Sue Barrett’s Lockdown Nostalgia Project - DAVID TRING Originally conceived for a piece written for Sportswear International magazine in June 2020. Interviewed by Emma Holmqvist Deacon. Andrew Olah liked the article so much, he asked Sue Barrett if she could do Film versions of her Lockdown Nostalgia Project - So Sue made 6 short films for Kingpins 24 - These were shown Live on 23rd + 24th June 2020. - - Denim and trend specialist Sue Barrett has used her time in lockdown creatively, inviting her denim community friends to reflect on the industry and share stories of their favorite vintage garments. In the midst of the bleakness and trauma brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown has forced members of the industry to slow down and shift the focus of their creativity. Spending more time at home has inspired some of us to rummage through our wardrobes, unearthing long lost pieces and, hopefully, falling in love with them again. With this in mind, London-based denim guru and trend forecaster Sue Barrett – co-founder of Denim Forum and Address the Future – virtually gathered some of her friends in the denim community, asking them to share their love for specific denim pieces and suggest how they might improve them for today. Said Barrett about her far-reaching body of denim work, The Lockdown Nostalgia Project: “As we all know, denim is more than just a fabric. Denim is the much loved, unique canvas that captures marks and memories of good times and bad. I wanted to connect with the currently housebound indigo hearts of the denim brotherhood I’ve had the privilege of knowing, and invite them to revisit some of their denim highlights.” Here, an edit from the project, presenting Six denim experts and their most treasured pieces. The original Sportswear International magazine interview was in two parts can be read here: https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Story-Sue-Barretts-lockdown-nostalgia-project--Part-1--15346 https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Brands-Sue-Barretts-Lockdown-Nostalgia-Project--Part-2-15361 Sue Barrett https://www.instagram.com/denimforum/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-barrett-97529312/ - - - - Sue Barrett Lockdown Nostalgia - David Tring "I took two pairs of the same Wrangler Jean straight out of the factory in 2002 – I view them like a pair of brothers. One of them I kept in its original, fresh out of the factory raw state – never worn and never washed, as if stuck in its own time warp. The other I have worn, and worn, and worn and repaired and worn and so on for the last eighteen years. It was and still is a project to chart and document how jeans change and become a map of how we have lived. It's a reflection on my wearing habits – the good, the bad, and all that goes with it. I call the project “from birth to destruction.” When I do my annual university visits across Europe and Asia to meet young designers and merchandisers, I use the “brothers'' to show them that jeans are not just for a season but can be for life – after all, the most sustainable jean you have is the one in your wardrobe, you just have to wear and repair and take care of it." "If I could go back in time, the first thing I would do is change the fabric to be organic. The original fabric is a broken twill, invented by the Wrangler Engineer John Neil Walker in 1962. The great thing about it is its softness. You could add a small percentage of polyester, derived from recycled PET bottles, and a little carbon from rescued jade stone (from the jewelry industry) to create a breathable and wicking fabric with a cool touch – the sort of denim innovations you need when it’s +35 degrees and humidity in the high ’90s, like here in Asia."

Sue Barrett’s Lockdown Nostalgia Project - JOHAN Originally conceived for a piece written for Sportswear International magazine in June 2020. Interviewed by Emma Holmqvist Deacon. Andrew Olah liked the article so much, he asked Sue Barrett if she could do Film versions of her Lockdown Nostalgia Project - So Sue made 6 short films for Kingpins 24 - These were shown Live on 23rd + 24th June 2020. - - Denim and trend specialist Sue Barrett has used her time in lockdown creatively, inviting her denim community friends to reflect on the industry and share stories of their favorite vintage garments. In the midst of the bleakness and trauma brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown has forced members of the industry to slow down and shift the focus of their creativity. Spending more time at home has inspired some of us to rummage through our wardrobes, unearthing long lost pieces and, hopefully, falling in love with them again. With this in mind, London-based denim guru and trend forecaster Sue Barrett – co-founder of Denim Forum and Address the Future – virtually gathered some of her friends in the denim community, asking them to share their love for specific denim pieces and suggest how they might improve them for today. Said Barrett about her far-reaching body of denim work, The Lockdown Nostalgia Project: “As we all know, denim is more than just a fabric. Denim is the much loved, unique canvas that captures marks and memories of good times and bad. I wanted to connect with the currently housebound indigo hearts of the denim brotherhood I’ve had the privilege of knowing, and invite them to revisit some of their denim highlights.” Here, an edit from the project, presenting Six denim experts and their most treasured pieces. The original Sportswear International magazine interview was in two parts can be read here: https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Story-Sue-Barretts-lockdown-nostalgia-project--Part-1--15346 https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Brands-Sue-Barretts-Lockdown-Nostalgia-Project--Part-2-15361 Sue Barrett https://www.instagram.com/denimforum/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-barrett-97529312/ - - - - - Sue Barrett Lockdown Nostalgia - Johan Soderlund Denim Creative Consultant, Gotland, Sweden "I could go on listing favorite fabrics for the rest of the week, but decided to focus on a fabric that I was not involved in developing, but love dearly – Levi’s Shrink-To-Fit 01. The year was 1992. I was working in Stockholm at the time, and we were affected by the horrible Balkan war, which dominated the news. The economy was recovering from the 1990s recession and the grunge scene was exploding globally with Nirvana at the helm. The Denim business was booming. It was the era of the big brands, and there was also a small but growing premium market. The Japanese quality boom had not yet reached Europe; Levi’s was huge, and it was a big event every time a new campaign was released." At the time, hardly anyone wore unwashed jeans, so the 501 unwashed Shrink-to-Fit was not sold in your average jean store. The worn-in jean in the picture is actually my very first Shrink-to-fit 501 garment. The fabric was unsanforized and had an approximate shrinkage of 10%. It was only used for the 501 fit, at a weight of 14 ½ Oz. Made by Cone Mills in North Carolina and woven on modern full-width looms, the fabric was non-selvedge."

