Working for a custom jean company, friends and strangers alike enjoy sending us ideas for greater customization of jeans.
Most of the time we smile and file away the emails, but occasionally there are gems. Lucky for you all, today we received one of those gems.
Enter Winkers (patent pending, in case you were getting any bright business ideas). These bad boys will jazz up even the most boring, simple pair of jeans.
To truly appreciate the Winkers, we strongly suggest watching the video:
So if you are looking for a little added detail to get you some attention as you strut your stuff down the main drag, Winkers will probably do the trick.
We can’t say we endorse Winkers from a fashion standpoint, but we do have to admit they are pretty entertaining (and might even help you make a few new friends).
Although maybe not the “friends” you were hoping for…
posted by: abigail on August 20, 2009 at 3:28 pm
filed under:Misc Musings
TAGS:
custom jeans
Recycling jeans can win you a world record—who knew?
Last year, like the readers of National Geographic Kids Magazine, we donated all our denim returns to Cotton Inc.‘s denim recycling program, Cotton: From Blue to Green. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Cotton Inc.‘s denim recycling program, all their denim donations are recycled into cotton insulation which is then given to Habitat for Humanity. How’s that for making you feel a little less guilty for parting ways with your old jeans?
Although we didn’t come too close to the over 30,000 jeans that these record-holders just donated (see article at CNN here), we are still pretty proud about our contribution.
image from cnn.com
Since we’ve always secretly wanted a world record of our own, we’ve decided to hoard our denim returns for the next few years.
So look out National Geographic Kids. You’ve got some pretty serious competition to look out for.
And don’t think we’ll take it easy on you just because you’re ten. All is fair in love and war.
posted by: abigail on August 13, 2009 at 8:40 am
filed under:Misc Musings
TAGS:
recycled jeans
And now for your weekly history lesson. This week’s subject is Amelia Bloomer and her pants.
During the 1850’s, Amelia Bloomer created an uproar when she appeared in public wearing a bifurcated garment—a garment that splits into two parts, covering each leg separately. Americans were horrified by the “scandalous” outfit pictured below.
By today’s standards, Amelia’s bloomers look downright conservative, but Victorians were not ready for this revolutionary silhouette. The press mocked women who wore bloomers, calling them hermaphrodites. Even the suffragettes refused to adopt this controversial clothing style, thinking that pants were a distraction from more important woman’s rights issues, such as the right to vote.
Little did Amelia Bloomer know, her puffy pants would blaze a trail for the blue jeans that women all over the world wear today. During the first part of the 20th century, women who wore pants (and especially jeans!) shocked the public with their audacity. But with repeated exposure, the public finally began to accept the style. By the 1980’s pants and jeans of all sorts were considered appropriate attire for women at home, school, and work.
So if you’re a woman and jeans make up a big part of your wardrobe, it’s probably about time you pay your respects to trail blazer, Amelia Bloomer. Come to think of it, we here at indi have a lot of thanking to do ourselves. Without Amelia, we might have had to start a custom dress company…
Yesterday we posted a commentary on President Obama’s jeans and today we’re reaching into the archives to bring you even more presidents in jeans. Jeans certainly have come a long way since their invention. In their first incarnation, jeans were worn only by manual laborers. The sturdy fabric and practical design that originally attracted workers, soon excited a much wider audience. Jeans were successively adopted by cowboys, college students, performers, and presidents. In fact, our most recent presidents (except for the gentlemanly George H.W. Bush) have all worn jeans publicly in hopes that the average American will identify with them.
When wearing suits and ties, presidents hope to convey that they are professional, wise, and experienced. When wearing jeans, they are communicating that they understand the concerns of everyday Americans. Sound calculating? Obviously! That’s what being a politician is all about.
And now, for your viewing pleasure, we’ve prepared a montage of denim loving presidents. Your thoughts?
Well, first off, they all look like prime candidates for an indiDenim makeover to us. . .
President Obama took a quick break from solving the world’s economic, energy, Middle East and health care crises to throw out the first pitch at the All Star game this week. A man who knows how to dress for the occasion, Mr. Obama correctly selected the quintessential American wardrobe item for this event. He paired his blue jeans with his beloved Sox jacket (clearly he’s not trying to make any friends in St. Louis, anymore).
image from Kyle Terada/US Presswire
Mr. Obama rarely fails to impress; however, we think his denim look could use a slight fashion upgrade. While appropriate attire for a baseball mound, white running shoes are a big no no paired with blue jeans. We think the Pres could do better with some trendier kicks… perhaps a retro look with another American favorite, Converse. Just like at indi, you can even design your own Converse shoes. And while we’d like to see the President in a less baggy jean and maybe a darker wash, our denim philosophy is you have to make it your own. Unfortunately, the pres did commit one unforgivable faux paux. Someone should have advised him against those highwaters before he left the (white) house. We recommend custom jeans, Mr. President.
