Newspaper #02 The Scissor by DENHAM

October 2014

ISSUE 02 The Scissor.

ISSUE

AN ICON IN MOTION. Denham announc ES the acquisition OF THE GENSLER ARCHIVE OF ANTIQUE TAILOR’S SCISSORS

IN THIS ISSUE:

THE SCISSOR ICON BLUE STEEL

THE ACQUISITION GENSLER ARCHIVE

HOUSE GUEST ARTIST A RETROSPECTIVE

BEST OF BERLIN Denham cit y guide

THE CUTTING EDGE SCISSORS IN PRODUCT

DENHAM PSYCHO AWARD WINNING

BEST OF BERLIN Denham cit y guide

OCEAN REPUBLIC A COLLABORATION

SPRING (15) COLLECTION NEW IN STORE

DAVID GENSLER the SCISSOR COLLECTOR

ART OF THE SCISSOR GRAFTED SCISSORS

JEANSTORIES.COM A N.Y. LOVE STORY

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

W WORSHIP TRADITION DESTROY CONVENTION

“ Blue Steel” THE TRUTH IS IN THE LOGO For Denham, a pair of scissors is more than an ordinary tool. The brand’s logo is a celebration of “two blades working together” in the form of a pair of tailor’s (or “jeanmaker’s”) scissors. Following the form of a tailor’s scissor the logo has been translated into a free hand-drawn design. Unlike a majority of modern logos, the interior is a composite ‘mash up’ of various photos of Jason Denham’s first scissor which he used through his schooling. After this, the logo has been hand-tinted using watercolours to create the blue shading. Only then has it been put back into a vector frame to reflect a more conventional logo. From the very beginning, the logo has been a mascot that celebrates the brand ethos ‘worship tradition, destroy convention’, and defines the brand strapline: ‘The Truth is in the Details’.

THE JEAN MAKER

“ Jason Denham” A SHARP PASSION FOR DENIM

SPORTSWEAR INTERNATIONAL #268 Inter view by Maria Cristina Pavarini Englishman Jason Denham, expert denim connoisseur and founder of the Denham The Jeanmaker denim brand, is a maniac-like collector of many unique period pieces including garments, memorabilia and various objects from all over the world. In his varied vintage item collection he has amassed probably the biggest selection of antique unique scissors. He owns about 1,000 exemplars of different sizes, decades and origins–from those used by tailors to those for medical use. Every Denham monobrand store and showroom hosts a selection of these items inside glass cases or frames. The brand’s Amsterdam headquarters presents an even wider selection of pieces at every floor of the building, plus a few unique abstract sculptures obtained by employing scissors decor in Denham’s office...

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. The cut is the essential part of the jean. We also adopted the scissors as the murder weapon in our Denham Psycho short movie we launched at the beginning of 2014. They also characterize the hanging system of jeans in our stores. Plus the distinctive element of our brand’s logo. The scissor is a very multitalented tool. Did you ever organize exhibitions of your scissors? We show the collection in our headquarters, stores and showrooms all over the world. We also archived the collection which anyone can find on our website in the garment library archive section. How did you become probably one of the greatest scissor collectors in the world? 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 museumquality pieces. Are scissors also inspiring you work and your collections? Yes! By May 2015, for s/s 2015, a capsule collection of items carrying prints and patterns inspired by stylized scissors designs will be in stores. It features a full collection of artworks and prints inspired by David Gensler. Maria Cristina Pavarini is Senior Features Editor of Sportswear International Magazine. This article is published in Sportswear International Magazine #263, November 2014. w ww.sportswearinternational.com

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A LUST FOR LIFE IN BERLIN

“ X in the City” MITTE, THE HEART OF BERLIN WHERE EAST MEETS WEST Our second city destination finds us in the heart of Berlin. Mitte. Once infamous for the wall that divided East from West, MItte is the first and most central neighbourhood of Berlin. And whilst Mitte is only a small segment of this sprawling city, which is carved up by rivers and canals, and fringed with lakes and forests, it is the home of the new Denham Store, so a good place for us (and you) to navigate (good luck with the map). Special thanks to our Berlin store staff and our neighbours at 14oz, for compiling this essential list of things to eat, see and do.

