Indigo Colored Impact
Published in A New Type of Imprint Magazine
For some people, a pair of denim jeans are just a blue silhouette covering their legs. They are pulled on and off, thrown in the washing machine and tossed in the bin when the fabric in the crotch burst. For others, a pair of denim jeans are similar to a blank canvas or a friend who will accompany you for years, only to become more and more unique in it’s features. This way of thinking results in a sustainable way of consuming apparel, which is the most important part for Livid Jeans.
Photo: Øystein Lie.
In a 12 square meter studio in the city center of Trondheim, a man is sewing for 8-9 hours a day, every day after school. Nine months later, Jakob was born; a pair of mid rise, slim fit, Japanese raw denim jeans. Founder of Livid Jeans, Jens Olav Dankertsen had fallen in love with the craftsmanship of creating jeans and had just created his first decent pair.
—I had no sewing experience, what so ever. I didn’t know anyone who could sew or had the machines to make a pair of jeans, so I decided I had to teach myself. I drove to Oslo and bought my first sewing machine and that was it.
Five years later, Livid Jeans consists of two production lines, one handmade the old fashioned way in Trondheim and one ready-to-wear produced in Portugal. Both lines offering superior quality denim with equal purpose. Livid Jeans is now sold in 13 different countries and has a flagship store in the city center of Trondheim. Here you can watch your ‘Made In Norway’ jeans being sewn in the manufacturing area of the space. By showing their costumers how a pair of jeans are made, they want people to understand that it is a time consuming product made by real people and not automatic machines in China.
Denim jeans have been around since the 17th century as the purpose of workwear. Because of the materials durability, it has become a natural part of most peoples lives. But in modern times, the concept of ‘jeans’ has become diluted. Trousers resembling denim jeans, with evidently poor quality is taking over the mass production market. Livid Jeans is bringing the tradition of craftsmanship and quality denim back into peoples wardrobes.
—Our target is simply people who appreciate quality and prefers to invest in a product they know will last.
From the very beginning, Livid Jeans believed in their responsibility as an apparel brand to work against the fashion industry where poor products are being produced unsustainably. Compared to most fashion brands where brief collections are produced, Livid Jeans believes in creating timeless products that will last longer, produced in a sustainable manner. They wish for their costumers to take care of their garments and contribute and assist it to last longer. -
We believe that investing in a premium quality product is a more sustainable way of consumption. By investing in a garment, you are also investing in the people who made it. Every single person from the people picking cotton to the man sewing the stiching on the beltloops needs to make a living of this job, just like us. And we believe it’s our responsibility to make sure this happens.
To create a personal and dense relationship with the production of their ready-to-wear line, the crew travels to Portugal twice a year. First of all to visit the factories, assure things are running smoothly and that the workers are happy but also to create a neighborly relationship to their employees.
Livid Jeans is not the first brand to be passionate about quality, transparency and sustainability. Swedish brand, Nudie Jeans launched a 100% organic cotton collection in 2012 and has from the beginning worked with creating a transparent brand where their consumers are able to follow every step of the production.
—We are happy to be compared to Nudie Jeans, who has accomplished so much since they started. Only with word of mouth, their brand has grown enormously and accomplished great things not only for the denim society, but for the clothing industry in general.
The ongoing evolution, where brands are becoming more aware of the conditions of production is encouraging and Livid Jeans is definently in the driver seat. Hopefully, new brands will follow and result in a revolution of the apparel industry. A pair of blue jeans can make a difference.
