Why denim is popular? (And why none of us can live without it!)
You would be hard tested to find a time in your life where denim didn’t play a vital role in your wardrobe, whether that’s your favourite pair of trusty black jeans or a vintage Levis denim jacket. Denim has and most likely will always be there… BUT for many that hasn't always been the case.
The invention of denim and much of it’s early life was spent as a workwear fabric, it was seen as an item for the lower classes and was far from glamorous (oh how wrong they would be). Denim soon began to rise from it’s simple origins when the cowboy era came in, and not long after this the post WW-II motor bike riding hell raisers started to prove just how adaptable denim could be. Denim became a sign of rebellion, and even more importantly denim for the first time became cool, starting it’s ascent into popularity.
Today denim is popular for those very same reasons it was invented, its durable and versatile but also for so many more reasons than this…. denim isn’t merely a fabric, its a colour in itself, it’s clothing in itself. It is something we all understand and can relate to on a global scale. Denim can be worked however we want it to and I believe that in itself inherently holds the key to it’s popularity.
It is incredible to think how pivotal a role denim has played in fashion over the years, if we compare it to products like leather which yes still have so many uses yet they still don’t have the same desire, the same essential place in every single persons wardrobe no matter how they dress. The accessibility and adaptable are what make denim so popular with everyone, they are a blank canvas for any person to make their own.
The blank canvas may just lead on as to why you are hearing an artist ramble on about denim, well to me denim is the ultimate blank canvas. I myself have countless pieces of denim in my wardrobe, my go-to studio outfit is my trusty denim dungarees that are (accidentally) paint covered. So it seemed like a natural progression to start using actual pieces of denim as my blank canvases and painting original pieces of art on this fabric.
Denim provides a raw canvas that is not only at times un-forgiving to work with but always provides a surprising outcome, no painting is the same and that is the joy in it. The colours are vibrant, rich and ever-lasting on the clothes. For me it provides the perfect gallery, one that can be seen anywhere in the world and can be seen in the world’s own natural environment.
Custom denim is a service I will now be offering, this can be anything from a full colour design on your denim jacket, a patch on your favourite jeans or denim skirt or I can even add some paint to your dungarees… don't worry this time it will be on purpose! The ideas for your denim are endless and I will paint anything you can dream up…
Denim is something none of us can live without, our wardrobe just wouldn’t be the same without a pair of jeans or a denim jacket but that doesn’t mean yours have to be like everyone else’s. Turn your blank denim canvas into your own bespoke wearable art! Denim just got even better!