G-Star is fascinated by the unlimited possibilities of RAW denim, and modern concepts like 3D denim. Our designers are constantly pushing the boundaries of denim design, creating products to fit unusual objects.
They spend years in the G-Star atelier pushing each other to always keep innovating – thinking and working with denim in different ways, developing and crafting art pieces like the denim-clad, running skeleton dog from the Art of RAW Series.
Table of Contents
The Art of RAW campaign showcases a series of explorations into the unlimited possibilities of denim. G-Star seeks inspiration from the world of industrial engineering, discovering new concepts to incorporate into G-Star collections for modern streets.
Making of Denim
The G-Star passion for denim starts with the creation of the fabric, runs all the way through the design process, and ends when the final product is delivered to stores. Our fascination with breaking stereotypes and reimagining the world of denim led us to collaborate with innovative music producer Skrillex, who created the soundtrack to our latest skeleton dog art piece.
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From cotton to sliver
The creation of denim starts with cotton which is made into slivers.
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Dye
Indigo dye – the very essence of denim – transforms the colour of the yarn.
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The Yarn
The cotton slivers are turned into
ring-spun yarn. -
Loom
The yarn is woven on vintage shuttle looms, creating Red Listing denim with more depth and structure.
Lookbook
Check out the lookbook from the campaign.
Shop Men/Women
Read more about the campaign styles and shop your favourites.
Skrillex Illwood
Skrillex, collaborating artist on The Art of RAW campaign, created the original soundtrack to the Art of RAW movie.
Styling
Discover the unlimited possibilities of style. Find out how the world wears the G-Star Elwood.
Making of denim
From cotton to sliver
The creation of denim starts with cotton. Bales of raw cotton arrive at the factory, where they are cleaned, blended, and carded to remove unwanted short fibres.
The prepared cotton is then reformed into loose, untwisted ropes – or sliver – ready to be spun into yarn.
The Yarn
Several slivers are combined to create a single, ring-spun cotton yarn. Ring spinning is an authentic method that continuously rolls and thins the cotton fibres.
While slower and more expensive than modern techniques, ring spinning generates a rich, irregular surface in the final denim fabric. The label “ring/ring” indicates that both warp and weft yarns are ring-spun.
The dyeing process
Before weaving, the warp thread is dipped in a bath of natural indigo dye to achieve the traditional denim blue colour.
The more times the yarn is dipped into the dye, the darker and deeper the shade of blue. The natural oxidation that occurs in between each dip also influences the final colour of the yarn.
The weaving process
Red Listing denim, characterised by its closed edge of red and white yarns, is woven the traditional way on vintage shuttle looms.
This labour-intensive process takes over 13 times as long as modern weaving methods, and creates a unique tension in the fabric surface. Shuttle looms weave the weft yarn in a continuous loop; when the weft reaches the edge of the machine, it loops back in to create a natural, closed edge – called the selvedge.
Lookbook
Collection
Skrillex
The Illwood A limited edition G-Star Elwood by Skrillex
The Illwood is a unisex design based on the G-Star Elwood. Exclusive features include blind seams, simulated leather trim at the pockets and heel pad, a new “Ill” logo detail at the coin and back pockets, and mesh lining at the waistband and interior pockets. In addition, the interior is printed with Skrillex’s own hand-drawn illustrations of deep-sea creatures.
Where to buy
The limited edition Illwood will be available in the following stores from 15th March – 29th March
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G-Star store Hong Kong
# 528-529 Times Square
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
t 852-31010520 -
G-Star Raw Store Amsterdam
PC Hooftstraat 24-28
1071 BX Amsterdam
Netherlands
t 020 471 11 17 -
G-Star Raw Store Rotterdam
Lijnbaan 118
3012 ER Rotterdam
Netherlands
t + 31 10 413 81 85 -
G-Star Store LA
7966 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
USA
t +1 323 658 6028 -
G-Star Store Rodeo Drive
413 North Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Los Angeles
USA
t +1 310 275 5098 -
G-Star Store New York
270 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
USA
t +1 212 219 2744 -
G-Star Raw Store Miami Beach
509-511 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, FL 33139
USA
t + 305 534 3039 -
G-Star Raw Store Osaka
1-21-16 Minami-horie
550-0015 Nishi-ku, Osaka
Japan
t +81 (0) 665 321 730 -
G-Star Raw Store Tokyo
Omotesando Hills 2F
4-12-10 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-0001
Japan
t + 81 (0)357705781 -
G-Star Store Shanghai
Shop 223, 2nd floor
1 Hongqiao Road, Shanghai
China
t 0086 (0)21 64076513 -
G-Star Store Barcelona
Borne Plaça Comercial, 6
08003 Barcelona
España -
G-Star Store Sydney
Shop 10.1, 684-686
Cnr George Street & Liverpool Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Australia
t +61 (0)2 926 44 946
Q & A with Skrillex
When and how did you discover G-Star?
