Denham the Jeanmaker
Founded in Amsterdam in 2008, Denham the Jeanmaker was established by Englishman and internationally respected jeanmaker Jason Denham. The label represents his sincere resolve to resist compromise and focuses on a signature range of premium denim as well as a unique collection of tops and accessories. Collections include a full range of styles for men and women across jeans, tops and bottom categories but the core of the brand is firmly rooted in the premium denim segment.
Jason has been working in the denim industry for almost 25 years. At the age of 29 Jason started his own consultancy bureau, named Clinic+. He advised clients as Pepe Jeans and Ben Sherman. After 5 years, when Jason realized he was only fixing the problems of other companies, he decided it was time for a new adventure. Together with Steve te Pas, Jason conceived Blue Blood and in the years between 2002 and 2008 Blue Blood succeeded to establish an exclusive denim brand into the existing market. When Blue Blood went bankrupt, Jason decided it was time for his own brand.
On 14th January 2008 Jason and his wife picked up the keys to an empty gallery space on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. They started with 2 plastic chairs, a clear vision, relentless drive and a passion to create the next ‘mouthwatering’ denim brand. Very quickly they started to assemble a team of super talented designers & technicians to set up the mission of turning a zero into a one – ‘creating a brand’.
Denham moves fast. Within 5 months the brand foundation was formulated and the first collection was ready to be presented to hungry buyers. In just a couple of years, Denham grew from a just clear vision to a worldwide known and respected denim brand.
Worship tradition, destroy convention
The process of making begins with looking. A humbling sense that they can never look “too closely” at any of the hundreds and hundreds of vintage specimens within their Denham Garment Library. These vintage specimens inspires them to explore every detail on the best and most iconic denim, casual and utility garment examples. The designers working to create something uncompromisingly new, but they’re also determined to root it in the strongest possible foundation. The habit of looking closely reminds them that it takes generations to establish a great tradition and achieving quality is never simple.
Contrary to popular belief, traditions are not honored by blind mindless repetition. Traditions are advanced through challenging convention in a constant search for improvement. Jason’s clear ambition is to add to tradition through trial-and-error, through innovation and invention. Denham’s seasonal collections of jackets, knits, shirts and jersey are distinguished by their unique use of vintage research and the original blend of contemporary design refinement while always maintaining a deeply authentic jeans attitude.
The truth is in the details
‘If you want to see the quality of a jean, turn it inside-out’, just another statement from Jason Denham himself. Together with a team of designers & technicians, Denham is always developing the fabric and the construction of the jeans. Now, 9 years from their establishment, we can easily say that Denham the Jeanmaker took the jeans to another level. Their jeans expresses a refined modernist sensibility and features an impressive array of signature details and subtle construction innovations.
From virgin to vintage
Developed in collaboration with the best Italian and Japanese denim mills, Denham’s real distinction comes from the brand’s dedication to reproducing completely natural wear-patterns and finishing techniques. Focused on producing a careful balance of high and low fade-tones as well as layered three-dimensional aging processes, Denham’s ‘Virgin-to-Vintage’ philosophy celebrates each phase of a wear-pattern’s journey from ‘virgin’ unwashed dark blue through to authentic ‘vintage’ replica washes based on years of real wear.
Denham the Jeanmaker drops a number of drys every year. For every pair of virgin dry jeans, Denham is looking for the best selvedge denim fabric on the planet. Back in the days Denham dropped some exciting fabrics like the ‘2 dip’ Italian stretch selvedge denim from Candiani and a 12 oz. White Oak fabric from Cone Mills. In collaboration with Candiani, Denham developed an exclusive blue / white selvedge signature.
The latest addition to their impressive list of raw denim jeans is the Virgin Indigo Sunami Selvedge (VISS). This jeans is made out of a fabric from the Kaihara mill and made with Japanese craftsmen in every process.
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