fourth generation of the Candiani family) and Simon Giuliani (Candiani’s marketing manager) share the story behind the collaboration and their thoughts on what the future will hold.

How was the collaboration between DENHAM and Candiani born? Alberto Candiani (AC): Textiles have always been kind of boring. In my early experience in the industry, textiles were more of a commodity business, especially denim — big volumes, big sales, big quantities. Candiani was one of the first mills to stop viewing denim as a commodity. While it was more convenient to

stick to big volume business (open end spinning), we understood that bigger isn’t always better. We switched back to ring spinning, which is more authentic. Simon Giuliani (SG): To clarify, open end spinning allows you to spin twice as much yarn as ring spinning, in the same time. In the ‘60s, when the industry started to become all about big volumes, a lot of mills started to use open end instead of ring spinning because it’s faster and economically more convenient. AC: But we knew we had to focus on the past and the future. We were seeking people who could understand what we were doing, and when you hear Jason speak, it’s all about newness. He can be very influential when you engineer fabric; he is very inspiring. He sees things from a different perspective. At the time, everyone was way older than us, and my impression after speaking to him was that there was a new generation I could feel part of. How did you first meet him? AC: It was over 15 years ago, when I was 18 years old. It was the early days of Blue Blood in Amsterdam, and Jason seemed to be one of the most talented guys out there. Jason had a 268

different mentality: more design and brand oriented. But you, Alberto, weren’t always so enthusiastic about getting into the “family business.” When did that change? AC: As a kid, my dad always took me around the mill. I was literally living there; our house is on the mill property. I kept seeing blue fabric and the factory was a playground. Being around all of the machines was fun, but the business didn’t interest me. I realized I was going to like the moment I had to talk about the product. When I was 17 and started to look at engineering fabrics, I started to understand what all the machines could do. The engineering and product development made me fall in love with denim.

Why did you have a “click” with Jason and what do you admire about him? AC: His vision. Jason is one of the

very few guys who’s able to put together the past and the future, to make the present different. Heritage and history are super important, just as much as innovation and sustainability. The continuous dialogue between past and present is something very rare to find in the denim industry. Most denim guys focus on the past and don’t look at the future. Or you have guys who only look at the future, in terms of numbers and trends, without caring so much about the history and what the industry has done in the past. The combination of past and future is essential, and Jason is one of the few guys who thinks that way.

impressive. If he creates a specific fit the family behind us. The regulations or pocket or rivet, you can always tell it are stringent and the social aspects of people working in our mill are really was from him. above average. This is the biggest SG: You can see the passion and achievement for the family: to keep attention to detail, shining through running in times that are extremely in everything Jason does — from the tough. The fact there is someone like product to communication, store layout Jason, who understands the value of and how his people talk about the what we are producing, that’s the best thing we can expect to happen. products. AC: Appreciation in our world is not very common! Appreciation also means understanding what we do. When your name is recognised around the world for its quality, that makes you proud. But we survive, and are happy to work, because of people like Jason.

SG: It’s one of the most important things that Candiani and DENHAM have in common. You need to start from heritage, and then reinterpret it. It’s like heritage 2.0. Jason has the credibility; he knows where things came from, and then reinterprets them into something that is relevant for today. Candiani is the same; we have so much heritage, but there’s no point in sticking to only the fabrics we made eight years ago. We have to push boundaries.

What is Candiani’s greatest accomplishment and what is your secret to success? AC: These days, we feel like we’ve achieved a great deal doing what we’ve done in Italy — sticking to the territory, the people, and running a large textile business in northern Italy, which is tough. When you think of Italian textiles, you think of highend fabric like silk and wool. Denim doesn’t play that same game. It’s the Is the balance between heritage most democratic and popular fabric in and innovation the most important the world, and one of the cheapest. We thing in terms of denim production? want to make something special: high AC: 100 per cent. Most of the beauty quality and high performance, and and authenticity obviously comes from much greener and cleaner than anyone the past and the experience we have, else. We’ve been around for 80 years but most of the technology comes from and we still love to do what we do. It’s not just a business, it’s a passion. We do the future. it because we love it. And without people Why else has Candiani continued to like Jason, we wouldn’t do it anymore. work with Jason and DENHAM? AC: The thing I like about Jason, which SG: One of Candiani’s greatest is inspiring, is his care and attention achievements is staying a leader, even to detail. He brings things to a whole in the tough times, when the odds are different level compared to most other against us. Textiles have moved from designers. Details in denim, you can Italy, but we made a decision to stay, find that almost everywhere. But when because we are the best at what we do. If you look at Jason’s creations and admire we were a corporate business, we would the details, you can tell his mind was probably produce somewhere else right behind each and every one of them. It’s now. But we have the know-how and 269

How did the concept of the golden rivet begin? AC: We wanted to offer something very exclusive and special to our top customers. We talked about conventional labelling and hangtags, but how do we claim Candiani quality, while at the same time support our best customers with extra added value? SG: We wanted something understated. We believe there’s a new way of showing off: less is more. It’s a detail. DENHAM has its scissor, which is the same sort of concept. The golden rivet is a quality seal.

AC: It’s tangible; it’s Italian, it’s quality and it’s green or sustainable. We reserve the golden rivet to our very top customers, and those are the loyal ones. Jason has been very loyal, and volumes increase every year. We are very happy to be part of the growth.

SG: We share the same way of doing things. The golden rivet doesn’t depend on volume; it’s about how you deal with things. It’s a reward for your approach to operations, defining what, in our books, is called “premium.” It’s like cobranding.

because he has a story. His story of “people, product, presentation” is what it takes to succeed. You have consumers in the mass market, cheap story. He makes something special and wants you to understand the story.

AC: This is more than the beginning. Ten years already represents an achievement. This has been a great first step that’s taken place already, and now the other leg is ready to take the next step.

What do you envision for the next 10 SG: Like at Candiani, slow growth is years of DENHAM and Candiani’s the key to making it! What DENHAM do you wear? AC: I’ve always been a Razor guy. It partnership? is one of my all-time favourite denim AC: Continuity, consistency, and styles in my wardrobe, and I think it’s keeping communication open. I believe fun to buy DENHAM jeans made with we still have a lot to do under the Candiani fabric. The other day we were “sustainable” umbrella, and I think also admiring the beauty of the t-shirts that will be a big part of the future. Plus the fact that it’s Jason’s name on he makes: the detail, the fabric. the brand is a representation of the fact SG: Can I talk about food again? You he’s very present. can have a burger at McDonald’s and you can have a gourmet burger. It’s a SG: We hope he’ll make it to become completely different experience, health very big, so he can positively influence level and taste level. In the same vein, the whole market. We hope people will you can do t-shirt or a jean in many try to work the way Jason is working, so different ways. The intelligence is in the whole industry will become better. knowing how to use materials in new If it makes sense then people buy it. ways. It’s using ingredients to cook his own dishes. Jason has an extra gear,

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Photo: Sharon Jane

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DENHAM SERVICE CO. A Decade of Service

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Service Co.: A one-stop denim maintenance shop for your jeans. The Service Co. concept has been an essential element of our brand since we first launched in 2008, providing support for consumers who are wearing their jeans from their fresh new “virgin” state to a totally unique, individually broken-in, “vintage” condition. We have Service Co. units in our flagship shops and denim bars in Amsterdam, Tokyo, Hamburg, Shanghai, Sydney, Utrecht and elsewhere. We also take the show-on-the-road with our Service Co. tours.

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DENHAM SERVICE Co.

NEVER BEYOND REPAIR TH E RE PA I R A RT I S T Clinton James Topley is a bona fide denim enthusiast. His career with DENHAM dates back to 2011, when he began as a sales assistant in London. He since relocated to Amsterdam, where he heads up the men’s denim bar and Service Co.

Why do you like virgin denim? When I sell someone virgin denim, I see it as the beginning of a relationship and not the end of a sale. Virgin denim is a blank canvas, and every individual is his own artist. What’s the most common reaction from customers who purchase virgin jeans? People don’t always get it at the beginning, until they take the jean away and begin the journey. They get really connected to the jean. From my side, I get to see the denim mature — and the customer mature with it. I love to see how their understanding becomes apparent. Why are virgin jeans your wardrobe essential? There aren’t many clothing items in the world where you can get such a personal touch with them. For me, a leather jacket and virgin denim are two essential pieces. The connection that people get with those products is like nothing else I’ve seen.

