New Madrid Exhibit Dissects Denim’s Impact on Culture, Environment

A new exhibit at the Museo del Traje in Madrid explores denim’s past, present and future, including the steps the industry is taking to become more sustainable.

Titled “Jeans, From the Street to the Ritz,” on display through March 17, the exhibit traces the history of denim starting from its origins as a fabric in the 17th century to the “birth of jeans” in the mid-19th century and its global expansion in the decades since.

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The title is a nod to the quote, “Down with the Ritz! Long live the street!” which French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent said in 1968 during the Paris student riots and has since been used to describe the fusion of high-end fashion and streetwear. The exhibit examines denim’s symbolism in gender as well as in film, music and urban movements. It also addresses denim from a sustainable perspective and covers how companies are working to reduce the textile’s impact on the environment.

Garments by Levi’s, Pepe Jeans, Lee, Kenzo, Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier are among the exhibit’s 200-plus pieces. Spanish players in the denim supply chain, including finishing technology firm Jeanologia and denim mill Evlox, also contributed garments.

“As collaborators in this initiative, we have had the privilege of sharing some iconic pieces from our archive,” said Carmen Silla, Jeanologia’s marketing director. In addition to showing garments with “great historical value” such as Levi’s clothing from WWII, Jeanologia’s R&D team, Brainbox, contributed jeans that represent innovation, creativity and sustainability.

Jeanologia plays a sizable role in the exhibition’s closing moments, which examine the environmental consequences of denim manufacturing.

“Thanks to our disruptive technologies, such as lasers, air washers with G2 ozone and innovative software, we have eliminated traditional practices in the manufacturing of jeans,” Silla said.

From sand blasting and potassium permanganate, or PP, spray to the use of pumice stones, Silla said these traditional and harmful practices appear in the exhibit as what they should be today: “museum pieces that are just part of the history of denim.”

“These advances have transformed the denim industry forever,” she added. “There is no going back in the way things are done.”