Stuart Semples Denim Art in Selfridges

October 17 - November 15

Denim is a way to externalize and broadcast our cultural choices, though its rich and varied history, and constantly evolving heritage it has always illustrated sub-cultural shifts. Jeans are undoubtedly one of the finest inventions of the modern age; they have given us images of Elvis shaking his hips, James dean, Bruce Springsteen, hippies, anarchistic punks and high fashion glamour. Most of all they have established themselves as a perfect second skin for billions of people worldwide.

I’m interested in how this second skin protects and broadcasts. How it reflects our identity and cultural tastes. Whether flared, distressed or just perfectly fitting, they can tell us so much about the body within them and ultimately the mind of their owner. I’m fascinated by the way this interacts with our outer environment, the way our bodies move and what they come in contact with changes these garments to be unique in their wears and tears, blemishes and stretches.

I want to take denim to an alternate place in a parallel future, where pop culture has faded, its symbols a messy collision. The shared language we have in mass culture’s celebrities, pop songs and images has faded and no longer provides our point of reference with each other. So we stand atomized, clad in denim. Our brands on a pedestal as the loving parents who understand our inner needs, in them we trust the transition from inner identity to outer communication. If idolatry is the worship of any cult idea or image other than God…

WELCOME TO MY CULT OF DENIM"

- Stuart Semple 1st August 2008

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Levi’s by Eddie Cochrane 1987

Another significant campaign launched by Levi’s in 1987, is Guitar by Eddie Cochrane. Cochran was famous for performing rock and roll in head to toe denim.

The concept for the 1987 Levi campaign was based on a New Year’s Eve party given by the long-dead 1950s American singer Eddie Cochrane. The main female character struggles to decide what to wear. Eventually she chooses her Levi’s 501s. On arriving at the party she is under dressed compared to the other women who look glamorous and elegant. Her decision to wear her jeans becomes a wise one when Eddie Cochrane invites her to stay.

The campaign describes the social acceptability of casual dressing in the late 1980s. Dress etiquettes had been strict up until this period and those wearing jeans, trainers and casual wear were often refused entry to bars, clubs and restaurants. This campaign encouraged a change in the rules, which evidently took place. Advertising agencies granted permission to dress casually and also promised that this would attract the right kind of mate. The agencies broadcast, to a national market, a new way of dressing which otherwise would have been kept to the London hub. The advertisement cleverly marketed itself not just at 1980s young people, who went out and bought the original Eddie Cochrane record and were introduced to him perhaps for the first time, but also at the original 1950s teenagers for whom Cochrane had provided the soundtrack to their youth.