It was actually at some skate shop when I was super young, probably 15. It was a jacket and I wore it until the elbows ripped.
What do you think of the brand and what is G-Star about according to you?
The theme is RAW. I love that. I love getting a pair of jeans that are almost as stiff as cardboard and wearing them until they pretty much become part of you.
You've been spotted in G-Star Elwood many times. What is it that attracts you to this denim in specific?
They are black, fit well... they have that Akira motorcycle gang vibe but they aren’t too flashy either.
How did the collaboration between you and G-Star come about? And can you explain what the collaboration is about?
It was just natural... They had reached out based on knowing I already wore their stuff so we were already mutual fans. It was a way for us all to come together and experiment artistically. Coming together to create this fantastic video piece was just exciting and new for everybody involved in the project. That’s the thing about adverts, they can either be cheesey and soley used as a marketing tool, or can just a great excuse to do something different and expressive. I truly believe we made something AWESOME together.
How was it to design the Illwood – a special G-Star Elwood version?
Was pretty fun and easy. Just hung around with the designers and rolled through all the ideas I had. Just tried to change the Elwood in the ways I thought it fit best for me.
What characteristics of Skrillex can we find in the Illwood?
Would love to do a jacket... Maybe something leather...
You bring a very different sound and as a result perform for immense crowds; can you describe your music?
I like to make music that is harmonically explosive and endearing no matter what the size of the sound system. It is very visceral especially in sub(sonic) frequencies so it also benefits from great sound. Its 3-dimensional, its meant to wake you up and can be felt on a cellular level. But it’s always changing...
Besides a personal sound you also have a personal style when it comes down to fashion. What is your style?
I’ve been influenced by skateboarding and punk/hardcore as well as electronic music ever since I was young so I guess for a long time my style has naturally been a mixture of the two. Never been too heavy on branding but I do like subtle and special details that can lend to my personality. I also like wearing clothes that are rugged and tough, can take a beating, can last long and develop it’s own character over time. Music is my #1 so everything else (fashion) follows. Fashion is organic to me, not something I think about too much. I just know when I like something and when I don’t. And I don’t wear much color...
The unlimited possibilities of styling
The unlimited
possibilities of styling
G-Star has teamed up with bloggers from around the world to see how they style the G-Star Elwood. Watch the video to see how Street Etiquette from New York made it their own.
Bir:d Tse
Hong Kong/ChinaBiR:D TSE is a fashion stylist from Hong Kong. With over 10 years experience, she’s explored various disciplines of fashion including editorials, advertising, TV commercials, celebrity styling, and costume design. She publishes the widely read online magazine ‘rainbowranger’, proudly inspired by her self-professed weirdness.
Michelle Oberholzer
Cape Town/South AfricaMichelle Oberholzer is the founder of ‘cinder&skylark’. After working in South Africa’s fashion industry, she moved to London for a while and fell in love with street culture. She now photographs and blogs about street style, art and culture from her own unique perspective.
K.A.N.T.A
Tokyo/JapanTokyo based artist K.A.N.T.A. is a rapper, producer, creator and influencer
K.A.N.T.A LABEL: K A N T A L A N D
BORN AND RAISED TO BE A KING
NSSmag
Milan/ItalyWalter D’Aprile is an aerospace engineer who co-founded ‘nss’. He’s also founder of the brand GCDS and lives his life with the philosophy that you should do things just for the pleasure of it.
Signe
Stockholm/SwedenSigne Belfiore is an eighteen-year old model studying fashion in Stockholm. She runs her style blog on ‘Freshnet’. Signe loves the constant revolutions within fashion and seeing abstract ideas grow into amazing pieces.
Street Etiquette
New York/USAJoshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs run ‘Street Etiquette’. This men’s fashion site showcases sartorial influences from all over the world. Their hugely acclaimed site was included in a New York Times article, ‘Serious About Cool’.
Street Peeper
Los Angeles/USAPhil Oh has become somewhat of a celebrity in the fashion world, partnering with some of the largest names in the business and documenting street-style from Buenos Aires to Zurich on his widely read blog ‘Street Peeper’.
5inchandup
London/UK‘5 inch and up’ is the fashion blog run by Sandra Hagelstam who graduated from London’s college of fashion in 2012. The site stems from her obsession with 5 inch heels and features daily outfits and rare fashion finds. In just 3 years the blog has become a popular read for UK fashionistas.
FashionGuitar
Amsterdam/The NetherlandsCharlotte Groeneveld started ‘The Fashion Guitar’. This Dutch girl living in London is a self-professed denim addict. Her blog showcases her style and inspiration and is the newest member of the Vice Network.
Jane Wayne
Berlin/GermanySarah and Nike are two Berlin based fashion editors that work on projects that make their hearts beat fast. Their biggest project: This is Jane Wayne, one of Germany's best-known fashion & lifestyle blogs, was created for fashion lovers with brains and the will to respect fashion as a cultural phenomenon instead of reducing it to a way of dressing.