Few materials stand the test of the decades. From 70s polyester to 80s nylon, there’s always one outrageously bold print or material dominating the era before retiring to the back of our wardrobe once the craze dies down. But microtrends and decade looks have nothing on denim.
While it may go forgotten behind our workwear and nighttime leather looks, denim is a staple we’ll always fall back on. Whether you’re brave enough to don double denim or you have a pair of Levi’s that will always be there for those ‘jeans and a nice top nights’, it’s a chunky blue material that will stick with us throughout our lives.
Giving the vintage material the recognition it deserves this week was fashion student, Alicia Dingec, who told the story of denim by mining the vintage archives and hand-selecting nostalgic family photos and garments for her final year project event ‘Grandad’s Denim’.
The event- hosted at Sheffield’s most notorious vintage store Glass Onion- was a celebration of denim’s history, past, and present. Attendees, clad in their favourite denim looks, swarmed the premises for a night of cocktails, denim decor and a panel discussion from experts in fashion and sustainability.
Aside from the celebration of denim, Alicia’s event was designed to promote sustainability and second-hand shopping. Providing members with the educational insight of fashion lecturers at her university alongside exhibition stands that informed visitors about the damage fast fashion can do to our planet.
Guests arrived at the store at 6:30, peering through the double glass doors as the Glass Onion team frantically pinned up the final few snapshots of the guest’s favourite denim memories across the room. Soon after, Alicia opened the doors, gleaming as she welcomed guests to her wonderland of denim.
Inside the exhibition, the best of denim’s long history had been plucked from each decade and displayed on the grey pinboards of the local store. Across the ceilings floated pairs of vintage mom jeans as reworked pillows and corsets in the twill-woven fabric made their debut in the centre of the room.
Dingec even made the creative request for guests to send in their favourite family photos for her wall art and chunky photo album, bursting with images devoted to denim. Intimate and emotional, flicking through the album was to recognise the large role that our favourite garments play in our most sacred memories.
From children in denim overalls to 90s film prints featuring someone’s dad in his favourite pair of jeans, Alicia reminded us just how sentimental a single piece of fabric can be.
Edited by Olivia Booth