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DENHAM STORE (1) THE BLUE YARD Munzstrasse 21, Berlin denhamthejeanmaker.com SNEAKER STORES (2) SOTO Torstrasse 72 www.sotostore.com (3) FIRMAMENT Linienstrasse 40 www.firmamentberlin.com (4) CIVILIST Brunnenstraße 13 www.civilistberlin.com BOOK STORE (5) DO YOU READ ME? Auguststrasse 28 www.doyoureadme.de GALLERY (6) GALLERIE SPRINGMANN Gipsstraße 14 www.galeriespringmann.de COFFEE BAR (7) OSLO KAFFEE BAR Eichendorffstraße 13 www.oslokaffebar.com (8) FIVE ELEPHANT Reichenberger Straße 101 www.fiveelephant.com BREAKFAST (9) CAFE FLEURY Weinbergsweg 20

(10) FATHER CARPENTER Münzstraße 21 w ww.fathercarpenter.com (11) 3 MINUTES SUR MER Torstrasse 167 w ww.3minutessurmer.de LUNCH (13) DISTRICT MOT Rosenthaler Straße 62 w ww.districtmot.com (14) COCOLO Gipsstraße 3 w ww.oliverprestele.de (15) DALUMA Weinbergsweg 3 w ww.daluma.de DINNER (16) DAS LOKAL Linienstraße 160 lokal-berlin.blogspot.nl (17) KATZ ORANGE Bergstraße 22 w ww.katzorange.com (18) THEMROC Torstraße 183 w ww.themroc-berlin.de (19) LA SOUPE POPULAIRE Prenzlauer Allee 242 lasoupepopulaire.de (20)CHICAGO WILLIAMS BBQ Hannoversche Straße 2 chicagowilliamsbbq.de

PRESS RELEASE

T A K A S H I M AYA Futako Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo DENHAM LAUNCHES NEW SHOP WITHIN TOKYO’S TAMAGAWA TAKASHIMAYA S.C. On September 19th Amsterdam-born denim brand Denham the Jeanmaker opened the brand’s newest shop in Tokyo within the legendary Takashimaya department store also home to Chanel, Louis Vuiton, Hermes and Bottega Veneta. This is Denham’s seventh shop within Tokyo and its twelfth store in Japan. Denham’s Japan team have successfully recreated the look and feel of the unique retail experience established by Denham flagship stores in the Netherlands, Germany, the UK and elsewhere in Japan. The design is characterized by Denham’s signature use of strong graphics, clean modern white surfaces with warm natural elements and museum-quality display items from the company’s superlative collection of antique scissors and tailoring artifacts. Located adjacent to local heroes Beams and United Arrows, the new 66 sqm location is home to Denham’s full range premium 5-pocket denim as well as the label’s seasonal ready-towear collections for both men and women.

WOMEN’S JEANS STORE AMSTERDAM coming soon THE TRUTH IS IN THE DENHAM ETAIL

PRESS RELEASE

DENHAM BERLIN STORE “The Blue Yard”, Munzstrasse 21, Berlin THE BLUE YARD. In July Denham opened its first stand-alone shop in Germany located in the heart of Berlin Mitte, in collaboration with The Blue Yard curated by Karl-Heinz Müller. The creation of a permanent Denham brand environment in the city’s famous Mitte district, follows on the heels of previous successful popup presentations. SERVICE CO. & QUICK WASH As a special feature of the new location Denham is extending its signature on-site sewing repair concept; The Denham Service Co. with an additional jean washing program entitled the Denham Quick Wash.

S THE SCISSOR COLLECTOR

“ David Gensler” A ONE-OF-A-KIND PROVOCATIVE PUNK RENAISSANCE MAN. w ww.davidgensler.com w ww.leicacraft.com David Genlser is one-of-a-kind provocative punk renaissance man who willfully mashes together high-brown and low-brow culture. He holds multiple advanced academic degrees and is active in a diverse spectrum of strategic and creative disciplines. As the founder of the Keystone Design Union in New York he ran an agency that did bespoke campaigns for the world’s leading brands; from LVMH to Nike and from Stussy to Samsung. And all the while managing to produce a dizzying array of personal work with spheres of art and fashion. His own menswear line, Serum Versus Venum, manifested his own obsession with tailoring and provided an outlet for his impulse toward obsessive research and collecting. This ultimately led to his systematic acquisition of one of the world’s largest collection of antique tailoring scissors...

You were arguably the most prolific collector of antique tailors’ scissors in the world. What does a pair of scissors symbolize for you? To a small degree it represented the direct craft of tailoring, but for the most part I was attracted to the forms themselves. They (vintage shears) are sensual utilitarian forms the were carefully conceived and masterfully constructed. What is the strangest story associated with your pursuit of a pair of scissors? I had found three pairs of large amazing French shears in a Barcelona. It was summer and the temperature was extremely hot outside. I had skipped breakfast to make sure I was the first person at the market - which resulted in low blood sugar. While waiting at the cash machine I had passed out and fell directly into a public fountain - in full view of a few hundred people. The splash of the water “revived” me and an old man helped me climb out. Soaking wet and with money in hand - I made my way to the vendor and secured my shears!

