SUNDAY SELVAGE by
“As soon as I realized the origin of all the specific details I started to buy these vintage garments and that’s also how I got to know about Cone Denim® as my first vintage pieces were from Levi’s, Big E’s from the 1960’s.”
Wouter Munnichs long-john.nl
1
H o w ea r l y on in your denim ca reer did you come a cross Cone Denim®?
I started in the denim industry at a young age of 17 when I started at Diesel jeans. Back in the time, the early 1990s, they had a special line called Old Glory. This premium collection was based on the originals, Levi’s, Lee and Wrangler. I was hooked on this collection since day one, but didn’t know back than where all the references came from until I started to check out eBay much later. As soon as I realized the origin of all the specific details I started to buy these vintage garments and that’s also how I got to know about Cone Denim as my first vintage pieces were from Levi’s, Big E’s from the 1960’s.
Vintage Levi’s 506XX jacket from 1940s
2 3
Wha t kind s of denim fa brics a nd weights d o you persona l l y gra vi ta te to wa rd s? Personally to wear, I love fabrics that are around 14oz, this is the perfect weight for me as you can easily wear it all year round, even during Summer. They are easy to break in, and comfortable to wear. I love darker toned fabrics, so fabrics made with ring spun thread that are dipped around 11 – 13 times in indigo.
If you coul d onl y wea r one jea n for A N en tire yea r, Which of the big 3 (L e vi ’s, L ee & Wra ngl er) woul d you wea r a nd which model number? That’s a tough question as I really love all of the Big 3! But, if I need to pick one, I would pick a pair of Lee Cowboy repro jeans from 1946, the 101B (Button).
Original Lee Cowboy jeans from the 1940s
4
Wha t ’s the ol des t piece of denim you ha ve in your a r chi ve? I collected quite a big archive over the years, and have some original miner waist overall denim pairs too, they were rescued in mines from the Nevada area. One of them is an early Levi’s waist overall which is produced in the early 1900s. It’s only the left leg, the other leg is mostly used for saving (repairing) another pair of waist overalls, or to fasten a candle or something. This pair of Levi’s 501XX waist overalls is probably produced somewhere between 1901 and 1921. In 1901 the brand added their second back pocket, the left one as one this pair, which completed the 5-pockets jeans because they had now five pockets. On the waistband are only suspender buttons, so it’s produced before 1922 as the brand added belt loops that year. With these facts, I know it’s produced between those two years.
Unbranded pair of 1940s jeans, found in a mine in the U.S
The early 1900s Levi’s waist overalls
5
You ha ve cura ted many notabl e denim exhibitions with denim days; Any favourites over the years?
All of them were super nice to work on as every collector or archive is built with a different angle. So, it’s hard to choose as the collection from Ruedi Karrer (aka Swiss Jeans Freak) is based on the ageing / fading process of raw denim, while the collection of Antonio di Battista, owner of Blue Blanket jeans, is historical wise very interesting, and the collection of Jason Denham, founder Denham, is a mix of interesting indigo pieces, history styles, but also unique pieces which he developed over the years with his own brand(s). As said, all of them were super fun and interesting The American Brand from the ’30’s. 10oz to dive into and pick a selection work pant featured during Amsterdam Denim Days, Jason Denham expo curated of inspirational pieces to show to by Wouter Munnichs, long-john blog people.
6
Is there a ny denim a r chi ve oR s tudio you wish to visi t a nd rumma ge through? There’re many on my wishlist, but a few of them are the Levi’s Archive in San Francisco, the Lee archives, but also the Diesel archive in Italy which is around 120K pieces. It must be crazy, and it needs some time to check this out! Next to these, there’re also other archives on my wishlist as the archive from Elleti in Italy, the archive of Mohsin Sajid (Endrime), Eric Maggiori (Avant Magazine), and many more…
Wouter Munnichs and Mohsin Sajid at Bluezone
7
Is there A process A T a denim mil l tha t you enjoy the most from spinning, d ying, wea ving OR finishing? I love the dyeing process as it stays magical to see how the green-ish colored threads are slowly turning blue when coming in contact with oxygen. But, the sound of up and running authentic shuttle looms is one of the most beautiful to hear. Noisy, but very cool!
