DENIM DON’T DIE
Upcycled Denim Two-Piece at Tshepo Jeans
Awarded: Twyg Sustainable Awards Student Award 2022
Denim Jeans have been an integral part of everyday life for more than 200 years now. An item synonymous with durability, style and functionality. It might often be hard to believe that an item so simple could have the kind of impact and longevity that denim jeans has had. It’s hard to believe that a simple twill weave, with the weft threads passing under the warp threads, dyed in indigo would be seen just as useful to American goldminers at the start of the industrial revolution as it would to the high fashion world of the 21st century.
My time learning and working at Tshepo Jeans helped me see, through the lens of a growing business so invested in Denim Jeans and the future of the fabric that made the brand, just how important the fabric is to us. I came to understand just how beautiful it was to construct a pair of jeans. Being able to see a team extremely passionate about the denim they handle. This experiences helped nurture in me a newfound respect and curiosity for denim.
Denim Jeans unlike many other fabrics has stood the test of time with little to no waver in its popularity and usability. This left me with a question, through its long and storied history, what happens to the Denim Jeans we find no purpose for anymore? When the indigo fades or threads pull loose or the cut is ‘just not who we are right now; Where Does Denim Die?
This question of sustainability kept me curious about how this iconic garment could find a place in a changing world. A world aware of its usage and concerned for its future. As technology betters we find ways to produce denim jeans that are much less harmful to the environment than before but what can we do with the denim already made, already discarded and forgotten?
With the ‘Where Does Denim Die?’ question I hoped to create an ensemble that can illustrate the versality of Denim Jeans. How Denim could be altered, deconstructed and upcycled to create items of new value and of new functionality. Turning old jeans into a pleated skirt and upcycling a denim jacket This ensemble took dead denim and gave it a new casing, a new silhouette and a different identity.
Denim don’t die.
Credits:
Designer - Klein Muis/ @klnmuis
Photographer - Sante Chieweshe/ @kahlo.kreed
Muse - Tracy Mokgopo/ @tracymokgopo
Assistants - Tshego Masigo/ @tshegomasigo_
Khumo Morojele/ @kmorojele