Two and half years ago, Anne Whitacre left her home in Seattle and moved to Los Angeles to start a new job at a high end design firm. She soon found out that her work wardrobe (which consisted mostly of wool skirts, sweaters, and dress suits) wasn’t going to cut it in the LA designer jean world.
“The entire office dressed in jeans and black t-shirts or sweaters,” Anne said. For a lot of us (and all of us here at indi), a “jeans and tee” work environment is like a dream. But for Anne, it was a different story.
“I’m 5’9” and usually wear a size 12, but have a round backside, a flat stomach, and athletic thighs,” Anne explained. “In a designer jean, I typically wear a size 31, which fits my waist, but strangles my thighs and backside. And I’m small enough in the waist that I don’t fit into “women’s” sizes either. This leaves me stuck in between the two size groupings, without a single pair of jeans that fit.”
Struggling to find a pair of designer jeans made for her body, Anne surfed the net and came across indiDenim. “I was able to choose the style of jean I want and then finely tweak the fit and sizing - this was very appealing to me,” Anne said. “And the jeans at indi are comparable in price to what I was paying for designer jeans that weren’t custom made for my body.”
Anne ordered a pair of straight leg custom jeans that fit comfortably around both her waist and her thighs. “My custom indiDenim straight leg jeans are the perfect length, have a medium low rise in front and a high enough rise in back - and most importantly, they do not cut off the circulation in my thighs!”
“I had this theory that if I could have found the perfect jeans in college, I would still be wearing them. That didn’t happen! Now, at age 55, I’ve finally found my perfect pair of jeans.”
Humans have worn holey clothes for as long as they’ve worn clothes. Although the first holes were accidental, people have been using holes decoratively for millennia. Today we often associate holey clothing with punk and grunge culture, but we forget that holes can also be opulent and elegant. Don’t believe me? Check out this painting of Henry VIII. His garment has dozens of tiny slits cut into it and he has meticulously puffed his white undershirt through the holes.
Now there’s a man who knew how to wear holes! Here at indi we plan to introduce heavy distressing options for our customers and I think we can all learn a bit from Henry VIII’s fashion sense. (I would not, however, recommend following his marital advice.)
So, this brings up the question—when wearing holey jeans, what style would you like to channel? British royalty or British punk bands? Counter culture or haute couture? Grandeur or grunge? These days, the choice is up to you!
posted by: danielle on June 12, 2009 at 12:09 pm
filed under:Misc Musings
TAGS:
distressed denim,
holey jeans
Since the eighties, jeans off the rack have left some people wondering, “How much distress is too much distress?” Many jeans for sale in the market today, go through numerous abusive treatments from jean manufacturers to get that highly coveted just-dragged-under-a-bus-for-a-mile look. Washing, ripping, tearing, tacking, and sanding… The process seems to stop just shy of riddling entire store racks with bullets - which begs the questions, “Are they charging $200 for the denim, or is it just priced $50 per hole?”
Even if you like to buy jeans that are already torn to shreds, you never want to buy jeans with fraying in the wrong places. So, if your next jean purchase is going to involve ripping, tacking, sanding and the like, be prepared to treat this pair with even more TLC.
Here at indi, our denim distressing techniques leave the jeans still looking pretty clean. When you do choose to buy distressed jeans, keep in mind that there are ways of avoiding rips and tears in all the wrong places and salvaging your favorite pair when time has taken its toll.
Here are a few tips keep your favorite pair distressed denim jeans looking distressed, but not critical condition:
Tip #1: Ever heard the old adage, a stitch in time saves nine? Maybe Thomas Jefferson never had to buy jeans, but if he did, the same saying would’ve applied. If your jeans are wearing down in the wrong places, take steps to repair them before it gets worse.
Tip #2: If you literally need to patch things up, buy fabric fuse from your local craft or fabric supply store. This product allows you to fuse the fabric without sewing a stitch! To apply a patch as reinforcement on the underside of the fabric, make sure that it covers the entire area affected by the wear and tear.
Tip #3: Don’t know how to sew? Wouldn’t be caught dead in a craft store? To avoid the patch process altogether, try www.denimtherapy.com.
When your jeans are literally unraveling around you and you feel like your denim is in serious distress, just remember that saving your jeans is simple! If your favorite jeans, even if they’re tattered to all hell to begin with, need a little TLC, just follow our tips to keep your jeans looking tip top.
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