Cone Denim Parras, Mexico
8 9
Wha t sus ta ina bl e fibers d o you think o ther denim hea d s shoul d l ea rn a bou t? I think Hemp is very interesting, and also an important one. It has so many benefits compared to cotton as it’s natural anti-bacterial, very strong, biodegradable and compostable, comfortable to wear, and Hemp plants are easy to grow and need less water than cotton for example.
A s a denim hea d wha t d o you think a bou t Denim ma de from rec ycl ed fibres or a Jea n no t ma de wi th co t ton? For me it’s simple, if it looks cool, it’s cool! I like authentic original styles, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use new or other ways to achieve the same results on a more earth friendly way. It’s good to look backwards, but in the end we have to move on and focus on the future.
10
Sa nforized or unsa nforized fa bric? As I like ready to wear garments I would go for Sanforized as I don’t need to soak or wash them upfront before starting to wear it. But, on the otherhand, if you start with a unsanforized garment, it will, or can, really mold to your body. But in the end I would say, Sanforized.
Sanforization patented by Sanford Lockwood Cluett (1874–1968) in 1930
Original Levi’s 501XX from the 1930’s. This is one of the first pairs with the legendary Red Tab as it was introduced in 1936. And, also one of the last pair with a cinch as they removed it later during WW2.
11
Red ca s t oR Green ca s t? Green cast it is for me, to see the fabric ageing more and more with a green-ish finish makes a pair of jeans extra special. It’s less common, but very cool!
Green Cast Image from:
Red Cast
12
Right Ha nd Twil l or L eft ha nd twil l? The soft feeling after wear and wash from left hand twills is unbeatable.
Super rare pair of Wrangler Blue Bell jeans, made from left hand fabric, and with arcuates on the back pocket. This jeans is also known as the Proto Type of Wrangler as it was their first jeans made back in 1947, and they switched the arcuates into double W (Western Wear) stitches in 1948. This means that this pair was only produced for 1 year.
13
Wha t a re you working on right no w?
On daily base I keep my online denim magazine Long John up and running, so creating a lot of articles and content each day, this year already for 10 years! Next to that, I’m also working as a freelance denim specialist for brands, retailers and mills. Most of the time I’m creating content for them too, but also giving denim workshops, creating new concepts, educate (store) staff, and be involved in many marketing related projects. And, I’m also part of the Denim Days team in Amsterdam, so at the moment I’m busy with the new website which we recently launched. And last but not least, I’m also co-founder of the leather brand Butts and Shoulders. With this brand we’re always working on mostly new footwear styles for men. Recently we launch a new Chelsea style in our collection. I’m very pleased that each day is diverse, which makes it such a pleasure to do what I love to do the most! Wouter Munnichs, long-john.nl
ConeDenim.com
SUNDAY SELVAGE by
“I do love the history and when I started to work with denim, I began to read books about it and that’s when I really started to learn about Cone Denim®, as they are a massive part of the Denim Story.”
Ian Berry Art in Denim
1
Ho w did you firs t hea r A BOU T Cone Denim®?
