Overview
Denim veteran Piero Turk has an eye for denim inspiration.
Deep Dive
Heritage workwear is what drew Piero Turk to denim, but it was the 1980s boom in fashion denim where the Italian designer cut his teeth working alongside other industry figureheads, like Adriano Goldschmied.
Having also worked with major players in the denim sector, like Replay, Edwin, Guess and Pepe Jeans, among others, Turk has gleaned a lifelong education in denim-making—knowledge he now passes on as a freelance designer and consultant.
He’s also the industry’s unofficial archivist, documenting sources of inspiration and vintage denim in his books “Details: A Life With Denim” and “A Life With Denim, Vol. 2.”
Why are you drawn to denim?
I was always fascinated by the simple elegance of worker’s clothes; the photographs of August Sander, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange. Denim is the fabric of workwear. Blue is the color of workers—simple and strong.
How can brands improve the way they communicate sustainable stories to consumers?
By changing the approach. Instead of creating sustainable capsule collections in their product range, they should take radical steps to use sustainable fabrics, washes and finishes for all of their products.
What was the last denim garment you purchased?
IMJIT 35020 Manufactus jeans. It’s a small Italian company, making jeans with a maniacal attention to details using high quality, raw and selvedge denim, of course. I bought them at their workshop located in my area, northeast of Italy. I love their simplicity and authenticity.
Which city has the most inspiring street style?
It depends what you are looking for. Los Angeles, London, New York City and Tokyo are my favorites places.
What’s exciting you about denim in 2019?
Finally, even if in many cases it’s not because they really believe that in it but because it’s trendy, almost all the denim mills are working on more sustainable products and are improving all production processes. Let’s hope it’s a first step in a never-ending journey.