This year’s Denim Awards are set to take place Oct. 26 in Amsterdam, and the denim-drenched jury has just been announced.
The jury will assess the final collections of 11 fashion designers and progressive mills. The final looks will be presented at the ceremony and judged based on overall look which must consist of a combination of design and innovative denim pieces.
And the jurors are:
Amy Leverton: Leverton began her career in the denim industry in 2003, working for four years as a denim casual wear designer and the last eight years in trend forecasting and consultancy. She covers upwards of 15 industry trade shows and denim events a year, analyzes street style and searches fashion week runway shows as well as hunts for new brands. Last year she became a best-selling author for her book titled Denim Dudes, becoming one of the most popular denim books ever.
Art Comes First: Quite the pair—having collaborated with the likes of Pony, Super Duper Hats, Spencer Hart, Ozwald Boateng, Kanye West, Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def), Liberty Fairs, and most recently Dutch denim label Denham, on a black denim capsule collection.
The duo even created limited edition capsules like The Coal collection, presented at Harvey Nichols and United Arrows. Art Comes First was created by former Saville Row designer Sam Lambert and stylist Shaka Maidoh as a medium for their work as a styling and designing pair, as well as their non-commercial research and heavier art-oriented ventures. They also have their own menswear label, Avec Ces Freres.
Kelly Harrington: Having worked in the fashion industry since 2001, Harrington knows her way around denim. She graduated from Loughborough University in printed textiles and spent 14 years at H&M. She spends her days designing, trend forecasting and setting up an inspirational vintage archive. She regularly collaborates from denim brands across the globe, and influences both online and off—which can be seen through her expanding Instagram project where she garners 30,000 followers daily.
Alex Jaspers: With over 20 years of denim experience, Jaspers knows a thing or two about the industry. He is the Global Sales Director of Scotch & Soda and an overall denim aficionado. He has been responsible for the for strategy for Amsterdams Blauw, the successful denim collection of Scotch & Soda as well as helping the overall denim business and marketing strategies for the Amsterdam-based brand.