Secret Garden by Ian Berry
Cone Denim® was for sure the earliest mill I came across, but it did take me a while to understand the ‘industry’. It may sound bizarre, but looking back about 15 years ago, I would have thought that brands – like Levi’s and Lee - made their own denim material. Speaking to people even now, some make this assumption. I think we can forget the world outside sometimes as we become within a bubble. I’ve only got a tiny toe in the denim industry - most of my world is out of it. I was no denim expert when I started, indeed I think knowing too much about the fabric can be a distraction, I love how the average person thinks and feels about denim. But I do love the history and when I started to work with denim, I began to read books about it and that’s when I really started to learn about Cone Denim®, as they are a massive part of the Denim Story. I visited North Carolina in 2018, saw the original White Oak mill and the rest of Greensboro
and love the city. Revolution Mill, which was one of Cone’s mills from the early 1900s, is one of the best examples of regeneration I have seen anywhere. In the early years of working with denim, I was contacted by many different people in the industry – initially many brands reached out. Then I began receiving emails from mills and other people connected with denim – to be honest not being from the industry, I had no idea who everyone was… I later realized that some were big players within the world of denim. Every other day my inbox would sound - sometimes even from different departments in the same company! Most of the requests were the same, and they would seem shocked when I didn’t want to show at a trade fair, half way near the back, next to the loo’s. What’s the story? What’s the message? Real art isn’t used for commerce this way. What’s the link between me and the brand? Put a piece of art in the local cafe and it is seen and perceived differently than if that same piece is in a national museum, right? This may have been a long winded way of saying I wanted to create a story that was authentic, and also to become a better artist. If a mill or brand or supplier wanted to help with this journey, then great.
Ian Berry with Evan Morrison
Revolution Mill regeneration
Cone Denim® has helped so much with the many Secret Gardens and we’ve shown it in numerous places around the world, from The National Textile Museum of Sweden to a permanent installation in San Fran, with several in London, then France, Barcelona and the Netherlands. The first Secret Garden was at The Children’s Museum of the Arts in New York, where Cone helped out on very short notice. We now have a story together. An actual collaboration. So continuing to work together with Cone is real and authentic. Left: Secret Garden NYC by Ian Berry Below Right: Cone Denim® 125th Anniversary, Amsterdam Denim Days, 2017
That said it was a long time before I met with anyone from Cone Denim®, I think it was as late as 2017. I had seen them at the first Denim Days in Amsterdam which we both were at with their great display for Cone’s 125th Anniversary, as I say, I’m a sucker for history. To be frank, its unrivalled, right? Then two years later we met at the Denim Days event in NYC. I think somewhere along the lines of the first accidental meeting I joked, ‘I think you’re the only mill to never approach me’, in which the response was ‘I didn’t think you would want to work with a mill, so we never wanted to ask’.. within a few months we were both in a New York Museum.
2
Wha t kind s of denim fa brics a nd weights d o you persona l l y gra vi ta te to wa rd s in your work? I must say that while I wear heavier weights now understanding the whole denimhead and raw denim thing more, I like to wear them, not cut them. Heavier weights don’t go down too well within my more traditional work. As they become three dimensional, the work is at risk of creating too many shadows. I like quite smooth and washed fabrics, however... best not give away any secrets hey! I realised only the last few years that I think it is the Indigo that I love the most about denim, you think blue a cold colour, but I find indigo so deep and warm.
3 Ian Berry on a Cone Denim® chesterfield sofa
Wha t ’s THE big ges t piece of denim a r t you ha ve persona l l y crea ted? Does size matter? I could answer this question in many ways. One, there are the detailed “paintings” and then there are the installations, the latter that Cone Denim® has particularly helped with. For the paintings, I think the biggest was 5 meters tall. Another was I think about 3 meters by 3 meters. For these, an issue with how big is actually dependent on the material I can get, how wide the ‘canvas’ or the roll of denim. The same with what I depict, as I use old jeans I rely on the shape and size of denim, so it can stop me from going too big. The widest part of the jean is often on the rear, below the pocket. Of course sometimes I use denim jackets or a dress, but I like the textures from denim in a pair of jeans. It can be problematic to plan, as you can only use the material you can get your hands on. As I’ve said a few times, I can’t mix denim like you can paint. Then there are the installations and they can be huge. Some of the Gardens, like in San Fran and in Sweden now, filled large rooms and used a lot of material.