In your words, what’s the concept of the Service Co? It’s customer service on steroids. It’s very practical — not a gimmick or a sales tool. It’s something the customer can respect and appreciate as soon as they walk in the store. You get the feeling that we’re hands-on; it’s the visual signature of the brand, without speaking about it. How did you become involved with the Service Co.? I am a hands-on guy, and like working directly with the product and machinery. The Service Co. is what set DENHAM apart for me. What do you like about your job? It’s never the same day twice! What type of equipment do you use? Not many companies give their staff the types of the sewing machines that I get to use here. We have a Singer darning machine 153B1, a Union Special (mainly for raw and colour block denim) and a Durkopp sewing machine (great for stitching patches and hems). What’s the most challenging repair you’ve ever done? The first repair I ever did, which was a women’s jacket that she always wore with a bag carried over her shoulder. The fabric was totally worn out, so I 280

took it home and worked on it for three days — all repaired by hand. Do you have a repair speciality? I think I’ve spent the most hours on the Singer 153B1 sewing machine. I try to bring “The truth is in the details” to the repair shop. What’s your best Service Co. memory? My first tour of Asia on a Service Co. road show. We went for a week and did pop-up Service Cos at different Lane Crawford stores in Hong Kong. What’s the most unique service request you’ve ever received? A customer had had an accident, and they medics needed to cut his jeans off. They were only two weeks only and hardly worn, so we resealed the denim from the top to the bottom. What’s your favourite pair of jeans? Too many! Have you ever had a jean that was so worn-in you couldn’t repair it? A few times. I try to never turn people away, but sometimes when a jean is dead, it’s dead. I’ve never turned a rigid jean away, but sometimes with stretch you aren’t able to repair it anymore.

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Yudai Uno – Repair Artist, Ginza 6 Store Service Co., Tokyo

Marleen van de Wouw – former Repair Artist, Service Co. Denim Bar

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'Never Beyond Repair' Amsterdam Denim Jacket

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The Service Co. Global Tour. A crew from the DENHAM studio in Amsterdam joined the local teams at Lane Crawfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three Hong Kong locations, to celebrate the art of oneof-a-kind "tear and repair" wear patterns for special customers. The team customized over 80 pieces from DENHAM's Spring 2016 collection of artisan washes from Italy and Japan.

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DENHAM SERVICE Co.

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Photo: Mathijs Hanenkamp for Coef Store, Nijmegen

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DENHAM SERVICE Co.

Street Wash The idea of "Street Washing" was born in the

hang-dry outside, so that the fabric fibres and

small garden behind our store at Prinsengracht

yarns wouldn’t break. This is the best way to

495, where we used a bathtub to wash jeans

create a natural, worn-in patina on your virgin

in a cold or lukewarm bath. We developed our

jeans. Eventually we moved the concept in front

own soap with pure natural enzymes — no

of the office, for a Street Washing Service. It’s

chemicals or perfumes — and hand-washed the

great because passers-by can engage with us

jeans inside out. Then we’d let them naturally

as our staff explains what we’re doing.

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Nick Hughes performing his custom "choke wash" laundry technique.

We later launched Street Washing at our Daikanyama store in Tokyo, where we made it into a show — like a daily theatre performance. It’s incredible to watch and it often attracts a great crowd. We’ve since taken Street Washing to our key stores in Shanghai, Sydney, Antwerp, Hamburg and Amsterdam.

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DENHAM SHANGHAI ST REET WASH CHINA

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DENHAM SERVICE Co.

LAUNDRY MASTERS

Kou Yoshizawa (26) Tokyo, Japan Number of years working at DENHAM? Five years. How did you become involved with the Service Co? I normally work on the washing service, Union Special repairs, and the custom paint service. What do you like about the Service Co.? I like the washing service the best, because I’ve done it a lot over the years … everyday, even in the cold winter. What type of equipment do you use?

For washing, only DENHAM soap and my bare hands. What’s the most challenging repair you’ve ever done? I once had to wash a cook’s jeans, which were heavily stained with oil from the kitchen. It had a hard time getting it clean! Have you ever had a jean that was so worn-in you couldn’t repair it? I have a pair of jeans that ripped when I was crawling around in them. I’ve repaired them five times, but the fabric is so wornout they continue to rip.

Josh Mazziotta (25) Hamburg, Germany Number of years working at DENHAM? 1 year, 3 months. How did you become involved with the Service Co.? I learned to sew while at university, so that led me to the Service Co. in DENHAM’s Hamburg store. What do you like about the Service Co.? I like the challenge that every pair of denim brings with it — I want to make each pair look perfect! What type of equipment do you use? 295

A sewing machine, scissors, seam-opener, thread, pins, patience and emotion! What’s the most challenging repair you’ve ever done? Tightening a leg, shorten it and repairing the crotch. Do you have a repair specialty? Hem shortenings and all kinds of small alterations. What’s your best Service Co. memory? My favourite memories are those when the customers were happy, and didn’t expect the results to be that great. What’s the most unique service request you’ve ever received? Making a “Made to Measure” jean for a customer. What’s your favourite pair of jeans? Right now it’s the Crop LA. Have you ever had a jean that was so worn-in you couldn’t repair it? Not yet … but I can’t wait to meet it!

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From our Virgin to your Vintage. Our VIRGIN TO VINTAGE philosophy celebrates how fabrics transform from unwashed jeans into love-worn pieces. What begins as a blank canvas is slowly worn in over time, creating a one-of-a-kind wear pattern thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fully unique to the wearer. Each whisker, honeycomb and fade line is fully authentic, reflecting the life the jeans have lived.

Vintage Denham Photography: Rene Mesman Art Direction: Ali Kirby

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The best way to break in a pair of virgin jeans is to wear it for as long as you can without washing it... ... and then after the first wash, you'll start to see the skeleton of the wear effect come out. That's how you create the most beautiful natural wear patterns.â&#x20AC;? - Jason Denham

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DENHAM GARMENT LIBRARY A Decade of Collecting

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Military Standard Pattern Tagged, sealed and stamped official specification

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High in the attic of our Amsterdam offices is the DENHAM Garment Library. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a curated collection of vintage clothing, from Japanese workwear to World War II military uniforms, army surplus and travel gear. The DGL has taken decades to collect, and this growing archive is one of our biggest sources of inspiration.

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JAPANESE CEREMONIAL WEDDING SUIT 1890’S (Sourced USA)

JAPANESE BORO KIMONO 1900’S (Sourced Japan)

BIG YANK “HEAVY GRAFTED” WORKSHIRT 1930-1940 (Sourced London)

JAPAN OFFICER’S TUNIC AUSTERITY PERIOD, MISMATCHED INNER FACINGS 1940’s (Sourced New York)

DEADSTOCK FRENCH TROUSER 1940 (Sourced Japan)

BRITISH MILITARY WW11 (Sourced UK)

BORO PAINT JAPAN RICE FIELD EARLY 1900’S (Sourced Japan)

FRENCH WORK PANT 1950’S (Sourced Japan)

FRENCH WORK PANT 1940’s (Sourced UK)

FRENCH WORKSHIRT 1930’S (Sourced Japan)

BUDDY LEE PORCELEIN ORIGINAL 1950’S (Sourced Japan)

FRENCH WORKERS TUNIC 1940’S (Sourced USA)

LEVIS XX 501 1960 (Sourced Japan)

LEE 101 1960 (Sourced USA)

LEVIS 517 1970 (Sourced Belgium)

EVIS 2000 (Sourced The Netherlands)

LEVIS 501XX 1950’S (Sourced Japan)

LEVIS 501 1960’S (Sourced USA)

DEADSTOCK LEVIS BIG E 201 DATE UNKNOWN (Sourced Japan)

FENCING FIELD JACKET ASYMMETRICAL RING & EYE CLOSURE 1950’S (Sourced London)

BLACK SATEEN WORK JACKET WOODEN BUTTONS 1940’S (Sourced London)

FOUL WEATHER GEAR DOUBLE CENTRE PLACKET 1920’S (Sourced Tacoma)