How many pairs were in the collection acquired by Denham? I dont kiss and tell! but the number was well in to the hundreds. My total collection exceeded over 1000. Of those, what were your favorite 3 pairs? (the hardest 3 to give up) There were many favorites... I would say any pair with the modified handles designed to lighten the form to fit and function better in a woman’s hand. I also had a special affinity to the french shears simply due to their more elegant form. I still have three pairs that I could not part with. The favorite of the bunch was owned by Saville Row Legend, Henry Poole. Were there any scissors in Denham’s collection that made you jealous? The large mid-evil shears are so “substantial” and represent an era that kicked off the beginning of man’s early conquest of metal and machines. How did you first become acquainted with Denham? I am close friends with Liam Maher (Design Director)

who introduced me to the brand when he began his relationship with the company. I was soon introduced to Jason, who I felt an immediate kinship due to our mutual love of design, vintage garments and craft. How did your relationship to the brand evolve?

It was simply an evolving discourse about art, design and fashion over many years. Just friends sharing insights and ideas. You’re helping Leica Camera with their creative strategy now. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only choose one tool, would it be a Leica or a pair of tailor’s scissors? I would need both to be truly happy! If I knew I would be rescued, I would pick the new all analog Leica M-A, so I could share my experience later. If I was not certain of rescue, I would pick the shears, since I could spear fish, hunt with the shears, as well as build shelters and such.

Having founded the brand concept under the insignia of tailor’s scissors, we have incorporated this iconic toolof-their-trade into our brand vernacular since the company’s founding in 2008. Key denim fits like the Bolt, Razor, Drill and Sharp are all named after the anatomy of a scissor. Garments hang from modified scissor brackets within their bespoke store environments.

THE SCISSOR COLLECTOR The Gensler Collection included scissors wielded by Henry Poole himself as well as a pair originating in the court of Oliver Cromwell. With a scissor as our logo, we’ve been known to acquire a few antique scissors here at Denham as well. We share our collection in special museum-displays in our Denham shops and have exhibited them in Berlin, Florence and Tokyo. So it’s no surprise that we found ourselves in online bidding wars with David on more than a few occasions. We would place a high bid online and we would get a text from David (unsigned) reading simply;

“Is that you guys?”

Our D.G.L. (Denham Garment Library) houses a wide selection of scissors from all over the word. -And, or course, the logo itself is a pair of scissors.

“Longtime peer, friend and passionate t a i l o r i n g enthusiast, David Gensler” has spent years researching, curating and assembling the world’s largest and most richly histories archive of antique tailoring scissors from his studio in Brooklyn New York. Gensler has recently elected to divest this incredible and collection and the team here at Denham were honored to be offered an opportunity to acquire the important collection – adding it to our existing archive within the Denham Garment LIbrary.

..and then he’d place a higher bid and walk away with the prize.

“ The Acquisition” ANNOUNCING THE ACQUISITION OF THE GENSLER ARCHIVE OF ANTIQUE TAILOR SCISSORS.

So we were extremely happy when David chose us when he elected divest himself of the collection, recognizing that we would treat it the way it deserved. Some 250 museum-grade tailors scissors arrived at our doorstep from New York making the Denham collection arguably the largest in the world.

Seeing that many hand forged symbols of craftsmanship in one place triggered our imaginations allover again. With the introduction of the new SHEAR fit jean, bold new scissor-themed artwork in mens and the birth of the “scissor people” and “scissor-spot” artworks in women’s, new Core collection is dedicated to a special celebration of the type of scissors that inspired our logo, our philosophy, the cuts of our garments and the names of our core 5-pocket styles.

“ A Horde of Scissors” A SPREAD OF SCISSOR PAIRS FROM THE DENHAM GARMENT LIBRARY.