4
Is there a nywhere in the worl d you s til l woul d l ike to d o a ma jor exhibi tion or l ike to visi t to ga in inspira tion for your nex t projec t? There’s many places around the world I would love to take my art, and have plans to, some sorted, some in conversations which have been put on the back burner due to Covid. I think the work needs to be seen in real life, and that is why I have had the work shown around Europe these last two years, in Holland, Germany, Basel and Sweden as well as what I did with Genoa, since my last London show. I also love to see the world with my work and have travelled so many great places over the years. I love to see places that way, seeing it with the people from there, from big cities to places I may never have visited had it not been for the art. It perhaps isn’t right, but I try not to talk about what I will do. It can be an awful way to live but I have the mantra you can copy what I have done, but not what I will do. I’m also quite superstitious and don’t want to tempt fate. My work isn’t just about denim however, it’s mainly just the medium I see the world in, from rural beginnings I think it is now a very urban fabric. So I’d say now I’m very interested in urban centres and the changing fabric of those places. We are seeing great changes happening so fast and I like to document them. I wish I could tell you more as some of it I think you would find very interesting. Of course, given I am speaking with you.. I’m a romantic and I hate to tempt fate but pre COVID there were talks of showing in Greensboro, the home of Cone, with the city and others. Let’s see if one day in the future there will be a show in ‘Jeansboro’ - I am grateful to the city for putting on such a good show last year with the #iclapfor projection.
Denim Legends series at Textil Museet
5
Can you tel l us more about your most recent exhibition? Somehow since Covid I have managed to have 5 shows in foreign countries, with my only cancelled show ironically being in the UK. It’s not been easy to navigate with quarantines, Brexit, shipping issues and all kinds of things. With the latest one in Sweden, I wasn’t officially allowed into the country until the rules changed just a week before - so it’s not been easy with as much time spent figuring it all out as spending time in the studio. This latest one at Textil Museet in Sweden, the national Textile Museum, I actually think is the best showing of my work ever, from the lighting to how the work is curated and all comes together. I’ve been working with denim for over 15 years and this brings many collections together which on the surface many wouldn’t naturally go together. Some pieces were made for big installations for example so once taken out, the context changes. Collaborating with the designer
Jonathan Christopher really helped to bridge the show together. Jonathan, known for his work with dead stock, did an amazing job of reflecting my work into a garment. He designed and created a garment based on each body of work. So Behind Closed Doors, the Hotel California series, the American Jean, my Bound portrait and of course, the highlighted piece was what the Secret Garden led to. I particularly love this garden with the black walls. As said, I’ve created a few with Cone along with our friends at Tonello yet each one is different. The sound that people made walking in to the room is something I will really treasure, I don’t think it’s normal! Denim Legends series by Ian Berry
Cone Denim® of course. The Textil Museet show is also the first time the Denim Legends series is being shown and it’s an ongoing piece that is asking people who their Denim Legends are, the people who shaped the material we now wear without thought of why. For this project it is specifically the icons from the silver screen, TV, music and Pop Culture. 30 portraits have been made and there will be around 50/57 in the final Bound & Behind Closed Doors by Ian Berry piece and people can still have their say. Of The show also displays another version of course I have an idea, as this project has my Living Room, spread across the museum. been kicking around for 15 years and I’ve And the Denim furniture? Upholstered with done a lot of research. Who do you say?
Hotel California series by Ian Berry ©
ConeDenim.com
SUNDAY SELVAGE by
“I’m increasingly concerned about what we don’t talk about as much as what we do… The fact that as an industry we need to stop the cycle of creating and fulfilling false need.”
Janelle Hanna White Weft
1
I was lucky to grow up in a place where When wa s the firs t denim was made. There was still a textile time you used denim? industry in Northern Ireland and Desmonds D id you work in a denim made jeans for Marks and Spencer’s in my home town. Uncles, cousins and family mil l in Irel a nd when friends worked there and I was sent to the factory on work experience when I was 17 you s tudied fa shion?
as it was they only thing in town related to fashion design. I remember making a hideous pair of trousers that week - wouldn’t call them jeans, out of a very stretchy denim and I learnt to use an over locker. It was amazing to have that insight at such a young age, to see a laundry and know that fabrics have warps, wefts and shrinkages!!
Janelle at the White Weft studio
2
When wa s the FIRS T time yo u used Cone Denim®? I started my career on the UK high streetWhen I moved to Wrangler there were Cone fabrics around for the Bluebell range and we’d coo over them…but I was on womenswear so it wasn’t until I moved back to the UK and started designing more premium collections at King and Tuckfield, Blackhorse Lane and Paul Smith that I finally got a chance to use some.