FRENCH FUSILIERS JACKET INDIGO BLUE LINEN 1910 - 1920 (Sourced Tokyo)

REGIMENTAL STYLE TUNIC BRITISH HAND PADDED INTERIOR (Sourced London)

TELOGREIKA JACKET QUILTED WITH TAB CLOSURES 1930 - 1950 (Sourced Berlin)

US FIREFIGHTER’S JACKET PATINA’ED CANVAS AND 3M 1960 - 1970 (Sourced Tacoma)

FRENCH AIRFORCE CRASH CREW JACKET SILVERIZED WITH SNAP-CLIP CLOSURES 1970 - 1980 (Sourced Paris)

BAND JACKET FRONT ZIP WITH FAUX BALL BUTTONS 1970 - 1980 (Sourced Amsterdam)

KOREAN ARMY TUNIC MISMATCHED SOLID & CAMO LININGS AUSTERITY PERIOD (Sourced New York)

US ARMY IKE JACKET HAND PAINTED WITH SOUVENIR ARTWORK 1945 - 1946 (Sourced New York)

AMSTERDAM FIREFIGHTER’S JACKET FIELD MODIFIED TO ACCEPT TRANSCEIVER 1950’s (Anonymous gift to Amsterdam store)

SPANISH ARMY TUNIC SAHARIANA CONSTRUCTION 1940 -1950 (Sourced New York)

JAPANESE ARMY SHIRT WW2 HINGED UNDERARM VENT FLAPS (Sourced Tunbridge Wells)

US SERVICEMAN’S BASEBALL JACKET RAYON WITH SOUVENIR EMBROIDERY 1945 -1955 (Sourced Tokyo)

US NAVY PEA COAT WOOL WITH RAYON LINING 1967 (Sourced Pasadena)

BRITISH ARMY TUNIC TROPICAL AIRTEX FABRIC RING & EYE BUTTONS (Sourced London)

DEADSTOCK JAPANESE ARMY SHIRT TROPICAL THEATER FABRIC WOODEN BUTTONS (Sourced Tunbridge Wells)

US ARMY SHIRT NYLON WITH HAND EMBROIDERED SOUVENIR ART 1966 - 1967 (Sourced New York)

DUTCH “G-MAN” JACKET . . . WE THINK . . . HORSEHIDE (Gift from Sanne’s father)

DEADSTOCK BRITISH ARMY TUNIC DEADSTOCK COLLAR STIFFENER & BUTTON STUDS 1930 - 1940 (Sourced Tacoma)

GERMAN MOUNTAIN PARKA REVERSING FROM SNOW WHITE TO FILED GREEN WW2 (Sourced Plymouth)

FRENCH HUNTING JACKET WIDE WALE CORDUROY w/ HOUND BUTTONS 1950-1960 (Sourced Paris)

FRENCH LINEN CASUAL JACKET 1 HALF OF A TWO PIECE w/ HIDDEN SELVEDGE 1920 - 1925 (Sourced Paris)

MAE WEST LIFE VEST DUTCH AIR FORCE 1980-1990 (Sourced Amsterdam)

BELGIAN MOUNTAIN PARKA TIGHTLY WOVEN COTTON WITH BONE BUTTONS 1945 - 1955 (Sourced Tokyo)

GRAFTED WORK JACKET WIDE WALE CORDUROY WAISTCOAT WITH SATEEN SLEEVES 1930 - 1940 (Sourced London)

US ARMY TUNIC DOUBLE PLACKET WITH RING & EYE BUTTONS 1950 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1960 (Sourced Los Angeles)

USAF C1 SURVIVAL VEST IMPRINTED SURVIVAL POCKETS WITH CONTENTS INCLUDING; FLINT AND FLARE 1940-1945 (Sourced Tokyo)

DUTCH FOUL WEATHER GEAR TALCUM POWDERED INTERIOR WITH RUBBER WELDED SEAMS 1980 - 1990 (Sourced Amsterdam)

SACK-CLOTH TAIL COAT WOVEN JUTE WITH PLAID MOTIF AND VELVET BANDING 1910 - 1920 (Sourced London)

US ARMY MEDIC POW COATT 3-BUTTON SPORTCOAT PATTERN 1940 - 1945 (Sourced Boston)

TURKISH ARMY TACTICAL VEST VELCRO CLOSURE WITH CARGO CARTRIDGE POCKETS 2000 - 2010 (Sourced Istanbul)

SWISS ARMY FIELD JACKET CUSTOM MADE IN LEATHER FROM TRADITIONAL PATTERN (Gift from Sander)

FRENCH AIR FORCE BOMBER JACKET BLUE LEATHER WITH BOXED BUTTON WAIST ADJUSTER 1975 - 1985 (Sourced Paris)

BRITISH ARMY BATTLE DRESS CUSTOM MADE IN LAMBSKIN FROM MILITARY PATTERNS 1940 - 1945 (Sourced Edinburgh)

BELSTAFF BLACK PANTHER JACKET RUBBERIZED COTTON WITH WELDED SEAMS 1960 - 1970 (Sourced London)

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY VARSITY JACKET LASLEY KNITTING CO. SEATTLE 1955-1965 (Sourced Freemont)

SWISS ARMY GREATCOAT LODEN WOOL WITH CALVARY TWILL LINING 1950 - 1960 (Sourced Amsterdam)

MOTORCYCLE COURIER TRENCH LOOP TERRY MACINTOSH CAVALRY TWILL 1950 - 1960 (Sourced Tokyo)

EASTERN EUROPEAN TRENCHCOAT BLACK VINYLIZED COTTON WITH WOOL FACINGS 1965 - 1975 (Sourced Noord Scharwoude)

EASTERN EUROPEAN PEASANT COAT DOUBLE INVERTED BOX PLEAT PEPLUM HANDMADE (Sourced Berlin)

PRINTED LINGERIE TOP INTEGRAL CORSETING BONES 1910 - 1929 (Sourced Paris)

ZELINKA-MATLICK SPORTCOAT SHAPED AND DARTED WAIST 1940-1950/NEW LOOK (Sourced Paris)

MARTIN BERNARD LEATHER JACKET T WO BREAST POCKETS, TWO WAIST POCKETS, TWO HIP POCKETS, HEAVY ZIP CLOSURES. 1965-1975 (Sourced Pasadena)

EASTERN EUROPEAN PEASANT COAT PIECED YARN-DYED LINING HANDMADE (Sourced Berlin)

LACE LINGERIE TOP BRODERIE ANGLAISE AND PLAIN WEAVE COTTON VICTORIAN (Sourced Edinburgh)

WOOL CABANE JACKET GREY AND BLUE MELTON w/ MOLDED BAKELITE BUTTONS 1945 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1955 (Sourced Tokyo)

HAND MADE LEATHER RANCH JACKET STAB-STITCHED w/ LEATHER THONG-LACE DETAILING, FULLY UNLINED. BUTTONS 1965-1975 (Sourced Pasadena)

HILL TRIBE JACKET HANDMADE 1940 - 1950 (Sourced Bangkok)

RIBBED SPORT UNDERSHIRT RIBBED JERSEY TUBULAR KNIT 1920 - 1940 (Sourced London)

WOOL JERSEY SWIM COSTUME ONE PIECE YARN-DYED STRIPE 1917 - 1927 (Sourced Tokyo)

BASEBALL KNIT WITH BADGES RAYON LINEN BLEND 1950-1960 (Sourced Japan)

DEADSTOCK KORETIGANS DENIM JACKET RAILROAD STRIPE BY KORET OF CALIFORNIA 1950-1960 (Sourced Minneapolis)

SCARF-WRAP WOOL COAT C&A VINTAGE 1975 - 1985 (Gift of J. Haeberle)

CHAMBRAY SHIRT CONTRAST FLEUR-DE-LYS EMBROIDERY 1975 - 1985 (Sourced Amsterdam)

GIL BRET TRENCH COAT DESIGNED BY BETTY BARCLAY 1955 - 1960 (Sourced Paris)

DISCHARGE PRINTED BLOUSE SILK CHARMEUSE 1970 - 1980 (Sourced Amsterdam)

