The Jouch Deserves a Rebrand: Making a Case for the Jean Couch
This post was originally published on this site
While it can be difficult to get people to break out of their comfort zones in regards to fabrics, some interior designers have been eager to experiment with the textile. Denim can be tastefully done, as proven by Neal Beckstedt when he designed an East Hampton compound where “the heart of the house” is a conversation pit covered in Japanese denim. After noticing that his client had a “denim-heavy wardrobe,” he insisted on designing the sunken lounge area around the fabric, which then extended to the rest of the interiors. (One of the bedrooms even features a blue denim wall covering.)
Elise is thrilled to see the aesthetics of upcycling being embraced by a new generation of design aficionados, and is curious to see how this wave of elevating of denim continues to take shape. She also considers the arrival of this trend as an opportunity for more designers to facilitate conversations around ongoing issues like pollution and overly scaled, injustice-based manufacturing. (As the global denim market is projected to reach $107 billion by 2023, jeans contribute 2.16 million tons of waste to landfills every year.) The concept of “sustainable denim” is still a gray area, but integrating this type of approach is a small step in the right direction.
“A small boutique studio is not going to necessarily save the world with their luxury pieces of furniture, but I do think that the space for design is to initiate those conversations and elevate materials that otherwise are being treated like waste,” Elise explains. “Elevating what is a really durable, long-lasting workwear material into a high-design space also implies a timeless commitment to the things that we’re buying instead of the disposability of less durable materials.”
Prior to starting 69, the designer behind the all-inclusive lifestyle brand had only ever been exposed to denim outside the fashion realm in secondhand shopping settings. “The only denim furniture I’ve ever really come across is a thrift store couch that someone’s reupholstered themselves with either old jeans or just denim,” they recall. “I slept on denim bed sheets for many years, I found them to be very comfortable. I love how they wear and fade.”
Mostly known for their experimental denimwear, 69 presented their first solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2018. Since then, the Los Angeles–based designer has been transitioning into the furniture and soft goods space, so denim couches and chairs are currently a work in progress. “It’s quite a shift to go from making clothing to making these substantial objects that are meant to be in your life forever and provide comfort,” they explain. “There’s a lot involved and right now I’m trying to work with structures that exist because there’s so much out there and it’s like, ‘Okay, all this needs is a cover.’”
In 2021, the now defunct Gallery Dept. dropped a swivel chair made out of blankets of vintage denim scraps. Surely, the demand for products like this will rise as more people buy into the idea of dressing the furniture in their spaces. “I love when people dress like their furniture,” Elise says. “I love the connection between fashion and furniture, and I feel like the upcycling fabric developed from secondhand clothing is specifically pulling them together.”
Responses