“ Art of the Scissor” SCISSOR ART INSPIRED BY THE PATENT FRENZY OF LATE 19TH CENTURY INDUSTRY

Michael Allen Harris published book, Jeans of the Old West: A History, focuses on a period in the late 1800’s during which there was an explosion of workwear innovations. The railroads, gold and silver rushes and the industrial revolution combined with America’s cultural melting-pot of the time resulted in a sort of Big Bang of workwear design. Their vision set the stage for our work today, and the example they set Denham was to Worship Tradition but also Destroy Convention. In a world where focus solely on heritage and purely traditional techniques can often throw one’s work a little out-of-balance it’s very nice to be reminded by these voices from the past that invention, innovation and sometimes being dumb enough to try something crazy are also fundamental to the workwear spirit. Around this time there was an equally fast paced explosion of innovation in the scissor making industry. The scissor. One of the earliest machines. 2 blades working together. Very little had changed for centuries, until a rush of imigrants of various European backgrounds arriving in the US were quick to set-up shop and not only demonstrate their rich tapestry of European scissor making, but also quick to inspire scissor makers across the States to apply patents to new and potentially life-changing inventions. J.W. Wiss; R. Heinisch amongst others, revolutionised scissors with ball bearings; folding scissors; pinking shears. As with denim workwear not much has changed since then, so Denham have taken up the challenge to revolutionise the scissor industry with some pretty menacing, highly dangerous, and no-doubt impractical inventions. No different from some of the other designs lost to patent archive history.

pure and timeless raw materials, yet bold contemporary designs

OCEAN REPUBLIC www.theoceanrepublic.com with Sophie Mylou Ruijgrok

DENHAM X OCEAN REPUBLIC Drawing inspiration from journeys taken throughout the globe, Ocean Republic embraces the spirit of the ocean within each handmade piece. Sophie Mylou Ruijgrok designs modern artifacts that are produced by local Indonesian craftsmen, using traditional artisan techniques. Sophie embraces ancient tradition through her transformation of pure and timeless raw materials – yet her bold contemporary designs also echo a thoroughly modern sensibility. These twin fascinations; tradition-meets-moderntiy, made her the natural choice for this special collaboration.

You are a becoming a more established and well known jewellery designer, are there any special circumstances that have helped you to succeed in this goal? When I officially started the brand I met many nice people, who were so enthusiastic about it and gave me positive energy to carry on with it. I was lucky when I had my first fair in januari 2013 at De Modefabriek, Denham and De Bijenkorf scouted me. Meeting these people opened doors and gave me the opportunity to grow. When did you first establish the concept for Ocean Republic? Even Ocean Republic was only founded two years ago, I’ve been designing jewellery since I was just a kid. I was making a lot of necklaces and bracelets and it all stocked up in my room. I had to start selling my designs because there was no end to it. That is how it happened that on my 14th I was already selling to different shops. All of it started out of love for designing and didn’t have anything commercial to it. Eventually the last year of my study brought

me to Sydney and that’s where I decided to get serious with it. On the way back home, I visited Indonesia to look for production of the first ideas I had. These were all wild and incoherent idea’s, coming alive in unique items. I hadn’t developed the whole concept yet but it slowly evolved in what it is today: monumentalizing treasures, designing timeless and nature/ ocean inspired pieces. How did the name Ocean Republic come about? I grew up living at the beach so that’s where most of my inspiration comes from. Staring at the ocean gives a feeling of freedom, and underneath that boundary of land and water there are so many treasures waiting to be unveiled. I wanted to create a world, a republic, where all my imagination can come alive and where everything is possible. It is not all ocean inspired, it is way broader than that. The ocean physically connects cultures and that is where I draw inspiration from. Describe your brand in 3 words? - raw - unconventional - craftsmanship Describe your customer in 3 words? - conscious - creative - adventurous What parts of the world has this taken you to? A part of the production takes place in Indonesia. Over the years I’ve met great local families who are helping with the production. After traveling many times to Indonesia they have become good friends. Besides Indonesia, I try to do as much as inspirational trips as possible. This takes me to deserted islands overseas but also close to home. What are the most regularly-used tools in your jewellery tool-kit? Small pliers, file tools and scissors off course

;-) How important is creative collaboration in your process? I think creative collaborations bring ideas to a higher level. It also makes you more aware of what your own brands stand for. Having reflections of others makes your designs better. How did the name ‘we part to meet again’ evolve? And how is it expressed in the final project? The Denham scissor was the inspiration for the collaboration. A scissor is made out of two pieces, one is nothing without the other. This gave us the idea of an old school best friend necklace; one part which you can give to a friend and the other to keep for yourself. That is why we designed two separated blades, one in brass and one in silver. Both unique, but belonging together. Who is the person that you would give your other blade to? To Marianne, head of women’s design, we became good friends after working together for a while. She is a super talented woman and got such positive energy. She was the one who scouted me and pushed me to carry on. I want to thank her for sharing my vision and believing in me and in Ocean Republic. What creative concepts have you been focusing on most recently? At the moment I am launching the octopus collection. It is already available at all Denham stores and will be online soon. I am also working on a manta ray collection. It is purely used for inspiration and no original skin is used in the process. This collection will be a bit more conceptual than the ones before.