TRENCH COAT TRADITIONAL MACINTOSH CONSTRUCTION INSPIRED BY GREAT WAR OFFICER’S TRENCH 1985 - 1995 (Sourced Amsterdam)

AZTEC PRINT DRESS PLACEMENT PRINT AND COLOUR CONTRAST MADE IN JAPAN (Sourced Paris)

END OF DAY SHIRT COLOUR BLOCK RAYON PANELS KING JAMES OF CALIFORNIA (Sourced Los Angeles)

GEOMETRIC PRINT BLOUSE SILK BROADCLOTH 1965 – 1975 (Sourced Amsterdam)

Artwork: Ali Kirby

THE ART OF THE SCISSOR A Decade of Scissor Graphics

FAN OF JAPAN. DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T COMPROMISE YOUR STANDARDS. DAIKANYAMA HANKYU OSAKA HANKYU TOKYO NAMBA PARKS ISETAN SHINJUKU OMOTESANDO HILLS OITA ISETAN SHINJUKU ROPPONGI HILLS JR KYOTO ISETAN FUTAKOTAMAGAWA CREARE NAGOYA CANAL CITY LUCUA 1100 L LAPORT EXPOCITY MARINE & WALK YOKOH MA DAINAGOYA BUILDING SHINJUKU TAKASHIMAYA GINZA SIX DENHAM THE JEANMAK344

Fan of Japan Reversible Souvenir Bomber

Dancing Scissor by Marianne Fay

Scissor in Love by Marianne Fay

Vogue Scissor People Vogue Exclusive artwork by Marianne Fay 348

Les Ciseaux Vogue Exclusive by Petra Lunenburg 349

Scissor Artworks: Ali Kirby

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Scissor Skull Shoulder Sleeve Insignia

Artwork: Ali Kirby

S.S.I. SHOULDER SLEEVE INSIGNIA. During and after World War I, embroidered sleeve patches became a regular method of military recognition. Emblems were sewn onto the jacket arms of not only soldiers, but technicians, crew, staff, and factory workers; the patches were a system of visual recognition to identify their service unit, regiment or squadron. The term SSI, or Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, was born.

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Wood Causes

DENHAM designed and donated two bespoke clogs in support of Wieden+Kennedy’s charitable art project called "De Klompen Show." The global advertising agency hosted a silent auction of bespoke clogs designed by various artists throughout Holland, to raise money for people living in extreme poverty. The two custom-made clogs by Ali Kirby embody the DENHAM brand spirit: the first clog is wrapped in reimagined scissor art, derived from brand’s iconic logo. The second clog features hand-made marquetry, using pieces of wood veneer intricately laid over the clog to recreate the brand’s all-over scissor camouflage pattern. Each clog was delivered in a custom box display.

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Artwork: Ikue Kai

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Photo: Marieke Aerden

Jasmine Denham

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Artwork: Ali Kirby

CAMOGAMI PRINT Antique Japanese Katagami Stencils combined with UK Denison Camouflage

Photo: Sharon Jane

Artwork: Catharina Veder

KATAGAMI PRINT Reworked Antique Japanese Katagami Stencils

Photo: Sharon Jane

HOUSE GUEST ARTIST A Decade of Friends & Collaborations

Photo: Fauve Bouwman

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HOUSE GUEST ARTIST

The concept of the H.G.A series is simple. Each season, DENHAM invites designers and studios to collaborate on limited-edition collections, ranging from clothing and accessories to furniture and sneakers. We reach out to exceptional creatives whose work we admire. We invite them to create a special artwork incorporating a scissor, but we insist it be done without any compromise to their own unique vision; we then integrate the artwork into in our seasonal collection.

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Photo: Petrovsky and Ramone

HGA#7: BLUEPRINT AMSTERDAM.

fabric around scissors, then dipped them

The 7th instalment of the HGA series was

in indigo dye baths. Celia’s dye swatches

with artist Celia Geraedts of Blue Print

then became the foundation of one of

Amsterdam. Celia travelled to Japan to

DENHAM’s seasonal prints, called “the

create unique shibori dye effects through

fossil print.”

binding, stitching, folding and twisting

HOUSE GUEST ARTIST

Photo: Marc Haers

DENHAM teamed with Amsterdam-

over-dyed shemagh scarves sourced in

based textile designer Lizzie Kroeze of

England, and trimmed with brass Italian

Facing West on a special design for our

Lampo zips.

Indigo Nomads collection.

The entire design is brought to life with

The Edessa Stitch Jacket is a tribute by

a deep indigo garment-dye and features

Japanese Sashiko, and made from recycled

Facing West’s distinct twist on ‘Boro stitch’

linen from France. This jacket was

embroidery often seen on vintage Japanese

inspired by Lizzies little stab application to

workwear.

vintage garments. Lined with dead stock 379

Photo: Melody Lieftink

HGA#10: 2501. Correlating with the annual Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) festival, DENHAM commissioned studio â&#x20AC;&#x153;2501â&#x20AC;? to produce an original video exploring the themes and inspirations the drive his work. During ADE, the DENHAM Runstraat corner store transformed into an exhibition space where the video was showcased. 2501 also created a unique artwork motif that was used in a winter parka and special edition t-shirts. The event was reinforced by a special appearance by a respected D.J. Patrice Baumel who put his own distinct signature

Image: Ducatti (Google)

to the proceedings. 380

DENHAM X NORWEGIAN RAIN After their first collaboration with Japanese designer Mihara Yasuhiro, the design team at elite rainwear brand Norwegian Rain approached DENHAM to create their second partnership project. Together they combined DENHAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inventive use of functional detailing with Norwegian Rainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use of traditional tailoring skills, Japanese performance fabrics and proven rainwear technology.

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VER

AZUL.

2016, DENHAM jeans â&#x20AC;&#x201D; eight styles in

DENHAM launched a pop-up total â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and t-shirts. To achieve a exhibition and live indigo art unique look, Gomez and Montoya demonstration

Amsterdam replaced traditional oil paints

Denim Days, together with House and paintbrushes with steel wool, Guest

Artists

Juan

Manuel rags, sandpaper and blue indigo

Gomez and Laura Montoya. For pigments. At Amsterdam Denim the collaboration, the Colombian Days, they printed their artworks indigo artists created a series of directly on clothing and signed bespoke graphics, which were each piece by hand. applied directly on the surface of

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DENHAM X DE VER AZUL X CANDIANI DENIM MILLS De Ver Azul live at Amsterdam Denim Days

HOUSE GUEST ARTIST

COLOMBIAN 'ARTEL D E V ER A Z UL (O N S E E I N G BLUE ) You are a highly regarded artist working primarily with denim. When or where did your connection with denim begin? And why do you work in this medium? I’m Juan Manuel Gomez, with Laura Montoya we began the co-lab Project: “deverazul” (seeing blue) two years ago. I started working in the Denim laundry industry 11 years ago in two traditional companies (PelcoProintex) while studying Fine Arts at the University of Antioquia. The laundry showed me a wide painterly and technical frame that I had not explored. I assumed Denim’s richness and nobility as a virgin canvas that I intervened and transgressed just as I did on my drawings and collages on paper. I treat every jean that I process in the laundry respectfully and try to find the balance between a good wash and a good feeling. Although it is a challenging situation in discovery I find a painterly inspiration while the fabric transforms and mutate into garments.

participate –laser designer, ozone operator, dry process operator, wet operator and hand dye operator. They all help us develop our ideas, starting with the technical and chemical aspects in each process. Since we work by layers it has to be a collaborative and creative effort, in the same way a jean is produced, but without sacrificing our artistic language and not leaving behind the sustainable process.

influence of nature, which comes from every trip from Medellín to Donmatías (Bluetown), looking at the vegetation through a blue filter in our eyes and mind

Where do you get your inspiration? Our education as artists and my professional contact with the laundry made us sensible enough to see the

If you could invite an artist into your house who would it be? We would love to invite Wim Wenders and William Kentridge to have a party in our house, and to explore our country, and to propose to them the possibility of doing a movie or a documentary together.

