Get Your Art + Denim On

Prps does a masterful job of designing men's jeans using inventive techniques that are innovative, yet palatable and as any purveyor of denim knows, mens jeans can be tricky when it comes to navigating the two ideals. Now we know the reason why. Donwan Harrell, Creative Director Prps, is not only a genius denim designer, but he's also an artist! 

Harrell is going to give us a peek inside his head this month by displaying his artwork at the Community 54 boutique in the East Village. I'm kind of excited about this. Many visionary designers have other creative outlets and it's inspiring to see what they can do with other mediums.

The exhibit runs till next Tuesday, January 20th. Ill be heading there this weekend so keep watching this space for pics if you're not able to make it.  

 

The White Cotton Button-Down v.2.0

Photo credit Akihiro Yoshida Japanese Brand Nendo is re-imagines the plain white button-down

We usually don't think much about our white button-downs. They're boring. They are as common as a pair of jeans and are necessary for a complete wardrobe because at some point, like a job interview, you're going to need it. However, unlike a pair of jeans, those days when we don't need it we seldom think of it. 

Japanese design firm Nendo took on the task of re-imagining the plain white button-down and the result is something that is altogether unique, yet amazingly simple. The designs maintain the core aesthetic of the shirt, but when viewed more closely, the subtle details become more prominent. Some of those details are a white necktie of the same material constructed into the collar. The effect is seamless and almost origami like, no? Another shirt has a bottomless shirt pocket with a built in lens cloth for storing glasses.

Hopefully, Nendo's project will inspire other brands to get a little more creative with button-downs because just because it's a necessity doesn't mean it has to be boring. 

See more of Nendo's designs after the jump...

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Levi's Creates a Field of Jeans out of the 49ers Football Field

Levi's Stadium - Home of the San Francisco 49ers

Two weeks, 18,850 pairs of jeans and 1 football stadium -those were the components used to create Levi's "Field of Jeans" at the Levi's Stadium in San Francisco. 

The project was a joint venture between Levi's and Goodwill in an effort to raise awareness for recycling and keeping used clothing out of landfills. This effort alone kept 12 tons of textiles out of landfills which reduced CO2 emissions by 175,000 pounds. According to Levi's, that's the equivalent of driving roundtrip cross country from NY to San Francisco 36 times. Crazy. 

Read more about the effort at Levi Strauss Unzipped.

Can You Create Sound with Denim?

The Candiani Denim Symphonie Loom on Stage 

Can color produce sound? Can we communicate through smell? If a tree falls in the forest etc, etc, blah, blah, blah. Philosophers and scientists have been trying to answer those questions for generations, but it took a denim manufacturer to create sound with jeans...sort of.

Albert Candiani of Candiani Denim Mills is also a music producer and artist. With his metaphysically titled band Army of the Universe, Candiani began an electro-textile-sound project called The Candiani Denim Symphonie which combines the denim manufacturing process with the creation of music. To bring it down to earth a bit, the band composes music around the sound of a shuttle loom weaving denim. Not a pre-recorded sound either, but a real live loom which they bring to their performances. Talk about authenticity!

I'm going to disconnect from you at this moment as words cannot convey what the eyes must see. That was my attempt at being philosophical. Translation: click on the picture above to see the performance. 

 

 

When Did CAT Get So Cool!

Cat Footwear

 

CAT as in Caterpiller as in the construction equipment has been on an epic rebranding mission that kicked off last spring with a runway show in Brooklyn Navy Yard featuring their workwear-inspired street shoes (see CAT Footwear's Night of Booze and Shoes). 

This week CAT took it to the people with the opening of a pop-up store in 47th and Lex that hailed the return of the brand's original Colorado boot available for the first time in the US since the 1990's. And what's a launch without the requisite street artist to add to the "it" factor. In CAT's case the "it" factor was multiplied by five as artists Ivan Orama, James Gulliver Hancock, Liz Lomax, Amanda Dolan, and Misha Tyutyunik unveiled their reinterpretations of the Colorado boot in an exhibition aptly title "Colorado Couture".  

The pop-up shop will be open the entire month of October and will feature 3 limited-edition styles never before available in the US. If Cara Delevinge, Beyonce and Rihanna are any indication, workwear boots are set to make a huge comeback so you might want to hop on over there before the month ends. 

 

Scroll down to see the rest of the collection and images from the launch.