How important is creative collaboration in your process? Sometimes it can be very rewarding, other times I prefer to work alone.

A lljan M oehamad You are a widely known and #01 respected artist - what creative concepts have you been focusing on most recently? Widely widely…. Is a big word, h h e h e … . C r e a t i v e concepts right now? Have you got time? My head is full of stuff lately, working as a photographer is less, but locking my self up in my studio to paint, draw and tattoo on my self…. something like that. Started a printed sweatbrand lately and it looks kinda booming.. been packing boxes sins then #teamskulljansweats01. I like to do everything, I don’t design a action vigour and let it pay my bills like many people do (tricks).

How important is creative collaboration in your process? ‘if you don’t wake me up, I will stay in bed’. A Collaboration keeps you sharp, keeps you creative with boundaries. I think that a artist always learns from boundaries and rules, like regular people. Where do you get your inspiration? I get inspiration from negative

stuff in life. Its my way to tell something without telling you my problems. I hate talking! ‘Make a negative thought romantic’! That’s art.

Where do you get your inspiration? Bookshops. There is a fantastic one in Amsterdam called KOK, http:// www.nvva.nl/kok which if you are allowed access to the upper floors is hugely inspirational.

if you could invite an artist into your house who would it be? I don’t want them in my house, except the ones before the hipster time. Every body is a artist lately. They just want to know what type of brand paint you use. Website? Websites are not my strongest sources. I am active on instagram, you can make serious money in your underwear, with instagram and facebook. Just talk to the people instead of showing stuff on a website. I have a agent with a real website! w ww.angeliquehoorn.com JAKE NOAKES You are a widely known and respected artist #02 - what creative concepts have you been focusing on most recently? I seem to be in a bit of a book making streak at the moment, I just finished two very nice books for some clients and will embark on a book celebrating 300 years of a well known French brand later this month as well as a new book for my photographer wife Samira Kafala and a redesign of View2 magazine.

if you could invite an artist into your house who would it be? Mr Bingo, for a cup of tea. Website? www.jakenoakes.com THIS IS PIR ATE At Pirate, you are known and respected #05 creators what creative concepts have you been focusing on most recently? We’ve had a couple of big ‘blank canvas’ jobs recently. Top secret of course. Even Pirates don’t tell! But some good stuff helping brands to reboot or start from scratch. One is a campaign for a womenswear brand launching 2015 which focuses on real girls, not models, who get to style their own wardrobe from the collection. The music to the online films

is by a young up and coming female singer songwriter (Daimy Lotus). The photographer is the fit model from the brand. It’s a lo-fi production, a ‘collaboration celebration’ - cool chicas just doing their thing - it’s not forced - it’s real - nice to do! And right in the middle are these 2 hairy English blokes… hilarious!

How important is creative collaboration in your process? We love a collab - whether it’s just getting the right freelance creative in on a job or working together with like minded souls, like our friends at WINK on an event, or a photographer like Andy Tan on a shoot, or an illustrator like Skulljan on a one off image - we are not shy - share the love where you can, we say! We really want to collaborate with a cool Rum brand - Pirate’s and Rum there’s no better combination! Where do you get your inspiration? We’re not afraid to use the internet’s endless source of inspiration, and in between a good Google, we love to get out there and check out what’s happening, and have been lucky enough to recently get to Berlin, New York, Tokyo, Barcelona, Stockholm, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Seoul… London Town and er… The Pub of course.

if you could invite an artist into your house who would it be? Pffff - tough one…. I’d love to do something with Peter Saville (Curly)… and I’d like Inkadelic to finally give me the Pirate tattoo I’ve been promising myself for several years... (Big Fella) Website? w ww.thisispirate.com

photo credit: Matt Moore

“Range is conducive to Growth..”

“ Matt Moore” VECTORFUNK SCISSOR ART Matt W. Moore works to the credo of ‘range is conducive to growth.’ Like many artists of his generation, Matt’s background was in action board sports and the action art of graffiti, each with their core value of speed, do-it-yourself ethic, enthusiasm for new terrain, and sheer fun of collaboration. Over the past decade, he’s applied those principles to his bold, graphic aesthetic in media both analog and digital, for projects both personal and commercial. Whether working in fine art or commercial applications, Matt W. Moore finds that each sparks the other. Graphic design projects often inform the Monumental Murals he paints in city neighborhoods around the world. His annual series of Watercolor Paintings in black and white might inform future Logo Designs. Crosspollinating between disciplines allows him to constantly refresh his perspective and produce unique work. Applying his vision to new surfaces or in collaboration with others always proves his credo.

