Home (all) Welcome to DENHAM the Jeanmaker´s website. Each card reveals a story which represents one facet of Denham´s vision. Categorised by the collection, garment library, studio & stores, to press reports & the birth of the Cutter´s Council. Designed in time with no beginning nor end, through resourceful innovation and fearless experimentation. It´s a decorated blog. A tailor-made homepage. We hope to fascinate but are equally prepared to frustrate.
The classic wake-up on Sunday, get out of bed and steal your boyfriends favorite jeans type-fit was the inspiration for the BOYFRIEND. The smaller front pattern and back pockets create a visually slimmer look. DENHAM signature jean detailing include box tailored button-holes, copper riveted trumpet buttons, and petit 7-point hip pockets. Leaked in very limited numbers within our own Denham House shops in Amsterdam and Tokyo and highly select shops including Colette in Paris, 14oz. in Berlin, Present in London, Gerard's Loft in Florence, Dantone in Milan, Pandemonium in Rome, Einwaller in Austria, and The Butcher of Blue outside Amsterdam.
Pig Skin Waistband Label: Made in Italy
Made in Japan with 100% artistry, love passion and NO shoes
A journey into Japan.
We all know that Japanese denim is special and it represents the signature of all premium denim brands. But it's what you do with it that matters. That’s why this season we travelled deeper in to the heart of Japanese denim culture and discovered new finishing houses run by artisans who are deeply passionate about what they do.
We asked Jason to share his recent experiences in these places in order to help better understand what's special about the process.
A short story by Jason Denham
In December 2009. I fly from Tokyo to Hiroshima. The landscape is snow crisp white and beautiful. The drive from the airport to the sewing factory is 1hr 30 mins of idyllic picturesque landscape. Breathtaking stuff, everything in Japan has an edge of beauty. Arriving in the stitching factory I am greeted with “ Jason San – Take off your shoes”. Factories in my experience are not normally the casual, kick-off your shoes kinda places. This factory was different. A clean factory like you never saw before. So clean you could eat your lunch from the floor. The factory personifies the DENHAM design ethic, WORSHIP TRADITION & DESTROY CONVENTION – A catalogue of vintage workwear denim models that represent all the key fits from 1940’s to the present day. This combined with original UNION SPECIAL machines and high tech modern-day industrial equipment.
That was the stitching, The next stop is the laundry and finishing house. Yet again I arrive to the greeting “Jason San – Take off your shoes”. Typical washing houses are notorious for having floors covered in chemical agents, dyestuffs and bleaches. Not this one. Instead I weclomed by a tightly knit crew of artisans hand painting the life lines and painstakingly reproducing the aging process directly onto to the jeans.
Together we formulated recipes based on DENHAM garment Library pieces. DUMP STORE DENIM, RUBBER RESIN DENIM, THREAD BARE DENIM and EMBROIDERY REPAIR DENIM to name a few. These denim pieces are real replica finishes built on a foundation of narrow loom red selvedge denim. For me, these are the mouth watering, must-have jeans of the season.
