Gawker: Jeans

Wrangler Has Existentialist French Commercial In World Gone Crazy

Hamilton Nolan — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:22:31 EDT

Ha ha, wow, has the management of the Wrangler jeans company all been kidnapped and tied up in a closet, causing the company to be run currently by French anarchist intellectuals? Because that is my operating theory. First Wrangler—Wrangler!—set off its just plain dumb "We are animals" campaign with that cult-like hipster photo shoot by Ryan McGinley. Now (southern accent) Rain-guhlurr, proudly headquartered in Greens-bruh Nawth Cair-Lyna, has a commercial with some French guy talking about "Why do we live when we know we will die?" Uh, to watch NASCAR? Watch this abomination after the jump. Riots amongst Alabama denim fans TK:

[via Copyranter at Animal]

Tight Baggy Jeans Achieve Holy Grail Of Pants

Hamilton Nolan — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:16:48 EDT

These new jeans may be a turning point in the evolution of pants. It goes like this: first, baggy jeans came into style. People bought big pants and let them sag. Then, baggy pants slowly went out of style, and tight pants came into fashion. But still—people missed their baggy pants. Fast forward to this moment in time: a company called Soulful Commandoe has introduced jeans that are both tight and baggy at once. This breakthrough was apparently achieved through the addition of several vertical inches of fabric in the waist area, as well as the inclusion of some gratuitous suspenders. Truly a development that will go down in fashion history. Click through for some larger pictures [The Gluttony via Satchel of Gravel] of this Pants Pants Revolution:

Damien Hirst Is Really Into Jeans

Hamilton Nolan — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:35:57 EDT

Artist of our age Damien Hirst must have a busy schedule, what with all the shark embalming and gluing little diamonds onto skulls and bidding on white truffles. But he's determined to make sure that his art remains within reach of the common people, who wear jeans and patronize over-the-top art world events. So he teamed up with all-American brand Levis—and the Andy Warhol licensing machine—to design some jeans that anyone can buy, assuming they have $80,000 (really) to spend on psychedelic pants. After the jump, photos of Hirst's new clothing items from last weekend's opening in LA. The smart consumer will wait until these go on sale at Filene's.

"I am totally getting those jeans, just you watch," says this guy.

[Supertouch via Hypebeast]

François Girbaud Is So Over Black People

Doree Shafrir — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:40:03 EDT

The Observer catches up with '80s jeans designer François Girbaud—remember, he was the one who had the clever idea of putting his little label on the zipper flap of his jeans, so everyone was always looking at your crotch? Like Z. Cavaricci! And that jingle from their commercials? God, get it out of my head, please!—who is apparently trying to make some sort of comeback. Well, sort of. See, he's already had a bit of a comeback in the last few years, but it was with the wrong kind of people. The black kind.

"Somewhere, the company was running too much in some direction, too much in hip-hop stuff," Mr. Girbaud, 62, told the Transom (perhaps taking a page from the playbook of a compatriot who last year expressed disdainful befuddlement toward rappers' loyalty to the Champagne label Cristal). He was wearing a black-collared shirt over baggy black jeans, which were adorned with a single drooping silver chain that smacked against his knee as he strode through the streamlined space. "To be just connected in the hip-hop stuff is other brand; there is people like Russell Simmons or Damon Dash or Puff Daddy or all this kind. I'm not the rap people. Sure, we introduced the baggy jeans, we introduced stonewashed and all this stuff in the 60's or 70's, I never target just to be ethnic. It's stupid."

Um, okay! But Girbaud didn't stop there; he made a comment about how he walks "through projects today" and all he sees are "the same five-pocket jeans." Also, he makes gang signs:

When it comes to his own self-expression, Mr. Girbaud seems to think that the exigencies of marketing are cramping his style. "I have to talk like that"—he flashed a gang hand-sign—"and speak like that"—he flashed another gang hand-sign—"and move like that"—he grabbed his crotch—"and it's ridiculous!" Now he was shouting. "What we bring into the market was always innovative, and I feel now I am trapped and I have to just talk the same way, like I have to have skulls and some kind of snakes. It's boring, it's really boring!"

Oh, those wacky French. Always so excitable! It'd be cute if it wasn't so... racist.

Sacré Bleu Jean? [NYO]