‘Denim: Fashion’s Frontier’ traces the innovation and cultural influence of a simple woven textile through a timeline of American history from the 1800s to the beginning of the 21st century. Opening the exhibition in a dimmed room is an introductory pair of Levi Strauss & Co.’s 501 jeans, strung up from the ceiling, stood tall and alone under spotlights. Text on the wall states “on any given day, more than half the world’s population is wearing jeans”, suddenly invoking a sense of colossal significance into those trousers which now function quite symbolically in the story of denim throughout history.
Given this slight hint of the predominant role that denim plays in all of our lives, it seemed like a natural choice that the exhibition would be organised in chronological order, with garments lined up against the walls of the next room in the order of their production. This worked well because it allowed for a much more distinct awareness of the development of denim garments throughout the past two centuries. In many ways, the earliest pieces were the most astounding to me, despite their weary appearance. A selection consisting of men’s hand sewn work trousers and prison and naval uniforms (dating back to approximately 1840) initially establish what is often the misconception of denim as a male-dominated fabric. It has been noted that the history of denim in women’s wear has often been disregarded, so there has definitely been a clear attempt to reconcile this with the inclusion of an early woman’s suit, dress and jacket dating just up to 1910. The fact that these garments actually predate the distinctive Levi 501s gives the exhibition overall a strong sense of authenticity and American history.
America’s national roots are essentially embedded into ‘Denim: Fashion’s Frontier’. This recurring theme can be applied to each collection of garments, regardless of their origin period in time. For example, American spirit is captured in the Western style denim shirts which emerged as a result of the rising popularity in ‘cowboy’ films, while women’s clothing during the period of World War II was distinctly practical but stylish, characterised by the denim overalls of a working woman. Two pieces that were quite notable for me personally, grew out of the emergence of the 1950s Rockabilly subculture, when denim first seemed to earn a bad reputation starkly different to its previously practical and long-withstanding character. I had been completely unaware that at one point in the 50s, jeans were actually banned in many US schools due to their association with bikers and rebellion. At this point, it became clear to me that throughout time, denim has signified many drastically different things to different genders, classes, careers and subcultures and its representation has altered many attitudes. While I had previously questioned whether an exhibition dedicated to denim could have much value or substance, the rows of garments which held so many stories really redefined my perception of it and its influence on the world.
The influence of denim became a lot more integrated into style, rather than society, as it began to be adopted to fashion trends. Today, able to look back at the decades through the eyes of this denim archive, the seventies and eighties are clearly synonymous with flared denim jeans, denim jackets and ‘Western’ style denim shirts, reintroduced by esteemed designers inspired by the past. What I found most interesting about denim from this period onwards is the way in which denim began to blossom in the luxury market. One visitor told me that what really appealed to her about a pair of striking 1999 Gucci by Tom Ford jeans, embellished with feathers and Aztec print patchwork, was that they really summarised the way that ‘fashion has followed the function’ of denim, unlike other synthetic materials.
For the remainder of my trip in New York, I began for the first time, to notice the sheer number of people wearing denim, from the jackets embellished in studs and patches, to the button-down miniskirts, to the high-waist jeans ripped at the knees and I was much more appreciative of the journey that denim has taken to reach the present day.
‘Denim: Fashion’s Frontier’ is situated in the heart of Manhattan, New York at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Admission to the exhibition is free and it will remain open to the public from 1st of December 2015 to 7th May 2016.
