The innovations just don’t end. Although this one was first introduced by Wrangler in 2013, it’s still new enough! Have you ever heard of jeans that moisturize your gams while you wear them? Me neither. I don’t really hear much from GUESS’s side of the denim industry, but this is definitely something to gain them some attention! They’ve recently released their SMART GUESS Jeancare collection, which is a line of two jeggings, a skirt, a dress, and a crop top made with “advanced Slimtex technology,” or infused with nutrients like ginkgo extract and vitamin E to be exact. This gives you an all-day skin hydrating and nourishing treatment…but that’s not quite all. Each piece has also been given a bit of a lavender essence that is released with each wear for a nice calming appeal. As with any best-selling denim, this special fabric is also built to give you a flattering slimming effect. I’m honestly curious what the wash instructions are, and how long these olfactory and dermal benefits will hold up, but either way I’m intrigued!
The much-feared white jean is not your typical white jean anymore. Over the last two years, I’ve seen brands do some amazing things with white denim. Marc Allison’s Gina Slim Boot was created in a thicker fabric to prevent the see-through malady, Parker Smith’s Ava in Eternal White was created to never fade or yellow, and Level 99 released a “Forever White” collection (now called Perfect White) which repels stains and fading. Joe’s also released a Spotless collection but since has added several more styles into the pot, including more women’s skinnies like the new #HELLO jean and Vixen Ankle, and the Icon Flare, as well as two men’s jeans (see my original post about stainless white denim innovations here). The Joe’s collection is now titled Play Dirty, Stay Spotless, and each piece is created with an innovative wash treatment that repels spills such as water, wine, coffee or soda. Check out all available styles below!
Out of all the brands I’ve reviews at Denimology, G-Star RAW has been one of my absolute favorites, due to their superb quality, ridiculously awesome detailing, tough durability and continuous innovation. I’ve done two for them, including the 5620 Custom Slim Tapered Elwood jeans. These gorgeous grey motos are built to last, and just look plain awesome. The Elwood is actually an iconic model from the brand, created in 1996, and G-Star RAW is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary with a monthly limited edition style designed in collaboration with various influencers in the denim industry. Read on below for the press release!
This year, G-Star RAW celebrates the 20th anniversary of the brand’s iconic G-Star Elwood 5620 jeans. First introduced in 1996, the Elwood 5620 represents the core of the brand’s DNA and is a symbol of innovation as the first pair of jeans constructed using the 3D denim method of construction. Unlike traditional patternmaking, which approaches the garment as a flat object, 3D Denim uses techniques to sculpt the jeans around the wearer through inserted panels and darts.
Beginning this month and on the 20th of every month thereafter, the brand will introduce limited edition Elwood denim designed in partnership with designers and influencers yet to be announced. The first release of the 20th Anniversary Limited Editions, the G-Star Elwood Moto, is a re-release of an Elwood designed in 1996, which was based on an archival pant designed for off-road Enduro racing (circa mid-late 1960’s). This style will be available from the end of January 2016 in select G-Star stores and on G-star.com and also corresponds with the release of a dedicated S/S’16 campaign shot by returning creative partner, Ellen von Unwerth.
Despite evolving with time to become one of the most recognized denim designs of today, the G-Star Elwood 5620 has retained the five key elements that make it instantly identifiable and still a modern piece of design – its knee patches, 3D shaping knee darts, saddle patch, heel guards, and slanted thigh seams.
Being a denim blogger I am kind of sad to say I have yet to try this awesome brand called Courtshop…it was born in in 2011 with an emphasis on clean, classic fits that don’t follow trends. They kind of have a vintage feel to me, which is also great if you are a fan of high rises since this fit definitely comes along with the territory! Beyond jeans, Courtshop carries unique styles of overalls, shirts, jackets, shorts and even dresses, in all kinds of cuts with all kinds of detailing. In 2014 they introduced woven tops as well, including button downs and anything else that accompanies a good quality pair of jeans. Right now, through Sunday, Courtshop is having a sample sale at their two brick & mortar locations: 168 Mott St, NY, NY and 218 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, as well as online for those unable to attend! Everything is under $60 which is an amazing deal for the quality, and their customer service is always available for those who are unsure about ordering online. Just shoot over an email to info@courtshop.com!
