The Rivet x Project Awards honored the best in denim at Project Las Vegas on Tuesday, recognizing established premium denim brands, newcomers to the U.S. market and labels that pay tribute to jeans’ heritage and craftsmanship.
Congratulation to the winners.
Best Men’s Collection: Naked & Famous
Two new additions in Naked & Famous’ collection underpin the Canadian label’s knack for thinking outside the box.
The brand presented men’s jeans made with silk recycled kimonos sourced from Japanese thrift stores. Naked & Famous achieved the 10 percent silk fabric by blending shredded kimonos with new cotton. The result is a dark indigo jean flecked with shimmery silk.
Naked & Famous also bowed a jean made with 20 percent recycled denim. The fabric contains offcuts in the warp, blended with new cotton. No dyes or chemicals are added to the jean, resulting in a unique light blue color derived from the indigo previously applied to the offcuts. A light pink selvedge line and backpatch made from recycled leather are finishing touches.
Best Women’s Collection: Joe’s
Using color and versatile separates, Joe’s presented a cohesive story for women rich with new fits and subtle yet elevating details.
After a season that saw most brands over-invest in straight fits, Joe’s is betting on flare and wide-leg jeans with cuffed details, flat cargo pockets, contrast stitching, shield-shaped back pockets and super high rises for Spring/Summer 2023. The collection’s retro-inspired palette of indigo, ecru, medium yellows and sunset orange spans jeans, chore jackets and denim shorts, including a new relaxed fit.
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The denim pieces are supported by knit tank tops, blouses with voluminous sleeves and flutter sleeve dresses.
Best New Brand: Redhouse
Portuguese men’s brand Redhouse made its U.S. debut at Project, presenting a high-end take on denim streetwear.
Established in 2012 to offer the European market a bolder approach to slim and skinny fits, the brand combines Italian fabrics from Candiani Denim with one-of-a-kind details finished in Portugal. Silver chains trim a classic Trucker jacket. Studs, paint splatter and screen-printed logos decorate jeans. Moto details add an edgy look, while dye effects speak to the market demand for color.
A tiny Italian flag on the button-fly of jeans serves as a reminder of its premium roots. Landing prices for jeans hover around $178 but a brand rep said prices depends on finishing treatments.
The denim collection is complemented by a sport range encompassing 100 percent cotton regular fit and oversized tees and terry shorts—some decorated with the same techniques used for denim.
Best Collaboration: Caterpillar x Colour Plus Co.
How do you update a garment steeped in workwear heritage? Just add color.
Caterpillar teamed with Jordan Page, the Brooklyn-based DJ, stylist, curator behind the fashion Instagram account @veryadvanced and founder of Colour Plus Companie, for collection that serves as a “meditation on color theory” and muses on how utility and streetwear intermingle. Based on a “muted palette that draws from rich natural tones,” Colour in Uniform examines the “intersectionality between utility and form in relation to fabrics and garments.” The manifesto is printed on the back of collaboration’s tees and hoodies.
Workwear staples like a plaid button-down shirt, utility vests, double-front pants and carpenter pants and shorts in corduroy and denim feature co-branded elements. Zip and pull-over hoodies and terry shorts round out the collection.
The collaboration will launch in November, with a bigger drop scheduled for Spring/Summer 2023.
Best Sustainable Collection: Mavi
For the second consecutive season, Turkish label Mavi nabbed the honor for “Best Sustainable Collection,” this time by going au naturel in its new concept.
The men’s and women’s Natural Dye Collection uses natural clay-based colorants and ratios to achieve its signature earthy colors. “Clay is an inherently occurring material and its unique crystal structure is non-toxic, UV resistant and antibacterial,” Mavi stated.
The result is 100 percent cotton shackets and jeans in shades of brown and green. Garments are also outfitted with biodegradable nutshell buttons, back patches made from biodegradable olive seeds and woven labels and threads made from recycled materials. The collection contains basil seeds that can be planted.
Editor’s Choice: Artmeetschaos
Donwan Harrell’s Artmeetschaos is an ode to understanding denim’s possibilities and limitations. The latest collection offers new slim carpenter jeans, PFD garment dyed straight fit jeans, and jeans tie-dyed by hand to replicate the look of vintage painter pants. Paint splatter, laser prints and overdying keep each style new and fresh.
Despite the variety, the collection is made with a tight range of fabrics. Harrell sources fabrics from South America and produces the collection in Colombia at the top washhouse in the region to maintain duty-free treatment. Since he doesn’t have the “encyclopedia of fabrics” he would have access to if he sourced fabrics from Asia, Harrell said he spends time studying the fabrics to develop new finishes, fits and colors.
European denim heads will soon enjoy Harrell’s attention to detail. The brand recently joined Amsterdam showroom, Solotwentyfive.