Sue Barrett’s Lockdown Nostalgia Project - MALIN Originally conceived for a piece written for Sportswear International magazine in June 2020. Interviewed by Emma Holmqvist Deacon. Andrew Olah liked the article so much, he asked Sue Barrett if she could do Film versions of her Lockdown Nostalgia Project - So Sue made 6 short films for Kingpins 24 - These were shown Live on 23rd + 24th June 2020. - - Denim and trend specialist Sue Barrett has used her time in lockdown creatively, inviting her denim community friends to reflect on the industry and share stories of their favorite vintage garments. In the midst of the bleakness and trauma brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown has forced members of the industry to slow down and shift the focus of their creativity. Spending more time at home has inspired some of us to rummage through our wardrobes, unearthing long lost pieces and, hopefully, falling in love with them again. With this in mind, London-based denim guru and trend forecaster Sue Barrett – co-founder of Denim Forum and Address the Future – virtually gathered some of her friends in the denim community, asking them to share their love for specific denim pieces and suggest how they might improve them for today. Said Barrett about her far-reaching body of denim work, The Lockdown Nostalgia Project: “As we all know, denim is more than just a fabric. Denim is the much loved, unique canvas that captures marks and memories of good times and bad. I wanted to connect with the currently housebound indigo hearts of the denim brotherhood I’ve had the privilege of knowing, and invite them to revisit some of their denim highlights.” Here, an edit from the project, presenting Six denim experts and their most treasured pieces. The original Sportswear International magazine interview was in two parts can be read here: https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Story-Sue-Barretts-lockdown-nostalgia-project--Part-1--15346 https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Brands-Sue-Barretts-Lockdown-Nostalgia-Project--Part-2-15361 Sue Barrett https://www.instagram.com/denimforum/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-barrett-97529312/ - - - - Sue Barrett Lockdown Nostalgia - Malin Ekengren Head of Denim, Stella McCartney, London "The commercial denim industry of the early ’00s was all about stretch, bad crosshatch twills and fancy details. I hid from that world by immersing myself in vintage denim and the history of Levi Strauss, where I worked at the time as senior designer. This pair of Levi’s Orange tab jeans I maybe picked up in Tokyo or most likely at the Rosebowl in LA. It has the perfect hazy worn blue denim shade that only the Orange tab fabric fades to. I tailored the jean to my desired fit and wore it to shreds, mending and patching it up as I went along. It lived through all my past Levi’s work travels across the US, Asia and Europe; it has seen seedy Tokyo bars and celebrated best friends’ birthdays and weddings. It’s a trusted pair but also the most ripped! It being vintage reflects my own personal style at the time, although they have been tailored to be slimmer and with a lower waist." I wish the look/construction and shade of this fabric could be recreated but with a modern natural stretch fabric that would last until it’s composted. My love for shredded, patched-up vintage denim has become more refined over the years – I now prefer cleaner pieces that are lovingly hand-worked, appliquéd and mended rather than just quickly patched and worn. I think I was always in a rush back then, content with a bit of a Frankenstein jean. Nowadays I can hold on to a jean for a long time before deciding what to do with it, or end up keeping it for a special project or client."