You are a widely known and respected artist, designer and muralist – what creative concepts have you been focusing on most recently? In recent months I have been enjoying a nice range of different projects across disciplines. Over the Summer I was traveling a lot and painting murals. Now it is cooling off and I am back in the design studio, and as often as possible in my painting studio. Everyday is a new adventure. This week I have been designing graphic artworks for a 2015 wall calendar and prototyping the next collection for my furniture company Core Deco. How many on-site large scale artworks have you done over the years? • What parts of the world has this taken you to? Good question. I have never even thought to count. Over the last decade I have painted many dozens of large abstract murals all across the globe. Brazil, Japan, Russia, Scotland, England, Everywhere USA, France, Germany, Spain, Austria, and the list goes on. In addition to those murals I have also painted hundreds of letterbased ‘public artworks’.

What are the most regularlyused tools in your muralist tool-kit? Most of the walls I have done lately have been spraypainted. At a certain scale it becomes more practical to use bucket paint, but I prefer using spray. Plenty of paint, water, apples, granola bars, a big coffee, and good tunes.

How did the collaboration evolve? It was a natural process with Liam and team briefing me on the collection’s overall direction and aesthetic influences. From there I explored many different options and unique ways to tile the key graphics into hexagonal grids. Then I handed off those assets to Denham and they walked it through sampling and various applications. Were there any surprises in the final outcome? To be honest I have not even seen some of the results yet. I am excited to see everything and especially looking forward to wearing the jacket this Winter! Everything I have seen thus far looks awesome.

How did you first become acquainted with Denham? I’ve known about Denham for years and I have always had a great respect for the brand, their mission, and attention to detail. I think my first inperson experience was at Bread & Butter, but I had been following them online for a while prior to that.

When are you coming to Amsterdam to do a project? I can’t wait to return to Amsterdam. I am always happy to travel to cool cities to work on fun projects with great people.

691 STITCHES PER SCISSOR

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

WHAM-BAM-THANK-YOU-CANNES photo: Cannes Corporate

photo: Filmservice International_Peter Berger

FINALIST AWARD DENHAM PSYCHO ENTRANT FLICKERING WALL CLIENT DENHAM THE JEANMAKER

PRODUCER FLICKERING WALL DIRECTOR HUGO KEIJZER

We were excited to get word from Logan Marshall-Green recently that he would be sending us back the jean’s he wore during the arduous training he undertook as preparation for last year’s James Franco adaptation of “As I Lay Dying”. The film’s artistic spirit may have split some of the critics but everyone was unanimous regarding Franco’s “brave and interesting” treatment of the William Faulkner novel, and we’re generally fans of both “brave” and “interesting”.

DENHAM PYSCHO PICKS UP 2 AWARDS I nitiated

by :

F lickering W all

START SPREADING THE NEWS...

AGENCY STUDIO DE KEUKEN / DANGEROUS KITCHEN MUSIC COMPETITION BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT: CRAFT CATEGORY SOUND DESIGN BRAND DENHAM COUNTRY NETHERLANDS

photo: Marc Bryan-Brown

FINALIST AWARD DENHAM PSYCHO

-But adapting American southern gothic literature to film isn’t the only brave thing that was going on. MarshallGreen’s character in the story is a highly skilled horseman – a role that required him to learn enough “horse-craft” to ride bareback in the film. Logan was kind enough to invite our designers out to the ranch where he was working as volunteer stable-hand in exchange for training. It was a hot dry day in the hills above Malibu. Liam Maher (Design Director) & Marianne Fay (Head of Womenswear) felt like they’d stepped back to some golden Hollywood era – the time of Newman, Redford and McQueen maybe. And it was very cool to witness Denham jeans going through the same rugged paces associated with denim’s roots; real cowboy stuff.

N AT U R A L WORN DENIM

The notion of a great journey is usually central within the mythology of great cultures. Denim culture is no different. For us it is the heroic journey..

