ADHD Denim Challenge

For the past six months 30 denim junkies were charged with the task of wearing their jeans consistently for five days a week, from 9am to 5am, without taking them off. The aim was to see who wore their jeans best, and who achieved the most desirable elements of wear and tear over the half-year period. The ‘contestants’ were anonymous, identified only by the descriptors labeling their jeans, for example ‘motorbike rider’ or ‘outdoor guy’, while the jeans themselves were more specific. Made from Japanese purple ear selvedge denim in a five pocket classic style, snug fitting with a natural indigo base and sulphur contrast, the jeans each weighed approximately 14.5oz on the first day. Each pair of jeans was customised to suit the wearer’s build and specifications, and then the intriguing games began.

The ‘break in’ period, traditionally a right of passage for new jeans, yielded varying results amongst the wearers. Some were worn especially to distressed, relaxed, personalised perfection, and have been memorialised in a special exhibition at the Sid Lee Collective in Amsterdam. The Sid Lee Collective, founded by Sid Lee, busies itself with promoting creativity and championing young artisans, and in this case, celebrating the unpredictable but endlessly pleasing malleability of denim.

The ADHD Exhibition runs from Friday the 10th until Tuesday the 14th of July at the Side Lee Collective, Gerard Doustraat 72-80, Amsterdam.