THE HISTORY OF JEANS
This 20-week minor programme offers third and fourth-year students from Fashion & Design, Fashion & Branding, and Fashion & Business and Development an immersive and in-depth focus to the world of denim.
A crossover between education and business, the activities build skills in craftsmanship as well as an understanding of innovation – right in the heart of the jeans capital of the world, Amsterdam.
AMK ATELIER
Following 2020, the ‘year of the pandemic’, all of us in the the fashion industry have had to rethink our business model’s, and fast.
After a year of shop doors being closed and customers buying almost exclusively online and focusing mainly on lounge wear, the world of ‘fashion’ feels almost futile.
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All aspects of the industry – the factories, warehouses, shops – are dealing with over produced stock and how they deal with it needs to change. Change starts with education – for example, Amsterdam Fashion Institute updated their denim minor to focus on Renew, Repair and Revive instead of a new denim product.
AMK atelier joint-taught this minor as a guest lecturer and offered an inspirational kick off with a three day workshop in the art of up-cycling old/new garments.
Throughout the minor, I supported the students in Denim City for constructions and ideas in their work and progress to create a waste free denim collection made out of old stock or wasted garments.
RENEW, REPAIR & REVIVE
The philosophy of no waste and recycling is the DNA of AMK atelier, and it was so inspiring to be next to the students to see how they think about circularity.
The creative thinking to make garments and product from waste, man made fibers and to work with local initiatives is the way forward and this minor is all about creating denim and jeans in a new way.
The students learned how to source in already made garments, unpick and look for designs and shapes in already existing styles. They created patterns and fits both digital and manual to research their ideas.
They experimented with different techniques for renewing, repairing and reviving products. From decorating hand-stitches to quick fixes with printing and laserering or alterations all to match the markets need and price points.