DJ Steve Aoki’s fashion brand Dim Mak has teamed up with Candiani denim
to launch its first collaborative pair of jeans that have been crafted with
sustainable fabrics and manufacturing methods.
The Dim Mak x Candiani EC-01 is a limited edition pair of jeans
completely made in Los Angeles, using sustainable techniques with fabric
created by Candiani Denim Mill and hand-painted by Aoki and his Dim Mak
artisans that have been designed to “showcase the future of denim”.
The five-pocket straight-fit jeans feature an exclusive denim fabric
that is composed of equal parts recycled cotton, made from the Candiani
mill’s own production waste utilising recycled cotton and fibres including
Candiani’s ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award-winning indigo selvedge fabric
ReGen Denim created for the 80th anniversary of the Candiani Mill and
featuring Refibra technology, a recycled fibre created by Lenzing using
cotton waste.
The style of the jeans look distressed, however, Candiani notes in the
press release that the denim’s wash actually required “very little washing
at all” as the distressed, vintage-effects, and even the artwork itself,
was created by using laser technology to gently burn the fabric’s surface
with varying degrees of intensity.
In addition, the yarn is dyed using Candiani’s water-saving Indigo Juice
and Kitotex technologies, which enhance the custom laser treatments that
give the jean its signature look. This whole process of creation allows for
“incredible savings” in terms of water, chemicals, and energy compared to
conventional denim, without compromising the aesthetics, performance, and
durability of the final product, added Candiani.
In total, these jeans consumed only 31 litres of water compared to 2,755
litres in conventional denim, and used 0.2kg of chemicals instead of 0.8kg.
DJ Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak launches sustainable jeans with Candiani Denim
Mill
What makes these jeans stand out, other than their sustainable
credentials, is the deconstructed pop art meets manga aesthetic, which is
an evolution from Dim Mak’s ‘AOKI 1of1’ series, where Aoki has been
upcycling clothing and making original, one-of-a-kind wearable art
pieces.
Working at the Candiani Design Centre in Los Angeles, Aoki chose
hardware and learned about denim treatments and processes before
individually hand painting illustrations of the Yōkai, Japanese demons
Rokurokubi, Karakasa kozō, and Gashadokuro – with the help of Dim Mak’s
artists.
“When I visited the Candiani Mill in Italy,” said Steve Aoki, “Alberto
showed me how they were able to reuse waste in making new, even better
jeans. I was inspired by their conscientiousness toward the earth and
wanted to bring that mindset into Dim Mak with our first collaboration.”
Commenting on the collaboration, Alberto Candiani, owner of the Candiani
Mill, added: “Steve and I did this collaboration to have fun, and we did.
We leveraged each other’s expertise and style to create a one-of-a-kind
jean that is a true reflection of our friendship. This project was
incredibly fun for both of us, made better by playing with the right
ingredients.”
The Dim Mak x Candiani EC-01 jeans retail for 150 US dollars and are
available on the Dim Mak website and app.
Images: courtesy of Candiani/Dim Mak