Garments designed by Janelle for King & Tuckfield
“I was lucky to grow up in a place where denim was made. There was still a textile industry in Northern Ireland … Uncles, cousins and family friends worked there and I was sent to the factory on work experience when I was 17”
3
Wha t kind of denim fa bric s a nd weigh ts d o you g ra vi ta te to wa rd s? A very predictable 14oz vintage look for jeans – like Triganic or Re-American classic. These days I normally go for organic cotton or a blend with some recycled [cotton], TENCEL™ or hemp. But I also love to work with denim in softer product, overalls, modern workwear even casual tailoring so I love a 10oz rigid as well.
Blackhorse Lane Ateliers denim designed by Janelle
4
You ’r e kno wn for spea king out a ga ins t greenwa shing - wha t ’s the mos t significa n t concern you ha ve come a cross l a tel y? I’m increasingly concerned about what we don’t talk about as much as what we do. Like producing less. The fact that as an industry we need to stop the cycle of creating and fulfilling false need. As long as this is the business plan no amount of “water saving” or circular initiatives will ever be enough to keep us on track for 1.5 degrees. Then there’s the waste, denim should never be a throw away product and yet we know that the Atacama desert and the beaches and oceans of Accra in Ghana are strewn with unwanted jeans from the global north. Why is that? Some were probably poor quality and just didn’t wear or wash well – many were just deemed undesirable- off trend. All were “donated”, sent away, but in reality, dumped. We all have to question our part in feeding into this cycle.
White Weft products are re-crafted from denim waste
5 White Weft
What smal l steps can designers and companies take to become more sustainabl e? Company’s: pay living wages, eliminate exploitation from your supply chains and establish traceability. Designers: fabric first, choose a good fabric, with the strongest possible environmental and social assurances and maximum durability- and always work to improve that. Fabric is our biggest impact, if your fabric is crap or you don’t know where the cotton has come from don’t spend time fussing about eco hang tags or a button -put all the time into developing that fabric, knowing the supply chain and impact and then run with it, get to know what you can do with it, keep the fabric selection narrow to make more time for deeper knowledge… And don’t rip jeans.
6
What are you currentl y working on at the moment? These days I’m working a lot designing products with denim waste, industrial and post consumer, for my own brand @white_ weft – we’ve just made some beautiful denim baseball caps and some of them definitely have Cone swatches in them! I’ve always got some consulting projects on the go as well, often with emerging brands who are passionate about ethical and environmentally responsible design. At the moment I’m working on some work wear inspired overalls, an upcycling project for a big retailer and starting out on a new project involving a very radical super short supply chain from field to finished garment.
White Weft baseball caps made with Cone Denim®
ConeDenim.com
SUNDAY SELVAGE by
“For women in the 1930s, Lady Levi’s® offered a sense of freedom, practicality and independence to dress, work and live like men had for generations.”
Tracey Panek Historian at Levi Strauss & Co.
Right: Tracey holds jeans from the Levi’s® archive
1
Ho w l ong ha ve you been the his toria n a t L e vi S tra uss?
I started in 2014. It’s been eight years already! I have a graduate degree in history and grew up attending high school in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains wearing 501® jeans. Levi’s® is such an iconic brand. I love the history of the company, born in the American West and woven into the fabric of so many key cultural events from the late nineteenth century to today.