 

 

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Barneys New York Hosting Limited Edition J Brand x Rob Pruitt Collaboration

 

J Brand x Rob Pruitt "620 mid-rise skinny" in black/grey released hem and red/purple, blue/green dégradé colorways

 

When art and fashion collide it is a glorious thing and when that collision occurs with denim, it is truly magnificent.

Contrary to what your eyes are telling you, the image above is not an illusion created by photoshop. It is actually a limited edition collaboration between artist Rob Pruitt and J Brand Jeans available exclusively at Barneys New York. At this point you're probably viewing the photo again trying to discern if I'm pulling your leg. I assure you it's real. Pruitt has perfected the art of gradient painting and is widely known for the technique. 

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Rialto Jean Project Brings Art Therapy to Denim Design

Rialto Jean Project repurposes vintage jeans for a good cause

 

There's been a growing trend among entrepreneurs in varying industries to incorporate philanthropy into the mission of their startups and it's always amazing to see the creative ways in which apparel designers give back.

Erin Feniger, Founder and Creative Director of the Rialto Jean Project has a unique approach to denim design. Feniger sources vintage denim from reputable brands such as Levi's and hand paints them in her Venice, California studio. The result is an entire line of artfully paint spattered jeans.

A quick look at the RJP site and I found three basic silhouettes -boyfriend, skinny and flare, all of which have a range of colors and styles. There's also a service for those who'd prefer to have jeans customized to their own personal tastes, but with every jean in the line being custom only the pickiest of customers would ever need such a service. 

Proceeds from the jeans, which cost up to $200, goes to fund art therapy programs for children at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles which is documented on their website.

Their motto is "Denim Doing Good". I like it.

Scroll down to see more pictures of the Rialto Jean Project.

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Marc Newson and G-Star RAW Celebrate a Decade of Design Together

 

Rita Ora and Cara Delavinge in the G-Star RAW x Marc Newson 'Reversible Tour Jacket' from the 10th Anniversary collection

 

 

It has been ten glorious years for G-Star RAW and industrial designer Marc Newson in their longtime, ongoing collaboration G-Star RAW x Marc Newson. That's reason to celebrate right? Well celebrate they did at London's Design Museum.

 

In true G-Star fashion, the celebration documented the decade-long collab by combining artwork with glass-compressed garments in custom flight cases for a museum style exhibit that displayed both the brand's and Newson's visionary approach to, well, everything.

 

“I think it is admirable that G-Star has the vision to embrace one industry’s ability to learn from another. They understand that design is a way of a company differentiating itself.”

                -Marc Newson  

 

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Artistix Transforms Art into Streetwear

It's always amazing to see the results of an artist that works in multiple mediums. 

I was able to preview a new clothing line by artist Greg Polisseni called Artistix where he takes his artwork and translates it into clothing and accessories. For example, a rendering of the American flag (above) was translated into a scarf and may possibly be picked up as a stamp. How cool is that? Of course, there were plenty of denim in jeans, jackets and shorts, but they were merely complimentary when paired next to the graphic pieces. Polisseni's artwork is such that it will appeal to those who eschew the current clean lines, boxy shapes and sporty looks that are current right now. Although pieces like that scarf will appeal to most anyone. Even more appealing, a percentage of money made from sales goes to charities such as Wounded Warriors. Pretty amazing. 

See more below...

Oscar-Nominated Films, Levi's & Cinema History

The Jets Own the Streets
West Side Story — MOVIECLIPS.com

 

 

The Oscars have come and gone. I spent the day like most others, watching the red carpet, catching a moment here and there, losing interest and finding out the winners by checking my Twitter and Facebook every now and then. Well, maybe that's not how everyone spent it. The show did reach an average 43 million viewers and Ellen Degeneres did break the twitter record. Sooo. I guess I take it all back. 

The long and short is, as the editor of a site that focuses on denim and sportswear, the Oscars aren't something that I cover, but thanks to Levi's that's all about to change. At least for today. 

In honor of the Academy Awards, Levi's created a top 12 list of Academy-nominated films that have "blue jean styling". Considering that jeans feature in so many films I assumed it would be a rather cheeky list of the Buzzfeed variety, but then I saw gems like Westside Story and Brokeback Mountain, numbers 2 and 10 respectively, and I realized this was authentic.

The complete list is on the Levi's Unzipped blog where you can also watch a short clip of each film and learn some interesting facts like, did you know that Billy Baldwin and George Clooney were this close to playing J.D., the character played by Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise?

Take a look at their picks. I bet #1 will surprise you.

 

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