One of the biggest issues with pricey premium denim kind of goes for any designer piece you probably own…it requires special treatment when it comes to washing. Many hardcore denim fans opt to never wash their jeans, or only wash them once a year (which is pretty common with raw denim, as to not to wash out all the indigo before they break in), and even Levi Strauss & Co. CEO, Chip Bergh endorsed this idea. Some brands, like ODO™ figured out a way to create self-cleaning, odorless jeans (included in my post from the 11th here). Drying premium denim has at least always been a no-no, as the heat can break down any stretchy fibers and cause your jeans to sag over time, or shrink if they have a higher cotton content (as most men’s jeans are). But 7 For All Mankind has come up with a solution with their new collection, FoolProof Denim. These jeans are completely safe to wash, dry and wear as usual, and won’t shrink or stretch!
According to 7 For All Mankind, any normal machine wash/dry cycle can shrink a pair of jeans 2-4%, and 3-5% in the long term through wearing. The brand states, “the customized denim weave and fabric finish ensure the stretch and shrink resistance, while the structured stretch denim provides masculine comfort. ShrinkProof + StretchProof = FoolProof Denim.” The men’s jeans in the collection (just men at this time, hopefully it will expand to women’s too!) are made of 10.5oz stretch Italian denim with a 89% cotton, 11% polyester fabric content, so it’s still made of utmost quality and attention to detail. However, now, the guesswork on how to care for them is removed!
Read more about the 7 For All Mankind FoolProof Denim collection here, and enter a contest to win a “Foolproof adventure of your choosing,” a 7 For All Mankind shopping spree, hotel, flight and more! Contest ends February 7th.
I haven’t been a big shopper of Nasty Gal…I honestly have been admiring it from afar, not quite sure if it fits into my lifestyle or wardrobe. However, I’m always liking what I see, and I admire the edgy confidence of founder Sophia Amoruso. I’ve been meaning to read her book GirlBoss for long enough! The latest collection to make waves at Nasty Gal is a collaboration with Courtney Love, which brings me back to my first days of discovering my love for rock n’ roll. Celebrity Skin was her latest single, and I was just a bit obsessed with it. She’s definitely not a stranger to controversy, but for so long back in the day I totally dug her rockstar diva fashion sense, and this collection, Love, Courtney by Nasty Gal, is right on. These pieces are adorable! Lingerie is one of those categories that designers can get ultra creative with, and I’m usually a Victoria’s Secret fan in that regard…but I love seeing what other brands come up with! These pieces are so feminine, with a perfect combination of sultry and girly, from satin babydoll dresses to tutus to lace bustiers and more. See below for my favorite items from the collection!
I can’t ever get tired of reviewing jeans for particular brands, but it’s fun to shake it up a bit from time to time…especially when it comes to reviewing jeans from a denim mill that supplies jeans to the brands I know and love! SOORTY is one of those, and this is my second review for them. They actually custom made this pair of jeans to my measurements for review purposes! It’s easy to go shopping around and sporting our favorite pieces from our favorite brands constantly, but I like to take it a step further with anything I’m passionate about and learn about how they are made, and about the source! So read on for my SOORTY Denim VIP Jeans in Freja review.
Being the fitness buff that I am, I enjoy the athleisure side of the industry, even if it does often knock heads in competition with my beloved denim industry. However, it’s hard to ignore the fact that there are some seriously awesome designs out there…more so than ever, or so it seems. When I shop for pieces to sweat in, I’m not looking for anything special, just items that will stand the test of time and have a least a little bit of a stylistic appeal. But I don’t go designer, I go for the well known fitness brands like Asics, Fila, New Balance, and Puma. Designer pieces like these, by Zobha, to me are too pretty to be getting down and dirty in! I discovered Zobha on event-based sale site RueLaLa, where I scored a sweet jacket last week, and I’m in love. It has the perfect quality to wear every day and I can’t imagine wearing it to the gym or even on a hike, at all. This is the interesting part of the premium activewear industry…it really is bridging the gap between fitness and lifestyle. Everything here at Zobha I would wear everywhere other than the gym, except for the obvious pieces like bras, leggings, and some of the tops with built in bras (and even some of those I’d wear normally, as I wear shelf bra tops on weekends). I guess you could say I understand at least part of the competition now, even though I still don’t quite get the idea of wearing leggings everywhere. At least here with Zobha, I understand the everyday appeal of just about everything up top. How cool are these? They are so uniquely creative! Here are my favorites!
“Zobha’s new look pays tribute to a diverse array of women. Whether edgy, modern or urban, our contemporary pieces effortlessly infuse fitness and fashion into every lifestyle.”
“Offering a hybrid of high-tech performance and runway-inspired fashion, Zobha is poised to become a cross-over contemporary brand for the modern woman. Taking her straight from the gym to the runway in casual chic style.”