“Denham Service Co.” FROM OUR VIRGIN DENIM TO YOUR VINTAGE SERVICE & REPAIRS CENTRE

artwork: ikue kai

S E R V I C E S A R E AVA I L A B L E I N O U R A M S T E R DA M , TO K YO S TO R E S & SELEC T FL AGSHIP STORES

NEW A R R I VA L S PRE-SUMMER (15) COLLECTION IN STORES NOW

S THE SKISSOR TEE

pre-spring (15) graphic inspiration “The museum of everyday life” Ettore Guatelli, Museo del quotidiano - The objects in this north-Italian museum displays the familiar household tools and objects of everyday life. Each individual item perhaps makes no special impression, but by displaying thousands of objects grouped together, they are transformed into ornate geometric decorative patterns, and convert the farm barn interior into a modern gallery space. Life and works - The collection has been assembled by Ettore Guatelli (1921-2000). In the 1950’s Ettore Guatelli began collecting all kind of tools and objects of daily life, from hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, suitcases, clocks, shoes. The rhythmic geometric patterns as manifested on walls make it easy to forget about tools as daily objects.

BOLT SKINNY FIT

RAZOR SLIM FIT

NEW A R R I VA L S PRE-SUMMER (15) COLLECTION IN STORES NOW

“ A love Story” FROM NEW YORK CITY TO AMSTERDAM WITH LOVE

w ww.jeanstories.com Jean Stories is all about denim–who’s wearing it and making it, why we love it, and all the ways it reflects our lives and styles. Jane Herman Bishop, Creative Director Jane grew up in Los Angeles selling jeans at her family’s Ron Herman stores, where she got an informal denim education from some of the industry’s best. She found an outlet for her love of jeans as a fashion writer at Vogue, where she clocked the rise of the boyfriend, humorously shared her aversion to skinnies, and helped spread the news about labels like Rag & Bone, Current Elliott, Cheap Monday, and Acne. Before co-founding Jean Stories, she was online editor at T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Jane’s current obsession: Levi’s Orange Tab 606’s, Baldwin raws, and what she calls “90210”-style jeans with high waists and roomy legs. Florence Kane, Editorial Director Florence’s fondest denim memories were, until now, from the 90s: stealing her dad’s Levi’s and Pendleton plaids to wear to high school in San Diego; decorating her room with Calvin Klein Jeans ads. Later, as a fashion writer at Vogue, she wrote about (amongst other things) emerging denim labels and chronicled the comings and goings of trends and styles. After a stint in Los Angeles, where she was a senior editor at C Magazine, she returned to New York to co-found Jean Stories. Florence’s latest favorites: Any modern “mom” jean, with a mid rise and ripped knees.

In anticipation of the new Denham Womens Jeans Store we had a little Q&A with the Jeanstories girls.

What is key to a good pair of jeans for women? JANE: For me, it’s all about how a pair of jeans feel. This can be physical – they’re soft, they’re stretchy and make it easy to move around, or they sit just right on the waist. But the best jeans are emotional, too. They make you feel like yourself. Or they make you feel strong, or easy going, or up for anything. The key to good jeans for women is in their ability to

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“it isn’t about just one trend. It isn’t just about the skinny. The boyfriend, the bell, the flare, the boot cut, the girlfriend, the skinny-slouchy...a woman wants and needs to have all of these different fits in her wardrobe”

address how she wants to feel both physically and emotionally. FLORENCE: A good pair of jeans makes a woman feel like the best version of herself, whether that’s casual (in loose jeans and sneakers) or more dressed up (skinnies and stilettos). They set the mood for her whole look, but also can let her other pieces stand out. What do you reckon is the key trend for denim for women for Spring 15? JANE: There is so much denim in the spring collections but the trend in denim for spring is the really high waist. Come spring, women will be belting, cinching, and tightening everything, from belts to ropes and pieces of string, around their waists

to give themselves a natural curve. I love how this looks in jeans, with shirts tucked in, and I can’t wait to wear the look myself. FLORENCE: Jeans that accentuate the female form! Fashion’s eye is moving toward a look that shows our curves. And it’s really nice. JANE: What’s so exciting about denim for women right now is that it isn’t about just one trend. It isn’t just about the skinny. The boyfriend, the bell, the flare, the boot cut, the girlfriend, the skinny-slouchy...a woman wants and needs to have all of these different fits in her wardrobe because each one serves a different purpose and makes her feel all the different ways she wants to.

We had the pleasure meet Jane and Florence during their trip to Amsterdam one sunny day in May. This is their story..

AMSTERDAM, MAY 2014. Just before our trip to Amsterdam, Scott Morrison of 3×1 sent Jane an email with Jason in cc. We knew of Denham, Jason’s jeans company, and that he had a reputation for being a real denim designer’s designer, a man whom everyone from Adriano Goldschmied, to Jane’s dad Ron [Herman], and now Scott raved about about. Let’s say this: We weren’t leaving Amsterdam until we met him. But that we got to spend quality time with him in his stores and studio – a gorgeously cluttered room above the Denham men’s shop in a canal house in the city’s chic Nine Streets neighborhood – was a treat beyond. Thank you, Scott, for the invaluable introduction...