How important is creative collaboration to your process? Different people are required to make a jean; maybe 8 persons or more can be involved. To produce our artwork all those that belong to our work

whole process of washing fabrics not just in a technical way but as a painterly experience. It’s all about giving a new meaning to this action, understanding it as an aesthetic process from where each artwork is born. There is also the 384

What are the most regularly used tools in your tool-kit? Motortool / laser / indigo dye splashes / spray-gun / sandpaper / cotton pens for drawing with pigments

How did you first become acquainted with DENHAM? We found DENHAM first on the internet. It was like a myth, to know the brand with the scissors as symbol, and highly detailed graphics and clothing. About a year ago we had the chance to visit Berlin’s Bread and Butter fair. There we were able to see one of your collections and we knew about the House Guest Artist projects and how artists were invited to take part in the collections. Being excited

about this opportunity we took the happiness, kindness and our desire risk by showing our portfolio to Jason to succeed, in contrast to the life of previous years. Now we try to balance Denham directly. our world view and how other countries look at us. BALANCE AND MOTION How do you balance the process in your paintings when talking about Please tell us something about Blue Town denim laundry, the place you technique? It’s like what Ernst Gombrich says: work? “there is nothing wrong if we feel Donmatías is a small town just one delighted when we see the picture of a hour from Medellín, since the 60s the landscape because it reminds us of our main activity in the town is the jeans house, or a portrait because it remind manufacturing and laundry, working us of a friend, since we are human, when for different local brands and some we see an art work we are submitted to international ones. Both Medellín and Don Matias have been recognized as the most important places for the Denim Industry in Colombia. Prointex, the laundry where I work, was founded 28 years ago, our main activity is finishing jean garments. We have a very passionate team that takes care of every detail on the whole process. Most the memory of multiple things that for of the people in town are jeanmakers: better or worse have influence on our You can find things like houses with two tastes”. We involve in a technical way sewing machines in their living room, or all that we see as a pure and passionate form of painting, and we also use drawings as well; all balanced in every textile process we got immersed in this Denham project. Would you describe the technical process of creating your art as reaction paintings? (as Jackson Pollock described his?) Not properly, not in the whole sense. There is a mix of two aspects, each one expresses its own vision: from storm to calm. I (Juan Manuel) prefer an expressive approach, using accidental painting while Laura, in a more delicate way, with her drawings and her lines running through the denim as if it was a bestiary.

see guys on the streets carrying dozens of jeans on their shoulders. It’s a place surrounded by mountains of an intense green, contrasted by dairy cows on the hills. People there are very enthusiastic and breathe fresh air coming from the beautiful green of the mountains and the magnificent blue of the sky, that’s why we called Donmatías “Lugar Azul” (Blue Town)

make use of Italian Candiani fabric and recycled elements from the laundry. We are also discussing a conceptual catwalk in collaboration with a Japanese stylist that connects with our vision of denimart.

"De ver azul (On seeing blue) combines the labour —labour and elaboration— (deber in Spanish) and the act of seeing (ver in Spanish) — looking, finding, and also imagining —. Rubbing, engraving, marking, dipping, disassembling, bleaching, blocking, inking, dyeing, printmaking and working with laser, they reveal and create an amazing world of blue hues on denim and visual and tactile variations, that cohabit with different forms representing the elements that have left a mark in their lives: residues of the past, impressions of lost shadows and future extinctions, traces of creatures and imaginary worlds... These series of works invoke the infinity of possibilities that textile processes treasure for the arts and the permanence of denim over three centuries since its invention and continued reinvention. They are also a reflection of the historical use of colour blue in art in its ability to create windows to other worlds beyond ours." -Viviana Palacio

You and your wife have a very balanced way of looking to the world. Is this Colombian life? In Colombia we are a combination of

What have you been working on recently? We have been working on a threedimensional denim object where we 385

www.deverazul.com arualmontoya.blogspot.com.co

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HOUSE GUEST ARTIST

ART COMES FIRST. Sam Lambert and Shaka Maidoh are the co-founders of Art Comes First, a design, styling and creative services label. The pair’s experience as tailors — they trained on London’s Savile Row — is apparent in their designs for DENHAM’s House Guest Artist series. The collection featured a sweatshirt, tee, jacket and two denim silhouettes, all with a monochromatic, rock-and-roll vibe. for a look that was totally unique.

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Photo: David Pattinson

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Photo: Daily Paper

DAILY PAPER X DENHAM, DENHAM partnered with Daily Paper, the up-and-coming Dutch streetwear label, to co-design a limited-edition men’s collection. Featuring a jacket, a droptail shirt, shorts and a graphic tee, the styles combined DENHAM’s signature indigo palette and scissor logo with Daily Paper’s eclectic, African-inspired influences. Shield graphics and bespoke embroideries met pieced-repair details and denim fabrics; each piece played with tonal mixes of blue and chambray for a look that was totally unique.

Photo: Fauve Bouwman

PIEN an

STIEGLITZ

Amsterdam-based

womenswear

designer

whose work is inspired by exotic travel, and in particular the idea of tribes and ethnic groups. As the 14th House Guest Artist, she and Jason Denham codesigned

collection

for women, featuring a special edition jacket, jeans and a tee. The styles fused DENHAM’s contemporary and urban aesthetic with Stieglitz’s twist:

bohemian

embroidered met

graphics

basket-weave

appliqués and scar-stitch detailing.

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Photos: Marc Haers

DENHAM invited Anna Nooshin and Yara Michels, two Amsterdam-based fashion and lifestyle bloggers, to co-create two new styles of jeans. To get started, we asked the duo one question: “If you were

“It was really cool to step inside DENHAM’s creative studio and work with their team to design our two favorite jean styles to suit our exact tastes.” - Anna & Yara

heading on a holiday but only had room for one jean in your bag, which would you choose?” Anna opted for the Needle high-waist skinny, which she reworked with a rock-and-roll twist. Yara chose the girlfriend-fit Monroe, cut from a "real blue’"cloth with a vintage-inspired, natural wash. The jeans, which update DENHAM classics with the ladies’ personal twists, were released in a limited-edition series of 100 pieces.

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Signature “Needle” in Forever Black

Signature “Monroe” in Real Blue

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Photos: Alljan Moehamad

ATELIER RESERVÉ X DENHAM. The relationship between Jason Denham and Alljan Moehamad first began in 2010, when the two collaborated on their first DENHAM collection. Moehamad, who goes by the artist name of “Skulljan,” created 10 special edition skull paintings that incorporated DENHAM’s scissor logo. The motif was printed on tees, scarves and inside jackets. In 2018 the pair will fuse their creativity once again — this time through Moehamad’s new label, Atelier Reservé, which he coowns with designer Deyrinio Fraenk. They work with vintage garments and fabrics, and reconstruct them into new pieces to give them a fresh, new life. “This project is a perfect example of a collaboration, bringing creativity together,” says Moehamad. “We’ve used authentic designs, special fabrics and damaged washes to create a unique collection.”

HOUSE GUEST ARTIST

Photos: Alljan Moehamad

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DENHAM X

The DENHAM Eyes project is inspired by Jason Denhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s particular passion for collecting. Along with his obsession for vintage denim and rare Jack Purcells, Denham has been a longtime aficionado of vintage and unique sunglasses from around the world. DENHAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collusion with Fan Optics has resulted in a vintage-inspired unisex frame updated with a contemporary design attitude. Fully hand-crafted in Italy from an innovative polymer which integrates recycled cotton into the frame material and features high-grade Zeiss lenses from Germany.

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SPECIAL COLLABORATIONS

DENHAM EYES D EN H A M X FA N O P T I CS How important is creative collaboration to your process? Collaboration is the foundation of our brand — be it with experts in the manufacturing side of the business, or creative partners in the fashion industry.

For Summer 2017, DENHAM partnered with the respected eyewear label, Fan Optics. Founded in London in 2012, the brand’s vision is to offer progressive eyewear design with creative detail and sophisticated style. Collections are handmade using the highest quality materials. We caught up with founder and director, Guillaume Furminger, to tell us more.

Tell us about Fan Optics. When and how did it begin? Fan Optics started in 2012 as contemporary British eyewear label. Our goal is to produce new aesthetics with classic twists. It was started with the intention to break the norms of the eyewear industry, and support the British eyewear manufacturing industry which is still on the decline.