“As the first and only brand combining patented shape-optimizing technology with edgy, couture-inspired design, Zobha paves the way for fashion-forward fitness.”
I think I’ve said enough that I’m always so fascinated by what’s next in the denim industry…whenever I tell people how many jeans I own or that I blog about denim, I usually get strange or confused looks. Jeans? Really? Yeah, really. It’s amazing what some people don’t know about such a so-called simple piece of clothing, but for any industry, there are some incredibly surprising facets that the general public doesn’t always immediately get to know about. And that’s one of the reasons why I started this blog! Every now and then I get some pretty crazy news about denim innovations in my inbox, and I collect them up until they all make for one big post! So here’s the latest, and I know it won’t be the last…whenever I think I’ve seen it all, there’s always more. The last cumulative post I did on the subject was about a year ago (I am pretty sure this was it), and can be seen here.
The above image is also from Freitag…but this makes perfect sense in this increasingly-educated world about the importance of sustainability. These jeans are made of an 81% linen and 19% hemp denim twill fabric (dubbed the E500), and stitched with a proprietary sustainable thread for the obvious benefits of hemp as a sustainable medium, but also so that these jeans can be completely compostable. The buttons are made to be removed and reused. This Swiss company (no surprise there) is also known for making bags out of re-purposed truck tarpaulin, and says this fabric is “like no other in the fashion and textile world”. Check out the video below, and visit their website here.
There’s been a lot of movement in the industry for denim that can be worn as activewear, which makes sense since activewear gave the denim industry a run for its money last year. The competition was for everyday style and comfort, and I’ve never seen so many amazing innovations in denim to answer the call as I had last year. I wrote about a few brands that created denim made for being on the move: Dish Jeans and the Levi’s Commuter line for those who commute by bicycle being two of the biggest ones. Now we’ve got Boulder Denim which is made for climbing and yoga! This was a Kickstarter project which successfully gained $90,530 USD with 686 backers, and all jeans are now available for preorder. These jeans are water and stain resistant as well as eco friendly and cruelty free, and feature an extreme stretch to move with you and keep its shape wear after wear. They also include a trap pocket to prevent your valuables from falling out during upside-down climbing situations. Pretty neat! See the video below or visit their website here.
Yeah you read that right. The practice of never really washing your jeans already exists amongst the hardcore raw denim community, as washing can be harsh on some of the higher qualities of denim and cause fabrics to break down or lose some of their custom characteristic qualities during the break-in period. ODO™ is another Kickstarter project aimed at creating jeans that never need to be washed due to several pretty neat features. Microscopic “peaks” within the fabric reduce the surface area exposed to dirt, oil, water and other everyday contaminants, lowering adhesion. The fabric is also woven with silver threads which has natural anti-bacterial properties to keep them stink-free from sweat. These jeans come in fits for both men and women, and are currently still in their fundraising stage, but they’ve way beyond surpassed their goal! There are still 18 days to go, so get in on it if you wish, and read a lot more about these sweet technologies here! Here’s a video, too:
It’s unfortunate that the busier we get, the more we tend to sit…whether we’re traveling, commuting or slaving over a desk job every day. Jeans can get a bit uncomfortable after awhile if the fabric, stretch or fit isn’t quite right, which makes sense why leggings suddenly got so popular! FYT Jeans, however, came forth to fill in this gap! Each jean is made with a flexible waistband to relieve tightness up to 90%, special knee seems which eliminate extra fabric to alleviate pressure by 77% and reduce temperature and humidity, and a concealed rear zipper to optimize fit in all directions while bending or sitting and eliminate pressure by 55%. This too was a Kickstarter campaign, and although the end goal wasn’t quite reached, it looks like preorders can still be made by emailing info@fytjeans.com. Check out the video below and visit their website here.
Joe’s Eco Friendly Cigarette in Shayla Review on Denimology
I always enjoy reviewing Joe’s because I already know I’m going to just love whatever is sent to me! They are always so soft and figure-flattering and I never really need a belt with them. Their vintage looks are so top notch and add such a cool appeal to any outfit. The brand is always on top of it, constantly coming out with new innovative collections that cater to a season, consumer demand, or even to a particular technology. I love seeing what Joe’s is going to churn out next, and I was so so excited to see them come out with a new eco-friendly denim line which only makes perfect sense with today’s growing awareness of conservation issues! Sustainable fashion is definitely a huge thing for me. I actually just wrote about this new eco conscious line (see post here) and now I’m stoked to share this review with all of you! I am also wearing a new favorite necklace from a new favorite independent artisan, Third Eye Pinecones, which I wrote about last month (see post here)!
