Designer Q & A - Denim Demon
1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
Jeans are timeless, have a long lifetime and only gets more and more beautiful. What else, apart from maybe leather, gets better and better the more you use it? Other materials only gets uglier and uglier as time pass and the more you wash it, denim doesn't. It's as easy as that.
2) Last time I counted there were over 50 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?
As Levi's and Lee use their history to produce their vintage pieces, we use ours. We heritage from the Sami culture, one of the world's indigenous peoples, therefore we add details from that. For example we have Sarves, a limited edition piece in 15,5 oz unsanforized and unsigned denim with embossed reindeer antlers in the button, a selvage with colors from the flag of the county of Jämtland together with a leather patch with Sami artwork and text in South Sami language. One of the things Sami people make their living out of is handicraft: knifes, clothes, shoes and bracelets amongst many other things. So one thing we share with them is the love of handicraft and details. We aren't just another denim label, we have an actual story to tell.
3) Who do you imagine is a typical customer?
Everyone could wear our jeans. We are four people involved in Denim Demon, three brothers and our father. The ages is between 28 and 63, so we have a broad customer group and do not focus on or leave out any. There is nothing better than to see a person pass you by in the street wearing your denims. It doesn't matter if he's not the coolest you've seen, what does matter is that there is something about the jeans that he likes, otherwise he wouldn't be wearing them.
4) Which style and wash of your jeans are flying out of the shops the quickest at the moment?
Aajja in raw unwashed. We also have really good speed on our first style for women at the moment, a skinny fit with normal waist called Nïejte. Nïejte is South Sami for girl.
5) Where do you get your inspiration from?
We have a lot of inspiration sources. First of all we have all the history in producing denim with Levi's and Lee f e, then we have the Sami culture which has their own clothing history as well. Depending on which area you are from, you have different accent colors, materials and sewing techniques. There is a lot to take on from there. So what we do is that we start with a style or an era of time that we like. And then simply add details and change the fitting of the style to what we think is better. Hopefully there is more people out there who share our thoughts on how the perfect pair of jeans should look like.
6) Are there any essential jeans that everyone should have in their wardrobe?
A pair of Sarves (see above) and a pair of 501.01.14.
7) What are the first pair of jeans you remember?
The first I bought my self was a pair of one wash 501's I got when I was 12 years old, been saving money for ages. I had them every day until I got too big, and then I passed them on to my brother. These are still in the family and stood as ground for our first wash Anna- Britt. Really torn, light as snow and super nice!
8) What have been your favourite pair of jeans that you have owned?
Up until we started DD I used a pair of 44-501's for three years. So I have to say them together with my first pair of Aajja.
9) What have been your favourite pair of jeans that you have produced?
The Sarves we have out now is like magic. The quality, the detailing and most important - the feeling. And once you know the story around them i gets better and better...
10) How many pairs of jeans do you currently own and which are your favourites?
I don't know the exact figure, but it would be somewhere between 75 and 90 pairs. My favorite is the ones I am wearing right now, our first sample of our first style Aajja. We really hit the spot there!
11) Are you a "wash your jeans after each wear" person or a "wear your jeans for six months before you wash them" person?
I am a "never wash your jeans" person. There's no use in washing jeans before people around you starts complaining about the smell, then you might do it, just to be nice to them.
12) Do you own jeans for different occasions (for instance I have work jeans, smart jeans, weekend jeans, holiday jeans, jeans for going to concerts in, jeans for gardening in) if so what have you got?
I am more into wearing my jeans every day, no matter the occasion. If you wear 'em for gardening, sporting, concerts and holiday you get a nice result much quicker!
13) Which is your favourite jeans shop?
I like many, Burg&Schild in Berlin, Oi Polloi in Manchester, Blue in Green NY, Solo in Sweden...
14) Which celebs are currently wearing your jeans?
I think and hope that Ian Brown is wearing them, at least he should be.
15) Who is your current favourite denim icon (male & female). I am thinking the person who has the most denim style?
Neil at Kato always looks cool! For female I have to say my old partner at Solo, Ulrica Sjölin. Obsessed with denim and she has a lot of goodies in her wardrobe.
16) Which character (male & female) from a movie had the most denim style?
Paul Newman.
17) Which person living or dead would you most like to see in a pair of your jeans?
If I would see Ian Brown in his, that would be like a dream. If not, I am super happy with all my friends wearing them! And we just gave a pair to my Grandfather Harry, he just turned 88 and looks so cool in his pair of Denim Demons. So I am more or less already satisfied.
18) If jeans had not been invented, what would we all be wearing?
I think we would walk around like Donald Duck, no pants at all. Just tops. What else is there?
19) And finally, any predictions for denim in 2007
2008 is going to be Denim Demons breakthrough.
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