Where do you get your inspiration? Our inspiration for our frames comes from the environment in which we live: the cities, buildings and products that surround us, and cultural trends. We work closely with a number of catwalk fashion labels that reference the ‘40s through to the ‘90s. We also use non-conventional materials, finishes and colourways, which helps us differentiate from other brands in the market. What are the most regularly used tools in your tool-kit? The pencil is our most used tool. We do everything by hand: sketches, mark-up drawings, comments on manufacturing plans, prototypes and personal hand-written messages to our customers. The pencil is king! If you could invite an artist into your house, who would it be? This is tough … there would be so many. I wish I could have met Frank Lloyd Wright; he was an architectural genius. 401

Tell us more about the frames you’ve been working on for DENHAM? With the DENHAM collection, we were interested in reflecting DENHAM’S expertise in jean making. We introduced three special colourways in an acetate material from Italy. This material is made from a combination of cotton (denim), wood pulp and bio resins to create a quality finish and a standout product. It’s the attention to the small details and finishes that make a pair of sunglasses really special. What have you been working on recently? We have been working on a number of special catwalk frames for London Fashion week. We are in our fourth season with our fashion partners; it’s one of our most rewarding design partnerships as it allows us to really experiment with shapes, colours and forms that would not normally feature in our main collection. It’s a time to play and create striking looks that complement the catwalk clothing. The thing you’re most proud of? DENHAM x Fan Optics is a proud moment for us as we get to bring a quality frame to the Netherlands and Japan for the first time. We are super excited for when it hits the shops this summer!

JACK PURCELL X DENHAM SNEAKER

THE HIDDEN SMILE IN DENHAM’S

Jason Denham has been a longtime lover

SCISSOR LOGO - The most outspoken

of Converse and the “Jack Purcell” style in

graphic feature on the Jack Purcell

particular. In 2014, DENHAM announced

Collusion is the “scissor-face” design placed

its first collaboration with Converse to

at the heel. In order to match Jack Purcell’s

create a limited edition Jack Purcell,

timeless optism, the DENHAM scissor logo

featuring a classic canvas upper, a solid

turned on its itself. The artwork was cut in

black toe, and illustrative scissor logo on

half allowing the lower blades to be rotated

the heel. “I have hundreds of Jack Purcells

90 degrees, creating a smile of its own.

at home, so it has always been a dream to create my own pair,” says Jason Denham. “The story behind our collaboration is a combination of our shared passion for quality, subtle details and the fresh modernity of the sneaker.”

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Each item in the DENHAM GARMENT LIBRARY tells a story...

Item: Type: Date: Source:

SAK X JACK PURCELL HANDMADE LIMITED EDITION 2010 MADE IN FLORENCE (ITALY)

Details: -

Hand made by SAK the shoemaker Calf leather Black smile Hand cut leather laces Printed Rubber sole

...and each one represents a starting-point for our collections. Our

single-minded

obsession

with

workwear is the primary inspiration for the brand. Our conviction that deep knowledge comes with extensive research is central to the whole studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach. Our growing archive is home for an expansive collection of archetypal jean models as well as workwear, military clothing and travel gear from the last century all the way up until today.

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Item: Type: Date: Source:

CANVAS JACK PURCELL COTTON CANVAS CLASSICS 2008 SOURCED IN USA

Details: -

Natural canvas Blue smile Blue sole Matching stitch

Item: Type: Date: Source:

JACK PURCELL ANKLE BOOT 3/4 1996 SOURCED IN LON

Details: -

Natural canvas Red smile Red sole Matching thread

TOP

NDON

tem: ype: Date: urce:

ails: -

Item: Type: Date: Source:

ORIGINAL CLASSIC DEAD STOCK - JAPAN 1940 SOURCED IN USA

Details: -

Black leather square toe Black smile Blue sole White stitch

Item: Type: Date: Source:

CHARITY JACK PURCELL PRODUCT RED / JOIN RED.COM SOURCED IN AMSTERDAM

Details: -

Red smile Red lining White sole White textured leather 3 x strap [Velcro]

1ST ED. JACK PURCELL MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA 2013 SOURCED IN LONDON Paint dipped Red cotton canvas Blue smile Blue sole Ecru stitch

Item: Type: Date: Source:

JACK PURCELL BEDWIN & THE HEARTBREAKERS 2009 SOURCED IN JAPAN

Details: -

Black leather Black smile Natural rubber sole Star eyelet Black Stitch

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Item: Type: Date: Source:

1ST ED. JACK PURCELL COMMES DES GARCONS - ‘PLAY ’ 2012 SOURCED IN JAPAN

Details: -

Natural canvas Black smile & heel strip ‘Eyes’ love heart logo Black sole Matching stitch

SPECIAL COLLABORATIONS

DENHAM X

JAPAN LIMITED EDITION

DENHAM collaborated with Lucas Film Ltd. Japan for a limited series of DENHAM X STAR WARS t-shirts, which were sold exclusively in Japan. “As a devoted fan growing up with the first Star Wars Trilogy, being asked to design official Star Wars product was a great honour for me.” - Ali Kirby

(unapproved design)

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DENHAM X BARBOUR - X10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION This special garment, designed together with

Myth has it that in 1805, Joshua Dunn of the

Barbour International, celebrates the shared

local Loyal Volunteer militia, "fled from the

roots of Jason Denham and Barbour, which are

snarl of an approaching black cat" one night.

both from South Shields in Northern England.

The incident mobilized the local John Paul

The black cat is an icon in the region, and is

Jones artillery Batteries into loading cannons

the mascot of Sunderland F.C. However, the

and guarding the River Wear (now referred to

folklore surrounding the symbolism of the

as the Black Cat Battery) against a feared cat

black cat goes back further.

attack. The myth has become legend.

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SPECIAL COLLABORATIONS

THE BUTCHER OF BLUE X DENHAM. Bob Rijnders is the owner of the store Best of Brands (B.O.B.) and founder of the jeans label Butcher of Blue. Together with Jason Denham, they created the “Butcher Jean,” a limited edition denim design sold exclusively at the B.O.B. store in Hoogland, the Netherlands. Only 100 jeans were produced, and each pair was accompanied by a diary where the wearer could keep a record of the jean’s journey — every stain, rip or tear could be documented.

“I've been through a lot this year: Births, deaths, weddings, divorce. Everything in these jeans”

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Artwork: Ikue Kai

DENHAM X10 YEAR SAKE In addition to being one of the finest jean makers in Japan, our friend Hiro San is also an expert sake maker. His family sake business has an incredible heritage; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been making the finest sake for six generations! When we started DENHAM 10 years ago, we made a beautiful sake together to celebrate the launch. Now, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re introducing a 10x Year Anniversary sake. This is a unique, organic, indigo sake is made from butterfly-pea flower, and is produced in Nagahama, in the Shiga Prefecture. This is first time that blue sake has ever been made organically and chemical free. FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

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SPECIAL COLLABORATIONS

"Work on Canvas" At UNSEEN Photo Festival. Supported by Grolsch, DENHAM partnered with emerging Dutch portrait photographer, Marc Haers, to create WORKONCANVAS. Haers captured a series of skilled craftspeople who wear jeans while working; the concept sought to convey the passing of time, both in the faces of the people and in the wear-and-tear of their jeans. WORKONCANVAS was shown at a “reallife scale” in an outdoor exhibit during the UNSEEN Photo Festival, Amsterdam.

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In collaboration with

Photos: Marc Haers

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“These short films are our slightly absurd way of exploring our inner denim demons. It’s great to see the passion we put into our jeans be characterised in the films,” says Jason Denham. Though a denim brand at heart, DENHAM has also dabbled in filmmaking — and with much success. The brand’s short films reimagine cinematic classics, transforming them into modern parables with a twist inspired by denim obsession.

THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR A Decade at the Movies

“11oz Stretch. The perfect Skinny. Practically your second skin.”

the same manic attention to detail and ravenous appetite for craftsmanship. It triggered the idea for a modern-day remake of the scene."

