The word denim is derived from “serge de Nimes”, a reference to the French city of Nimes, where it is said to have originated. Denim became popular in the 1800s, when it was used to create uniforms for miners during the American Gold Rush. Durable, resistant, and much more comfortable than its predecessors (brown canvas!), denim became an easy favourite of working men. In 1873, a tailor named Jacob Davis and a businessman, Levi Strauss, patented the process of creating denim trousers with metallic rivets to reinforce areas that were more likely to tear, and became the first producers of today’s jeans.
Our new Arugam womenswear capsule is denim made for the tropics. “The choice of denim has global appeal; but also works well for who we are and where we are”, says Rajiv Purohit, our visual merchandising whiz. “The advantage of denim is that it gives you a multitude of washes. From the same fabric, we see a gradation of different colours. The beauty of this is that even though the style is the same, from piece to piece, there is something unique about each thing. These are clothes that you can keep. The more you wash and wear them, the more they take their own character. They will change with you.”
We use a lightweight denim with the same classic body, but in a fabric that is more breathable, and appropriate for the hot summer sun. Our denim is washed to give it a soft hand and drape, and accented with little details, like gunmetal buttons picked out in sunshine-yellow thread, and fluid separates in distressed poplin. The silhouettes that we design and work with are free-flowing, with an ease and comfort that will see you through an Indian summer, but we intend for our denim to stay with you for many years, and for wear to make it uniquely yours. And, as always, we pride ourselves on creating pieces that are durable yet contemporary, beautiful yet casual, and utterly timeless.