Sue Barrett’s Lockdown Nostalgia Project - EBRU Originally conceived for a piece written for Sportswear International magazine in June 2020. Interviewed by Emma Holmqvist Deacon. Andrew Olah liked the article so much, he asked Sue Barrett if she could do Film versions of her Lockdown Nostalgia Project - So Sue made 6 short films for Kingpins 24 - These were shown Live on 23rd + 24th June 2020. - - Denim and trend specialist Sue Barrett has used her time in lockdown creatively, inviting her denim community friends to reflect on the industry and share stories of their favorite vintage garments.    In the midst of the bleakness and trauma brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown has forced members of the industry to slow down and shift the focus of their creativity. Spending more time at home has inspired some of us to rummage through our wardrobes, unearthing long lost pieces and, hopefully, falling in love with them again. With this in mind, London-based denim guru and trend forecaster Sue Barrett – co-founder of Denim Forum and Address the Future – virtually gathered some of her friends in the denim community, asking them to share their love for specific denim pieces and suggest how they might improve them for today.   Said Barrett about her far-reaching body of denim work, The Lockdown Nostalgia Project: “As we all know, denim is more than just a fabric. Denim is the much loved, unique canvas that captures marks and memories of good times and bad. I wanted to connect with the currently housebound indigo hearts of the denim brotherhood I’ve had the privilege of knowing, and invite them to revisit some of their denim highlights.”   Here, an edit from the project, presenting Six denim experts and their most treasured pieces. The original Sportswear International magazine interview was in two parts can be read here: https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Story-Sue-Barretts-lockdown-nostalgia-project--Part-1--15346 https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Brands-Sue-Barretts-Lockdown-Nostalgia-Project--Part-2-15361 Sue Barrett https://www.instagram.com/denimforum/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-barrett-97529312/ - - - - Sue Barrett Lockdown Nostalgia - Ebru Debbag Executive Director of Global Sales + Marketing, Soorty Enterprises, Istanbul   "I found this jacket on a rainy winter day at Portobello Market while on a treasure hunt with Sue Barrett. It caught my attention as soon as we started browsing the first rack of vintage blues. The price tag was above my budget but with a denimhead as a shopping partner, there was not much to discourage me from buying it as a gift to self. It has all the perfect indigo rainbow shades, with artisan mending-patches of dark and medium yarn-dyed fabric pieces. The main body is crafted from a clean, open twill and the purple shade has washed out beautifully. I rarely find vintage pieces that fit me perfectly, but this one was as if tailored for me." The wooden buttons and the shape of the collar make it suitable as a shirt in winter and a jacket during the warmer months. The fabric feels amazingly soft – as in the case of most worn-in pieces – but it’s probably durable enough to wear for years to come. I’ve added some stitches at the hems to give a cleaner look, and I’ve made sure not to wash it too often. I’ve used the colors as inspiration at Soorty and we’ve developed a deep dark yarn-dyed shirting weight fabric inspired by the mending pieces. If I were to redevelop the main fabric, I’d add some slubs in the weft just to liven it up a little."

Sue Barrett’s Lockdown Nostalgia Project - GORDON Originally conceived for a piece written for Sportswear International magazine in June 2020. Interviewed by Emma Holmqvist Deacon. Andrew Olah liked the article so much, he asked Sue Barrett if she could do Film versions of her Lockdown Nostalgia Project - So Sue made 6 short films for Kingpins 24 - These were shown Live on 23rd + 24th June 2020. - - Denim and trend specialist Sue Barrett has used her time in lockdown creatively, inviting her denim community friends to reflect on the industry and share stories of their favorite vintage garments. In the midst of the bleakness and trauma brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown has forced members of the industry to slow down and shift the focus of their creativity. Spending more time at home has inspired some of us to rummage through our wardrobes, unearthing long lost pieces and, hopefully, falling in love with them again. With this in mind, London-based denim guru and trend forecaster Sue Barrett – co-founder of Denim Forum and Address the Future – virtually gathered some of her friends in the denim community, asking them to share their love for specific denim pieces and suggest how they might improve them for today. Said Barrett about her far-reaching body of denim work, The Lockdown Nostalgia Project: “As we all know, denim is more than just a fabric. Denim is the much loved, unique canvas that captures marks and memories of good times and bad. I wanted to connect with the currently housebound indigo hearts of the denim brotherhood I’ve had the privilege of knowing, and invite them to revisit some of their denim highlights.” Here, an edit from the project, presenting Six denim experts and their most treasured pieces. The original Sportswear International magazine interview was in two parts can be read here: https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Story-Sue-Barretts-lockdown-nostalgia-project--Part-1--15346 