(2014)

“The film makes a brilliant parody of fashion in general, and the recent

DENHAM’s first foray into cinema

heritage trend in particular,” says Jason

was inspired by the fans who are

Denham. “Plus, it reminds us to keep

so enthusiastic about denim they’ve

having fun and not to take ourselves too

become "denim psychos." The short

seriously.”

film is a tribute to the controversial cult classic, "American Psycho," which

"Denham

originally premiered at the Sundance

Psycho"

was

conceived

and produced by Flickering Wall, an

Film Festival in 2000.

award-winning creative agency. The film premiered in Berlin in 2014, and

"When I first heard Jason Denham

won silver in the ‘Viral’ category at the

talk about jeans, it reminded me of

Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.

the legendary business card scene in 'American Psycho'," said Hugo Keijzer, director of Denham Psycho. "I recognised

youtube.com/DenhamtheJeanmaker

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THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR

HUGO KEIJZER TH E D IREC TORS CUT “Working with DENHAM the last few years I’ve learned that jeanmaking is primarily about obsessing over the details,” says director Hugo Keijzer, who conceived the Explicit Remake series and created The Jeanmaker with production company Mike TeeVee and writer John Weich. “But just when you think you’ve got this perfect uncompromised product you get sidetracked by new ideas. This short film captures the moment when you lose control of your creation.” Name your favourite all time movie. Sorry, but this is the only question I can’t answer. Wouldn’t even know where to begin. I live and love film so much that it’s impossible for me to pick just one favourite. What do you love most about directing movies. Directing is recreating life in it’s most interesting version. I love a good story and to me films are stories in their most complete form. Favourite city in the world? Paris, without a doubt. I fell in love with that city as a young boy and it never

let me go, even though (or perhaps because?) I don’t speak French. I’m a big fan of Berlin, Philadelphia and New Orleans too, but somehow the best parts in those cities are the ones that remind me of Paris. Amsterdams best kept secret? Waterland. The countryside just north of Amsterdam. It’s my favorite area for bicycling and when the sun’s out the rustic villages, small white bridges and picturesque churches will instantly throw you back in time. First thing you do every morning and last thing you do at night? Nothing. Everyday I start with doing nothing and I always try to end with doing nothing. Being idle is the single most underrated activity in life. I used to try and cram as much of stuff in one day, but now I realize not doing anything is probably more important than all the other stuff. Doing nothing only works though if you can train yourself to do everything else with your full thought and attention. Who inspires you? Gregory Crewdson. He’s an American photographer known for elaborately staged scenes of American homes and neighborhoods. What I love 416

about his work is that he looks for the moments and places that most people would ignore. There’s a lot of beauty in everyday stuff, but the problem with our generation is that we don’t know how to capture it, so it become either a cliche or some pretentious art piece. Big eye opener for me was that Crewdson never uses a camera when he’s scouting for locations. What is your dream? To make my first feature film in the next three years. I’m working on a true event story set in North Carolina, and every night I dream about it getting greenlit. How did you came up with the idea of Denham Psycho? When I first saw American Psycho I kept thinking what an awesome commercial the business card scene would make for a printing company. It’s all right there. But then when I heard Jason and Liam talk about their product it reminded me of that same obsession for details. Jeans have a different target audience and it made me realize we shouldn’t only replace the cards for denim, but also transport the whole story to a different time and generation. My hidden aversion for the hipster culture came in handy.

Did Denham psycho line up to your expectations? Yes and no. I know that a good story / well told will always stand out, but I never expected people to connect to the hipster parody side of it so well. Apparently we’re not the only ones who saw fun in this strange subculture. Will there be a Denham Psycho Part II? I would love to do a full remake of American Psycho to hunt down and

harpoon the hipster culture. Ben Clark (Writer of Denham Psycho) and I feel that the modern hipster scene will work perfectly as the new subject matter because hipsters are just as bad, if not worse than 80s bankers. They are also very topical at the moment. Whereas the 80s Wall Street crowd were contemptible, at least they were upfront about their love of money and material living. Modern hipsters are dishonest by their very nature; they hide behind the eminence front

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of hair styles and clothing stolen from real personalities and claim to be spiritual, environmentally friendly etc. while still engaging in hedonistic and self-fulfilling lifestyles that strip them of the basic compassion and sensibility that being “spiritual” and/ or “green” requires.

Photo: Pief Weyman

THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR

Photo: Pief Weyman

(2015) The Jeanmaker is a cinematic parody of outrageous denim obsession. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inspired by a manic attention to the "perfect wear pattern" that characterises both those who make jeans, and those who wear them. The film was written by John Weich and produced by Mike TeeVee. The Jeanmaker premiered at Amsterdam Denim Days in 2015. youtube.com/DenhamtheJeanmaker

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S C R E E N I N G AT W W W. D E N H A M T H E J E A N M A K E R . C O M F R O M 1 6 T H A P R I L

“LONG AWAITED FOLLOW-UP TO

“DENHAMS 2ND

DENHAM’S CANNES PRIZE-WINNING

EXPLICIT REMAKE IS EVEN MORE

V I R A L S E N S AT I O N ”

SHOCKING THAN THE FIRST!”

PRESENTS

A REMAKE WRITTEN BY JOHN WEICH DIRECTED BY HUGO KEIJZER PRODUCED BY MIKE TEEVEE

C I N E M AT O G R A P H Y B Y R O B B I E V A N B R U S S E L PRODUCTION DESIGN BY SIMON BOWLES EDITED BY NILS RENSEN

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS www.denhamthejeanmaker.com

THE JEANMAKER DENHAM DISORDER by John Weich

Based on the original screenplay 'The Aviator' by John Logan V.14 Version: 8 march 2015

John Weich Klein Heiligland 3 2011 EB Haarlem T: 0646132121 E: john@monumentalpropaganda.com

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Photo: Pief Weyman

DENHAM TO PREMIER THE JEANMAKER A C I N E M AT I C PA R O D Y O F O U T R A G E O U S D E N I M O B S E S S I O N

PRESENTS

A REMAKE WRITTEN BY JOHN WEICH DIRECTED BY HUGO KEIJZER PRODUCED BY MIKE TEEVEE

C I N E M AT O G R A P H Y B Y R O B B I E V A N B R U S S E L PRODUCTION DESIGN BY SIMON BOWLES EDITED BY NILS RENSEN

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS www.denhamthejeanmaker.com

S C R E E N I N G AT W W W. D E N H A M T H E J E A N M A K E R . C O M F R O M 1 6 T H A P R I L

THE TRUTH IS IN THE DETAILS (2016) The third DENHAM film, "The Truth is in the Details," explores Jason Denham’s passion for jean making and secrets behind his craft. Directed by Hugo Keijzer, mastermind behind

"Denim

Jeanmaker,"

the

Psycho" film

and

"The

showcases

DENHAM’s ingredients for making the perfect jeans — from an obsession with natural wear patterns to developing the perfect wash recipes. The film further highlights the brand’s partnership with renowned mills in Italy and Japan. “Jeans are at the heart of what we wear,” says Jason Denham. “Wherever you live, whatever your lifestyle, they’ve become a uniform of life.”

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FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL A Decade of Bricks & Mortar

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FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL

We hired a great team of enthusiastic, young, energetic product lovers as brand ambassadors. For me, retail encapsulates everything to

beautiful glass walls and neat rows of

do with people, product and presentation.

sake bottles. In the entryway we played

I fell in love with retail when we opened

music, then as you moved further inside

the doors of our first store at Prinsengracht

there was a sound box that played a

495 in Amsterdam. We hired a great

recording of weaving machines. We

team of enthusiastic, young, energetic

burned my favourite indigo incense

product lovers as brand ambassadors.

sticks from Japan. There was even a

Our offering was small but beautiful, and

small movie area where you could put

I wanted to give it all space to breathe. It

on headphones and watch a short film

was also important to me to share stories

about the brand.

about what we’d created. That first store became the foundation In designing the interior, I was inspired

of our global retail concept, and it hasn’t

by things I’d seen in Japan, combined

stopped evolving since then. We’ve

with my love of galleries and museums.

continued to develop while embracing

Within the store we created zones based

service and fresh ideas that reflect our

on sensual experiences of sound, sight

“east meets west” inspirations.

and smell. It was all visual candy, with

- Jason Denham

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FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL

Tymon Bijlhout – Shop Keeper, Men’s store and Denim Bar, Amsterdam

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2008 Prinsengracht 495 Mens Store, Amsterdam

2018 Prinsengracht 495 Mens Store, Amsterdam

FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL

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FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL

The Netherlands will always be sentimental to me. It’s the birthplace of the brand, after

never said no to any building challenge.

all. Building our retail presence across

Together over the years we have built,

the country has been a labour of love.

knocked down, re-created and rebuilt

Because we know these streets like the

showrooms, stores, pop ups, shop-in-

back of our hands, we’ve been able to

shops, shows, exhibitions, and what ever

select each store location with careful

it takes. No job too big, no distance too far.

consideration of the neighbourhood, our

He never let us down and always found a

brand presence and our customers. Today,

way to get it done.

we have premium locations in the city centres of Amsterdam, The Hague and

As the business grew over the years we

Utrecht, with further openings planned

realised that our retail team needed to

for the near future. Each store is curated

grow also. In 2015 we found our retail

to reflect the brand’s retail identity and

director Marcia Godet who has helped

vision.

us build an incredible team of dedicated,

I love building stuff, rolling up my sleeves

passionate "shop keepers," people who

and getting involved. My long time friend

really care about every element of our

and project manager Mr. John Beedell has

stores. Its all about the people.

