Denim The Timeless Trendsetter

Crystal Henricksen, Head of Denim Design at GAP, shares with us what makes the fabric simple, versatile, and timeless

- Niraj Kakade

If denim were a food, it'd be a sandwich. The humble, reliable sandwich-adaptable, timeless, and, in the hands of the right chef, capable of surprising complexity. But just like your go-to Subway, even the classics need an update once in a while, which is where Crystal Henricksen, the Head of Denim Design at GAP, comes in. Her job? Reinvent a fabric that's been around since before anyone cared about calories-or fashion week, for that matter-fancy sandwiches, all while ensuring we all still fit into our jeans. No pressure, Crystal.

Today, denim is more than just a piece of fabric; it's a cultural touchstone that has effortlessly evolved from the rough-andtumble workwear of 19th-century miners to the centrepiece of haute couture. It's what you wear when you want to channel James Dean or bring out your inner 2000s Britney and Justin at the AMAs-because nothing says 'icon' like head-to-toe denim.

A LITTLE DENIM HISTORY

Denim dates back to 1873 when Levi Strauss teamed up with tailor Jacob Davis to patent work pants made from indigodyed fabric. Designed for durability, these jeans were stitched for miners and cowboys aka the original blue-collar chic. The term "denim" is borrowed from the French 'serge de Nimes', and like all good imports, it was given a cooler, shorter name for mass appeal.

For decades, denim stayed on its workhorse track, but by the 1950s, things got rebellious. Enter the leather jacketwearing, cigarette-smoking bad-boy aesthetic. Denim became a symbol of teenage rebellion and youthful angstbasically, the sartorial equivalent of breaking curfew. Fast forward to the '80s, and denim was stonewashed, acidwashed, and oversized within an inch of its life.