Denham Denim

Fledgling label Denham the Jeanmaker have launched their debut collection for Spring 2009. The new brand prides itself on ‘progression and obsessive attention to detail’ and looks at denim production and craftsmanship with an unerringly detailed eye. The brand has been built from rigorous research and worship of jeanmaking, and has followed back the history of denim to its very roots to ensure that the iconic item of clothing it created with only the utmost precision and quality design and material. Thrown into the mix is a generous dash of modernism, and Denham seeks constant innovation and contemporary chic in the quest for the perfect denim.

The new Denham collection embraces utilitarianism, desert enigma and military practicality. Highlights from the range include the men’s Medic Intel Sportcoat, inspired by a 1941 POW medic’s sportscoat, and is made from repurposed Dutch Army Gor-Tex bivouacs. Moreover, each sportcoat as a one of a kind marking to denote its individual artisan construction, a tribute to the quality and care Denham takes in the production process. This also demarcates the limited availability of the sportcoat, as only a very few garments will actually be made. The sportcoats are also somewhat waterproof, as unmarked seams betray the only loophole for mischievous droplets, and while torrential downpour may not do, the sportcoat offers perfect protection from mild spring showers.

For women, the collection highlight is the Spy Boro Field Jacket, inspired by the standard issue World War 2 Sahariana field jacket but with a sharply tailored twist. The term ‘boro’ refers to one-off folk garments worn by Japanese workers such as farmers and fisherman, and indeed, the Spy Boro Field Jacket is hand made from antique textiles and thus in limited numbers. ‘Boro’ also refers to tattered clothing, the love worn garments that have been patched and repaired to prolong their waning life, and in this vein, the field jacket is created from a pastiche of fabrics, mish-mashed together to produce a stunning garment.