Inside pocket detail that Barbara read, confirming she had a pair of Levi’s vintage jeans
2
Left: Timolin with her mother Barbara Hunter Kepon. Below: The Last Chance Mine, Placer County, California, USA, 1882
Wha t ’s yo ur Fa vori te piece a nd why in the L e vi ’s a r chi ve? There are lots of pieces in the Levi’s® Archives that are favorites but Calico (1890) is extra special. Why? Few encounters match the surprise meeting I had just one month into my job. It began with a phone call. On the other end of the line was Barbara Hunter Kepon, who 65 years earlier had donated one of the oldest pairs of waist overalls in our Archives, a pair named Calico that dated back to 1890. She was going to be in San Francisco and wanted to drop by to visit the jeans. Archivist Stacia Fink and I jumped at the chance to meet Barbara, who was then 83, and her daughter, Timolin. As a teenager living in San Gabriel, California in the late 1940s, Barbara explored the Calico Mine while camping one weekend. She discovered a room filled with jeans and took the best pair of the bunch. She patched them and wore them for a time until she noticed something interesting on the pocket, our Two Horse Trademark print, and wrote to LS&Co. Barbara ended up donating the jeans we dubbed, “Calico.” Barbara passed away recently. I’m glad I had a chance to meet her.
3
Is there a s tor y you ca n sha re a bo u t a uniq ue piece in the a rchi ve or i ts d is co ver y? Purchasing the Levi Strauss & Co. leather jacket famously owned by Albert Einstein will probably rank among my most memorable career experiences. By sheer coincidence, I was scheduled to be in London during the week of the auction to deliver five garments to the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum for a fall exhibit. I decided to bid in person.
Above: Albert Einstein (1879-1955) wearing the brown leather ‘Cossack’ jacket by Levi, Strauss & Co. [c.1935].
I still remember the scene. The Einstein jacket was prominently displayed near the front of the room. A large screen monitor for online bidding was set up near the back and a selection of auction items—including the illuminated manuscripts and the Bach composition— were displayed around the room. I chose a seat near the back, trying to calm my nerves. People filtered into the auction room, many on cell phones speaking in a variety of languages. The auctioneer entered, checked
equipment, gathered his gavel, and convened the bidding. A photograph of the lot with the current bidding price was projected onto a large screen with British pounds at the top and converted rates in US Dollars, Euros and others currencies beneath. The auctioneer scanned the room between bids. “Brazil at 40k,” he’d call, referring to an offer coming in online. Other times he’d nod to someone raising a paddle or speak the name of a Christie’s agent conferring with a bidder on the phone. By the time the auctioneer reached Lot 129, the Bach manuscript, my heart was pounding furiously, especially once the hammer hit the podium at a whopping $2.8 million. Bidding for the Einstein jacket began at 28,000 GBP and the auctioneer set the bid increments. I stayed out of the initial bidding, waiting for a pause before raising my paddle. For a time, the bidding volleyed back and forth between myself and someone on the phone. The priced jumped higher and higher until I made one final bid at 90,000 GBP and waited anxiously for the auctioneer to confirm that there were no counterbids. And then the hammer dropped. I felt like shouting for joy when I heard it hit the podium!
Top: Albert Einstein’s brown leather ‘Cossack’ jacket by Levi, Strauss & Co. [c.1935]. Above: Thomas Venning with the jacket at Christie’s.
4
Levi ’s introduced the world ’s first women’s blue jeans in the earl y 1930s called Lady Levi ’s L o t 701. Can you tel l us a l ittl e about this iconic jean? Levi Strauss & Co. forever changed women’s fashion with the introduction of Lady Levi’s® Lot 701 jeans — the world’s first jeans made exclusively for women—in 1934. Historically, women and blue jeans did not mix. It was in the American West, where women first won the right to vote in the U.S., that women were spunky enough to don denim riveted pants.
Left: No. 701 Illustration from Levi’s®
First developed for western women wearing Levi’s® jeans on farms and ranches, the new line was also aimed at women vacationing at dude ranches, working cattle or horse ranches that welcomed guests flocking from eastern states or even Europe. By 1935 a dude ranching article appeared in Vogue magazine featuring the new Lady Levi’s® line.
Above: Advertising feature from the May 15, 1935 issue of Vogue
5
Wha t d o you think i t mea n t for l a dies in tha t era to ge t their o wn workwea r o vera l l s? For women in the 1930s, Lady Levi’s® offered a sense of freedom, practicality and independence to dress, work and live like men had for generations.