https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Brands-Sue-Barretts-Lockdown-Nostalgia-Project--Part-2-15361 Sue Barrett https://www.instagram.com/denimforum/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-barrett-97529312/ - - - - Sue Barrett Lockdown Nostalgia - Gordon Muir Denim Consultant, Hiroshima, Japan "My first special vintage piece was bought at a very special time – 1998. I’d been living in Italy since ’95, working for Adriano Goldschmied and Piero Turk at Team Kit in Asolo. After years of seeing the best denim come into the studio, it was time for me to experience Japan and its vintage shopping scene. “Boon” and “Popeye” magazines were the coolest titles at the time, so I knew which stores in Tokyo and Osaka to hit. Having arrived, I walked around with my eyes popping and my tongue hanging out – I’d experienced nothing like it. In Harajuku, I came across Teardrop, the smallest vintage store I’d ever seen. It was the width of garage shutter door, with an amazing selection of vintage denim and sweatshirts stacked up. I really liked two pieces – a 1950s sweatshirt and a pair of jeans – a Levi’s XX hidden rivet. I loved how the piece was patched and repaired, and the fade and wash were very unique. I didn’t have enough cash to buy both and didn’t speak any Japanese back then so couldn’t ask to have them put aside. After a restless night’s sleep, I went back and walked away a happy man with my jeans and sweatshirt." "So how would I update the jeans if given the chance? It would be great to do a modern sustainable version of it, with fewer dips to achieve a lighter indigo shade. This way we’d be able create brighter, lighter summer shades without all the chemicals needed. We’d use laser for the processing, then go for embroidery with indigo threads to bring it back together again, giving the patch and repairs a feel of the “untouchable” –just like the original."

Sue Barrett’s Lockdown Nostalgia Project - MILES Originally conceived for a piece written for Sportswear International magazine in June 2020. Interviewed by Emma Holmqvist Deacon. Andrew Olah liked the article so much, he asked Sue Barrett if she could do Film versions of her Lockdown Nostalgia Project - So Sue made 6 short films for Kingpins 24 - These were shown Live on 23rd + 24th June 2020. - - Denim and trend specialist Sue Barrett has used her time in lockdown creatively, inviting her denim community friends to reflect on the industry and share stories of their favorite vintage garments. In the midst of the bleakness and trauma brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown has forced members of the industry to slow down and shift the focus of their creativity. Spending more time at home has inspired some of us to rummage through our wardrobes, unearthing long lost pieces and, hopefully, falling in love with them again. With this in mind, London-based denim guru and trend forecaster Sue Barrett – co-founder of Denim Forum and Address the Future – virtually gathered some of her friends in the denim community, asking them to share their love for specific denim pieces and suggest how they might improve them for today. Said Barrett about her far-reaching body of denim work, The Lockdown Nostalgia Project: “As we all know, denim is more than just a fabric. Denim is the much loved, unique canvas that captures marks and memories of good times and bad. I wanted to connect with the currently housebound indigo hearts of the denim brotherhood I’ve had the privilege of knowing, and invite them to revisit some of their denim highlights.” Here, an edit from the project, presenting Six denim experts and their most treasured pieces. The original Sportswear International magazine interview was in two parts can be read here: https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Story-Sue-Barretts-lockdown-nostalgia-project--Part-1--15346 https://www.sportswear-international.com/news/stories/Brands-Sue-Barretts-Lockdown-Nostalgia-Project--Part-2-15361 Sue Barrett https://www.instagram.com/denimforum/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-barrett-97529312/ - - - - Sue Barrett Lockdown Nostalgia - Miles Johnson Creative Director, Worcester, UK "This jacket was reluctantly given to me by my good friend Ben Phillips, when we were working together for Levi Strauss and spending a week in Las Vegas at Magic tradeshow. Ben had been sourcing old jackets – in denim, canvas and twill in reasonable condition to which to apply prints and embroideries, or cut up and customize. When he showed me this jacket, I just knew it needed to come home with me. Jackets like this one are hard to find, especially since it’s old and hardly worn, and with a strong indigo shade." It’s an obvious workwear jacket. You can tell it’s likely to be from the 1940’s because of the laurel leaf doughnut button down the centre front and cuff. There is a beauty to how basic and simple the construction of workwear can be and is highlighted by the square, boxy form and how efficient a pattern like this would have been when tough fabric was hard to come by at a good price. So, not wasting any of the denim and keeping it as boxy as possible would have been a function over form decision made. If I were to improve the fabric, I’d perhaps just add a little character to the surface of the denim and make the weave slightly more compact, so it’s not quite as floppy. I’d increase the weight to a 9oz, up from what I think is more of an 8oz."