S SHARP SKINNY FIT

is about longevity. We encourage people to take care of and live in their jeans – to make them beautiful. You know, buy less, but maybe spend more money on something that lasts – that is being sustainable.

How long have you had the jeans you’re wearing now? One and a half years, and I’ve washed them twice, I think. Washing is a big deal at Denham, we see.

Yeah, we wash our jeans here in the garden at the store. We’ve developed a beautiful soap that has no perfume and no chemicals. It’s made of just pure natural enzymes. We’ll wash the jeans here for our customers with cold water, which keeps the beautiful character of the fabric. And there’s a bathtub down in the garden – and the guys do the washing on a Saturday. Why is the way people wash their jeans so important to you? We have this whole thing about sustainability. For us, sustainability

So when is it time for someone stop wearing a pair of your jeans and buy another? Here, I’ll show you…[he goes to get two pairs of jeans buried in the back of his office]. This is a pair that was unwashed from one of our guys, a DJ here in Amsterdam. He wore them every day, and they’ve just been worn to shreds. We have tons of these jeans in our archive. When they get like this, I guess you stop wearing them. What do you see happening in denim today?

Today, men’s jeans trends are shifting from heritage, selvedge, authentic tendencies to more performance, stretch, comfort – influenced heavily by fit. The guys are following the girls. What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think about your jeans? I really only get one word? Timeless.

If your jeans could talk, what would they say? They’d say ‘quality.’ Finish this sentence: In my jeans I am… Happy. Without my jeans I am… Sad. Tell us how you got started making jeans. I studied design in England, in Manchester, and when I left the University I got my first job – I had a really cool job as an intern for a really amazing designer called Joe Casely-Hayford and he had a project with U2. He made all of the jeans for Bono and the Edge, for the stage. It was crazy high-level stuff, jeans that cost thousands of pounds. The whole collection was based on a deck of cards, and so I would spend the whole night nailing rivets in the jeans in hearts and clubs and diamonds and spades. I’ve still got a pair of my own from that project. It was a great lesson. Then I moved to London to design jeans for Pepe, which was great schooling, and then I moved to Amsterdam and I started my own jeans line called Blue Blood. And then I started Denham about six years ago. What does Denham stand for? When I started Denham, I said it had to be about people, product, and presentation. So I tried very hard to hire good people and make

great product, and I think it’s really about storytelling. Like, here’s a really freaky story – when I started doing retail and opening stores, I fell it love with it. An auntie of mine called me about six months ago and said, You realize that your great grandfather was a retailer. And I didn’t realize that – but he was

called John James Denham, and he had confectionary chocolate stores called JJ Denham. And when I saw this [pointing to a photograph of one of his grandfather’s stores in his office; see below], I couldn’t believe that his font and the way it his signage is done is so similar to my own. I mean, it’s almost exactly the same. Plus, the fact that your last name is Denham, pronounced like denim… Yeah. I just had a baby, and when we were thinking of names for her, I thought, Wow that would be really bad if I called my kid Blue or Jean. Blue Denham? Jean Denham? We can’t do that. We named her Jasmine.

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all photos: Melody Lieftink

DENHAM X TENUE DE NIMES THE DOUBLE-DUTCH PROJECT

Celebrating the launch of the J.V. Gusset sweat with limited edition artwork co-designed with Menno and Rene from Tenue de Nimes: “we were triggered by vintage Japanese denim and chambray monogram fabrics and wanted to present our ‘cross’ insignia alongside both the Denham ‘scissor’ logo and the city of Amsterdam’s three-X ’s icon in a way that evoked the feeling of those traditional Japanese textile monograms”.

all photos: Melody Lieftink

Invited to take part of the Vogue Fashion Night Out, Denham hosted a special night where sculptor and jewelry designer Bibi van der Velden created a unique design based on the scissor. Printed on the night on VOGUE tees, and hand-embelished in Bibi’s own imitable style.

denhamthejeanmaker Hosted by Jason Denham “The Truth is in the Details” w ww.denhamthejeanmaker.com

Denham “Social Club” G O online AND R E AD AB OU T The Scissor Archive , The DGL., Highlights from the Service Co., Special E ventS and Openings. W W W W.denhamthejeanmaker .com FOLLOW DENHAM ON INSTAGRAM. From the Amsterdam studio, through Japan’s denim mills to Italy ’s best washhouses and back again….