Images depict women vacationing at dude ranches. Top Left: Women wearing Levi’s® jeans in the 1930s. Middle Left: “Showing their Levi’s” postcard from the California Rodeo, Salinas (July 13–16, 1939), 1939. Levi Strauss & Co. Archives. Bottom Left: SF World’s Fair
Above: Lady Levi’s® Advertising from the 1950s
ConeDenim.com
SUNDAY SELVAGE by
“Sustainable technology should not be treated as intellectual property. Saving the planet is a collective effort we all need to make together.”
Miles Johnson milesjohnson.co.uk
1
Wha t ’s THE ea r l ies t memor y you ha ve of d enim? When I was a kid, every year my Mother would buy me a new pair of jeans. They were usually a pair of Wranglers and came stiff as a board. I would break them in at the start of the summer and because I was a very active kid, having worn them most days, would usually have worn them out by the time I had to go back to school, come September. If I hadn’t gone through the knees from roller-skating that jean would get passed to my sister or brother. This introduction has stayed with me; that a new pair of jeans meant fun and adventure and having a tough, quality denim meant you were set up for anything.
Top: Miles fishing as a child in jeans 1976. Above: Miles and his siblings adventuring through childhood in denim 1981.
2 Top: Miles with the Levi’s® team at Cone Denim®. Middle: Here Miles was “very excited to be stood next to all the Draper looms at White Oak, weaving the selvage constructions we were using in LVC. (Levi’s® Vintage Clothing).” Right: Miles looking at Cone Denim® qualities.
When wa s the FIRs t time yo u used Cone Denim ? I was introduced to Cone Denim® when I started to work at Levi’s®. I worked on the 501 at the start and then went on to design Levi’s® Vintage Clothing. Working with the team at Cone Mills as well as the fabric developers at Levi’s®, I learnt so much about replicating the original cloth and all the traditions and disciplines that went into Cone Denim®. There is so much of that knowledge and passion that never leaves you. I keep it as my ultimate direction to create the best denim.
Levi’s® RED™ ad Spring/Summer 2014.
3
Wha t kind s of denim fa bric s a nd weigh ts d o you g ra vi ta te to wa rd s? I gravitate to right hand twill denim, a rich red cast shade, an irregular slub in the warp yarn, a hint of a rustic nep, a 13-15oz and an unbleached weft. I never tire of this look and feel. There are so many new and clever ways to reinterpret denim traditions, but some things were around for generations because they were so good when done a certain way that lasts.
Cone Denim® red cast denim. Garment designed by Miles Johnson.
Miles’s denim studio
4
You ’r e kno wn for hea d ing up L e vi ’s XX, Pa ta gonia a nd being a t the forefron t of ma king sus ta ina bl e prod uc ts; wha t exci tes you a bout denim in 2022? I’m excited to see the amount of sustainable innovations that have gone into the denim industry the last 5/6 years. It’s obviously gained a lot of momentum and soon we will be able to share the knowledge to the solutions we’ve collectively found to make denim in the most clean and responsible way. Nobody wants the denim to change, just the way it is produced, not polluting or wasting at any stage.
5
Wha t sma l l s teps ca n designers a nd compa nies ta ke to tr y a nd become more s us ta ina bl e? Make commitments and create clear goals for the future, so companies have something to work towards. Share information openly and if you are struggling to achieve goals ask another company, who you think are doing a good job, how they do it. Sustainable technology should not be treated as intellectual property. Saving the planet is a collective effort we all need to make together.
6
Tel l us a bou t your po t ter y work.
For the last 6 years, I’ve turned to clay as a therapeutic pastime. I love to centre a ball of mud on a wheel and throwing a useful and beautiful vessel. Using my hands to create something practical, not waste anything and make something that can last for generations is not so different to the philosophy I started out with when I first began to design with denim.
7
D o you use a n y of the sa me tho ugh t processes for yo ur work in Denim? Making something which you can reach for every day and have pleasure using, which can give you a sense of calm, is not so different to my feelings and attachment to my jeans. A sense of purpose and function applies to the designs I love the most.
ConeDenim.com