NEW ORDER: Colour me Different

Pigment and powder colours to dip dye, to stain and to print onto denim and airy open weaves.  Hot colours for summer work with indigo denims to create more colourful options.

Colour play on the backside of denim fabrics creating two tone effects and over dyeing blue with bright colour for a vintage recycled look.

Composite Image ©TheDenimEye

Millennial pink pairs with corn yellow and poster red for the 3 best jeans colours of the moment.

Seeing the boiled sweet colour options delivers a "must have" freshness to the essential jean. 

All ©BDG Denim

........Adding lilac for junior freshness......... 

Coloured jeans mostly start as white PFD twills being laundry dyed and finished for flexibility and a worn in finish.  Colour will never wash down and out like indigo as it is sulphur dyed but it can be degraded and treated with coloured spray to add effect and dimension.

Composite Image ©TheDenimEye Clockwise from Top Right: ©Zara, ©Asos, ©Levi, ©JBrand

Trend Alert: NEW ORDER

Beyond Indigo .......

jeanswear  goes beyond indigo denim with creative concepts in print; in colour; in different fabrics but always in jean style.  

New Order jeanswear is not only a mix of exciting new patterns and colour but also ordered geometric, repetitive patterns and structures. 

L : ©Moncler Gamme Bleu, Top Right: Liselore Forwijn, Bottom Right: GStar

Brilliant geometry; crazy stripes, bold lines and repetitive camouflage.  

L-R: ©Walter Van Bierendonck, ©KTZ, ©Bobby Abley

When made in denim New Order jeanswear uses different types of denim - knit denim for active and easy jeans; textured neppy denim for tweed jeans; different structures and textures all woven in indigo.

Colours are an essential part of the New Order mix. Palest pink is the newest hot trend for gender neutral jeans and of course the classic khakis both in colour and in style.  Whilst chinos and khakis are currently a hot topic they quickly become boring as they do not evolve.  Unlike denim which wears in with you , becoming better and better with age and customisation. Whereas chinos and khakis stay as when first bought.

Clockwise from L: ©BDG, ©Levis,  ©Levis, ©JackJones

Bold monochromatic patterned denims both patched and pieced and pigment printed. 

Fluo colours launch us into summer festival and street party season.  That is where colour is an essential part of the jeanswear package.

WORKWEAR REVOLUTION: Work in Details

Aprons, smocks, bags and holders all having origins in vintage workwear have been re-created in denims both raw rigid ( which will shrink!!) and in washed denims to achieve greater character.

Such fashion, function and home accessory items are a burgeoning cottage craft and gift industry.

above: American night safe banking bag below: Railroad workers caps

True original accessories bring us full circle from the 1800's to 2017 - the shape has changed a little and a lot but the denim, stripes  and colour has hardly changed at all.

 ©DawsonDenim

Quirky pocket and button detailing makes this Dawson combo a real must-have gender neutral item.

WORKWEAR REVOLUTION: Work in Fashion

Translations of work style into fashion style denims look more chic and fresh in dark raw rigid denims.   Raw rigids in selvedge indigos - full and baggy with turned cuffs are very masculine.    Saturated dark denims in skimpy sexy styles are totally wearable.

©MatthewAdamsDolan

In spite of the maxed out volume of these work styles from fashion designer Dolan, the fluidity and texture of the fabrics combine with well cut shapes to achieve super sexy must-have shapes.

©Close-Up

Hot denim brands and designers have also jumped onto the work style bandwagon recently. Piecing, patching, pocket detail and work stripes nodding back to the original ethos. Brilliant ultramarine blue will ensure that "brilliant indigo" denim lives on and flourishes for a while longer - a refreshing pull away from dirty denim original workwear.

WORKWEAR REVOLUTION: Work in Colour

Original American workwear was made from brown cotton duck before it evolved to denim.  Shades of green, ochre and khaki soon followed.  The original charm lives on through contrived wear at the edges of the garment body along with the original buttons and braces.   Huge baggy shapes were practical in lightweight colours emulated today as a fashion feature. Zippers were not original details but have been adopted and readily accepted for stylistic embellishments.

composite image ©TheDenimEye2017

Work style in olive drab; khaki; saddle brown are seen in flying jackets, work waistcoats and army fatigues.

©BDG/UrbanOutfitters.com

Mix it up with fashion pink and soft cinnamon plus work details of crossed brace backs and patched pockets. note the "washed" finish which enhances the seam pucker making the garment look more "original" - hardly so in pink!

©TOAST

.... and soft green aprons worn as a fashion accessory or even a maternity take on work style.

WORKWEAR REVOLUTION: Workwear Origins

Indigo denims started life in the 1800's as work garments and denim style has come a long way since then embracing every shape and fit demanded by fashion trends. Paradoxically the origins of workwear denim and style continue to influence fashion denim even now.  Rough textured coarse indigos tinted brown to emulate a "weathered" look and worn torn edges to represent the real original are just two examples of what we do to cheat our way back into history in re-generated styles that fit better than the originals.

composite image ©TheDenimEye2017

The romance of indigo was born in many cultures in different ways, from Japanese kimonos to French artisan overalls to American factory and railroad workers. Many such vintage items that still exist are the more charming due to piecing and patching over generations with denim or other local fabrics.. Such garments are now preserved in museums but their spirit lives on in styles and shapes aped by contemporary fashion designers. 