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FAVOURITE THINGS: AMSTERDAM Top 10 by Jason Denham

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FOODWARE. Sander is the bestdressed chef in Amsterdam, and he makes the healthiest, tastiest lunchtime bites.

AMSTERDAM "9 STREETS." I fell in love with retail when I started the DENHAM brand. My favourite district in Amsterdam is the “9 Streets.” I put the DENHAM HQ there and I live very close by. In the last 10 years I have watched the 9 Streets evolve. This area is full of hotels, bars, cafes, galleries, flower stores and smaller boutique speciality stores.

THE CANALS AT SUNRISE. I’m normally at the DENHAM coffee bar for its 8:00 a.m. opening time, and order a flat white. In the days before we had our daughter, Jasmine, I had a terrible habit of waking up and going to the studio at 5:00 a.m. Now I have a little more “life balance.” Though I have to admit that I love the city at this time. The canals are beautiful and very still — you feel like you own the city at this time of day.

BROWN CAFES I love to have a beer on any terrace in the summer, and the dusty old brown bars in the winter. One of my favourite is Cafe Tabac on the Brouwersgracht.

MOON by JAIMIE VAN DER HEIJE Art on a plate. The truth is in the taste!

NOORDERMARKT. This sums up Amsterdam life. You have beautiful organic markets with fresh, incredible ingredients. My wife and I like to go shopping there on weekends.

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JASON DENHAM'S TOP 10: AMSTERDAM

MENDO. I love to collect and get inspired by books. MENDO, in Amsterdam’s 9 Streets, is one of my favourites. I feel like we’ve grown up with MENDO, because they opened two years before DENHAM, just around the corner. They have a beautiful store design and an incredible passion for retail.

LIBERTINE CAFE. This place has a buzzing brassiere vibe. It’s a cool hotspot to hang out and have some bites and a drink.

THE GARAGE. Street art supplied by Mark Chalmers, an amazing collector with a very sharp eye.

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EYE FILM MUSEUM This film museum is incredible; Amsterdam also has lots of cinemas, from small art house films to blockbuster locations.

Coffee Corner I love coffee so much so that I decided to make one of our stores a coffee bar. We open at 8:00 a.m. everyday. My favourite coffee is Buscaglione Italian coffee, so we partnered with them to supply our beans. All of the staff is barista trained. Retail today is an experience, that's why good coffee is so important.

FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL

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FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL

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Signature One of our signature trademarks in

desks are crafted from vintage American

our stores is our â&#x20AC;&#x153;scissor wall,â&#x20AC;? where

yardsticks, and floors are made from

we bolt scissors into the walls to double

wood that we salvaged from a old French

as hangers. Wherever possible use

barn. These elements are fused with a

reclaimed and recycled shop fittings like

gallery-style presentation, keeping it all

French trolleys, vintage sewing machines

very fresh, clean and sleek.

and Art Deco lamps. All of our cash

In some of our stores there are still original and real scissors mounted onto the walls. These are still sharp however the metal plate propping open the scissors jaws prevents injury.

The original 'American sewing denim' and highly collectible Union Special 43200G chainstitch hemming machine.

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FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL

Trademarks Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been addicted to furniture, so I was thrilled when the Scandinavian label NORR11 reached out to us to collaborate. We share a passion for design and product, and together we created a beautiful indigo blue leather chair that is now sold at DENHAM stores worldwide. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to create more furniture in the future and expand DENHAM into the lifestyle category. We work in partnership with renowned Scandinavian furniture maker NORR11 . Custom made using natural indigo dyed leather.

Vintage French Trolleys sourced in the famous antique market, Lille, France.

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The Mammoth Chair is a modern wing chair that is comfortable and welcoming. The seat and back are formed from the same compression mould, which gives the chair its clean, minimalistic look. It is crafted by hand using solid oak wood for its frame and laminated oak veneer for the seat and back. The smooth upholstery provides superior comfort, while the high back and hugging wings add a sense of privacy.

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FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL

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FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL

Denham Worldwide Ten years ago we started the DENHAM brand in a small gallery studio. This incredible journey has brought our brand to 22 countries, and we sell to some of the most beautiful stores in the world. We have created our own retail flagships and today we have satellite offices in Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul, Sydney and Dusseldorf. Our company employs 17 nationalities we are very proud of our global footprint.

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best

part

DENHAM Antwerp is located on the

working

for

Lombardenvest. It’s kind of a hidden

the

getaway away from the commercial streets,

family feeling within

and that makes it very special. Belgium isn’t

the company. For an

a denim country like the Netherlands is,

international brand,

but our store has a unique atmosphere and

the DENHAM team

great service to make people fall in love with

is still relatively small, and that creates a

the brand.” Nick Laurent - Head of Sales,

unique atmosphere. We are all very proud

Belgium

“The of

DENHAM

of the DENHAM product and we have the same ambitions; together, these things make us a very strong family. What makes me happy are the little details in every DENHAM garment — it’s the details that set DENHAM apart from ordinary pieces. Nick Laurent - Head of Sales, Belgium

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Rene Dotzek - Shop Keeper, Hamburg Store

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DENHAM Germany Showrooms and HQ - Düsseldorf

“The best about working at DENHAM is how close we are as a team. Everybody supports each other and we’re all in it together.” - Bjoern Peters. Area Manager M+W, Germany “One of the things that makes our stores so special is the cool people working there. The atmosphere makes you want to stay a while … just one more coffee at the DENHAM coffee bar.” - Ulrike Hauser. Marketing & PR, Germany

“The best part of working for DENHAM is being able to sell a great product, together with the DENHAM team. We have a great opportunity to be one of the successful denim brands in the premium segment. I’m sure you will see our scissors logo much more in the future.” - Marco Frenzer. Head of Sales, Germany

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FOR THE LOVE OF RETAIL

“The best part of working for DENHAM is working for a brand “DENHAM products can be very thought provoking. When you explain a detail or a design element to a customer, you can see their eyes light up as they instantly fall in love with the brand.” “The

DENHAM

Sydney store is at The Rocks, the oldest part of Sydney. The building is heritage listed, so we constructed a unique scaffolding frame that only touches the walls with pressure pads, so everything is free standing. We’re right by Circular Quay where cruise ships dock, so we get tourists from all over the world. It’s an amazing mix of people.” - Nick Hughes. Head of Sales, Australia

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that makes every product with love and passion. I believe DENHAM will be a game changer in the global denim market.” - Isaac Xiao. Brand Director, China

LAST WORD My only regret in this book is that we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough pages to include everyone who has played a part in this adventure. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the people who have made the difference, and it's the people who have made this brand what it is today. Thank you all; I am very proud of what we have all achieved. Well done to the: creatives, developers, commercials, backers, film makers, photographers, artists, writers, stylists, buyers, model agencies, press, fabric mills, packaging suppliers, factories, laundries, lawyers, accountants, logistics, printers etc. (Sorry if I forgot anyone) And most of all, thanks to my amazing, intelligent, patient and beautiful wife, without whom this brand would probably never have happened. - Jason Denham