EDITORIAL | Jason Denham Visits Over the Rainbow
Jason Denham, an exceptionally talented designer of premium denim, made his first visit to Canada last week to check out the retail market in Toronto. Five years ago, he founded Denham the Jeanmaker using a creative motto his company continues to live by: “Worship Tradition, Destroy Convention”. The brand travels the world in search of the best vintage work wear pieces and strips them in order to design something fresh. Jason claims to be drawn by the past, but insists his brand is a modernist label that pushes the envelope of fashion…just not too far!
Jason let us in on his humble beginnings in denim design, which started from making custom jeans for Bono and The Edge during rock band U2’s legendary Zooropa tour. After spending eight years in the denim world, Jason decided to create a brand from his own namesake and vision. He talked about the influences behind all his little design details, which include tailoured box buttons, engineered front rise material, and hem darts on the back leg for extra tapering. Jason was enthralled with how passionate our Canadian customers were about their denim, both with fit and quality.
Over the Rainbow has carried their denim line since launching in Canada several years ago. There most notable style is the SKIN fit, a European slim featuring Denham’s signature “7-point pocket” (made from the imprint of Jason Denham’s hand). The UPGRADER skinny fit is tailored perfectly to the younger consumer, not to mention some lightweight twill fabrics (available in faded black and army green) just in time for the warming Spring weather. Jason was pleasantly surprised by the presentation of his brand and how far his creation has come since their first season here at Over the Rainbow.
To show his appreciation for one of the first Canadian retailer to carry his brand, Jason Denham presented us with (and autographed) a copy of his limited edition 5th Anniversary Book. The extensive book chronicles the evolution of the Denham label, interviews some of his closest friends & mentors in fashion, and showcases some of the best pieces sitting in his Denham Garment Library. The book is one of the best pieces of fashion literature ever created, and we will be putting it on display at Over the Rainbow in the near future.