What is remarkable is the way in  which the indigo colour has been either preserved or has faded whilst still retaining its amazing hue.

composite image ©TheDenimEye2017

Styles that live on are dominated by the cover-all / flying suit /over-all i.e., originally an all-in-one protection. Now massively popular in denim fashion, RTW and expensive couture versions. More popular than it has ever been, but not for work!    The bib n' brace or dungaree comes and goes in fashion popularity, currently enjoying one of its many revivals mainly in denim or plain cottons enhanced by contrast patching which amusingly emulates the originals.         Enjoying a parallel revival are cotton cords, ribs, ridges, ticking stripes and herringbone tweeds, all reminiscent of vintage workwear.

©LevisStrauss

The original work jean was popluarised by Levi Strauss in the late 1800's. This quickly became the cowboy jean with which we are all too familiar now approximately 150 years later.    The denims are likewise little changed such that Levi closely guards and protects both shape and denim technology continuing to achieve the original looks.

Patagonia | Reformation

Patagonia

Environmentalism is what drives this conscience driven brand.  For Patagonia the act of giving to local environmental groups is not charity it is a way and the cost of doing business.

For their small jeans line Pataonia uses a special dye process that bonds colour more easily onto the fabric which results in a denim which wears down naturally without need of washing. Their recent collection comprises 3 raw men’s and 3 raw women’s garments none of which will touch water as they wear in to the owners shape.

Patagonia and social responsibility:

• Ensuring humane working conditions throughout all their supply chain.
• Adhering to Intl. labour and human rights standards.

Patagonia and their Environmentalism drive:

• They give 1% of all sales to support environmental organisations around the World funding at grass roots levels.
• Donations of some $78 million in cash and kind since 1985 in services to thousands of community based groups working to create positive change in the planet.

So what are the funded projects doing?

• Taking down dams
• Restoring forests and rivers
• Finding solutions to mitigate climate change
• Protecting land and marine habitats
• Protecting endangered plants and animals
• Supporting local organic and sustainable agriculture

And what of their clothes?

• “ Patagonia’s worn wear” = repair; recycle it; make it last
• “Recycled fibre” = Patagonia’s fleece tops are made from 100% recycle plastic bottles into polyester fibre.

Reformation

Commitment to best ecologically sustainable and social practices goes beyond the basics. Reformation Denim makes these practices an integral part of their brand ethos.

They put sustainability at the core of everything they do.

©Reformation

Using the most efficient, eco friendly and pro-social technologies and practices possible.

At the factory.

They invest in green building infrastructure minimising waste, water and energy footprints.  They invest in people by providing on the job training at their manufacturing facilities thereby providing opportunities for the future for their local workers.

REFORMATION Source electricity from 100% wind power supplies, using LED lighting, installing a “cool” roof which reflects heat and light away, offsetting about 200 tons of C02 equivalent emissions per year.

They recycle compost organic waste, donate all the textile scraps with zero waste being the goal.

Over 75% of the workforce are women or from ethnic minorities and all are paid more than the minimum wage.

By mainly selling their clothes on line the company uses 30% less energy than standard retail.

They also control their shipping and supply chain partners to ensure that even they adhere to the lowest impact solutions possible.

When applying for certification to B-Corps whose environmental standards are rigorous Reformation did not have to do anything more than what they are already doing to immediately be certified.

Levis | Nudie

Levi Strauss        

©Levis

Levi Strauss & Co is one of, if not the most sustainable jeans brand in the World. Levi is pioneering practices to reduce the use of water, energy, harmful chemicals and other harmful things in the denim apparel industry. In doing so they take their partner suppliers along with this mission to ensure that they comply with best practices. All their suppliers must meet their terms of engagement rules be they denim fabric manufacturers or jeans makers before they can become a supplier. Such terms of engagement cover child labour rules, working hours and conditions,  health and safety and environment best practices. Levi insists on consistent quality and so by making their products last longer this also contributes to reduced climate contamination. With their Waste<Less™, Water<Less™ and Wellthread™ collections, Levi's are making a considered effort to provide sustainable products to the market.  

©Levis

Nudie Jeans

The thoughtful jeans brand.  If you are in love with jeans – wear NUDIE!

©Nudie Jeans

They are the brand that combines a vintage heart with maximum sustainability. Using 100% organic cotton Nudie is a brand that has turned their core values into core actions. The company is a member of the Fir Wear Foundation ensuring social responsibility in their supply chain:  ensuring all their suppliers pay a minimum living wage, outlawing under age workers, following all health and safety rules. For Nudie, sustainability rules with the three “R’s” : Repair - offering a free repair service – a mantra of “don’t throw it away, re-use it”, Re-selling 2nd hand products in all their stores and Recycling worn out products into re-spun yarn or re-worked garments.

©Nudie Jeans

Such endeavours have earned the company the prestigious ”sustainable style” award as well as a loyal band of followers and a guaranteed place in all the best multi-denim stores Worldwide.