We’ve all done it. Shelled out on an ungodly expensive jean, only to tear the seat out of them with a heavy slam after a fortnight. Maybe skateboarders are cursed. You can either buy expensive and pray it’s genuine quality, rather than brand marketing; or buy a load of cheap crap and hope your skin survives. Well, Mark Westmoreland – designer for 19.91 Denim – says otherwise. With 28 years working with one of the most durable natural fabrics in the world, he’s here to school us on what a good jean ought to withstand, and ought to cost.
SHOT BY THOMAS MARCHAL / TAKEN FROM ISSUE 2
You – along with your partners in 19.91, Henri and Filip – were part of the team behind the Levi’s Skateboarding project until last year, creating skate-ready garments and sponsoring DIY-build projects and trips around Europe. How did you find yourself there?
Well, I went to art college, and when I came to specialise I wanted to do graphics because I thought it was more inline with graffiti and skate cultures, which I loved. But when I saw the graphics guys, I thought “I’ve got fucking nothing in common with you lot.” Fashion has more impact on subcultures, which is what I was always interested in, and so I went to London to follow that route. But I never conformed to the fashion world, in the 80s when I was studying I was into Patagonia and brands like that, and everyone around me wanted to get catwalk shows. I wasn’t down with that at all.
Yeah, Patagonia’s whole thing is about creating a piece of clothing you won’t need to buy again, right? So you were already looking for garments which could withstand the world?
The fashion kids had their world, I had my world. But rather than the fashion world dictating the kids, I believed that in skating it’s the kids that dictate the fashion. Particularly in skateboarding, lasting designs come from functionality and practicality, not just looking good. Those trends come and go.
So how did you break free of the catwalk-obsessives at college?
Well, simply put: I failed my degree. [Laughs] Before my grades came in, I managed to get a job out in Italy so I didn’t really care if they failed me once I had that. It was working for a jeans studio, but I never contemplated designing denim for a living. I was basically just on holiday for while, then the company decided to relocate to London. They became Voyage, which was famous for once not letting Madonna into their store. We were really into Carhartt (pre-WIP), Patagonia. You know, functional, outdoorsy garments. Just clothes at the end of the day. I got to skate to work. They were super cool, but they were Italian. A little shabby with payment, a little too laid back. The company didn’t work as well in England as it had in Italy. After a while I did need to move on. I think that was in 1991, actually!
“Nobody wants to be fucking pandered to.”
Is that where the name comes from?
Not really, it comes from a few places. Ask FIlip, he’ll say it’s when the skate industry really exploded. For me, it was when the denim world changed. They were a trend item before then, but it became a staple, like it is today, thanks to what happened in 1991 with the Japanese Osaka Five – an indigo selvedge denim, that was very purist. It referenced Levi’s earliest work, the craft of the 40s. By 2000, when I actually started working for Levi’s, quality denim was everywhere thanks to that Japanese jean.
How did that feel to be with Levi’s at that point?
I’d worked for so many brands with fake heritage that when I got to Levi’s it was like a homecoming. I was in a company with real history and legitimacy in the industry finally. It was fantastic, and I met Henri and Filip who would become my partners in 19.91. But it quickly became clear that it was all obsession with the brand. I think that comes with heritage. You had to live and breathe Levi’s, and I became like them – blinkered. There were great products, an amazing archive, amazing resources, but at the end of the day it didn’t feel like it was about how good the jeans looked, but more about the story and philosophy behind new releases. When the jean actually dropped in stores, without the marketing and enchanting tales behind it, people just didn’t want it. That taught me so much about fabrics, washing, but ultimately, I learned that if the jean is good, it’s good. That’s it. I’m up for evolution, providing it’s necessary – but maybe I’m cynical.
Like stone-wash, that just came from chucking some stones into
a washing machine, right?
That was a brilliant idea! I think 19.91 was born from a love of that type of innovation. That, and Japanese purist construction, as I say, who were still interested in the original 1940s craft that Levi’s had pioneer way back. Levi’s seemed to have lost the recipe for those original jeans. But that does make sense, because people just don’t need the resistance like they did back then. Denim doesn’t need to survive three months down a goldmine, it doesn’t need that little pocket for keeping your matches to hand, or a side pocket for your candle. See, I was interested in crafting a truly durable, hard-wearing jean, that understood the needs of the wearer. So starting our own denim company for skateboarders – who moan every day about shoes and clothes falling apart after a few weeks of being ridden in – seemed necessary. They needed quality.
How did you manage to keep it around 60-70€ mark, Mark?
When Henri said he wanted to make a cheap jean, I was like, “fucking hallelujah!”. Finally, a good, honest craft. I’m all for making money, right, but how much money do you need to make? Skaters are from a subculture, they can’t shell out for high fashion prices. So I looked into constructions from the past to find strength that wouldn’t cost more to make now. For example, our belt loops have a parachord that runs through them, which is inspired by a design Levi’s used to put in theirs. An extra layer of fabric means your belt-loops won’t break free before your jeans fall apart. It’s about making what the consumer needs, not about telling them what they want. It comes from a design point of view, but it’s practical at the same time.
How does it fit specifically to skateboarder’s needs?
Well, aside from being durable enough to skate in, we use also the Warp Stretch denim, which stretches when you bend your knees – vertically, not horizontally – only where it matters. We set the rivets deeper in the jeans, so they’re not going fuck you up when you fall. And superficial things, like our button design is heavily influenced by a bearing, our patch has four holes like a truck base. Nobody wants to be fucking pandered to, so we didn’t push it too far, but I like it when companies give you a little wink. You know you’re wearing something made with you in mind – for skateboarding.
But can you really claim it’s made for all skaters?
Look, we don’t want to be Supreme, Palace, Polar; trying to guide the look of skateboarding. We want to be like, I dunno, Carhartt or Patagonia – people who create stuff that lasts. That way, you’re not excluding anyone. The kids – if they understand why we craft like we do – will choose to wear it because it works best for skateboarding. We do a slim fit, a standard, a big standard and a loose; four fits we’ve seen in skateboarding over the decades, with various washes. So whatever suits your style, you’ll still have the quality you need. And you don’t have to change your look to be part of what we’re trying to do.
So how are you going to get your message across?
I mean, reaching skaters is a slow process. Gradually people will realise that a cotton denim, without all that polyester crap, is more breathable (you can sweat in it!), more hardwearing (you can slam in it!), and over time it will soften up to give you a fit which is suited to you. It’s not going to blow out and fall apart. When we were at Levi’s Skateboarding, we had all this money behind us to get a team together, to do trips and projects. If 19.91 suddenly came out with a team, skaters would be cynical; clearly we’d have all this cash behind us. With us, we really started from scratch, with just experience and a love of skateboarding. One day, we’ll get a crew together and all that. But for now, you’ll see 19.91 at tradeshows, online and, hopefully, in your local skate-store. And if anyone needs me, I’ll be in the workshop.
1991denim.com
