CH Exclusive: Self Edge x Dry Bones x Superfuture Community Denim Collaboration

by Josh Rubin

Among denim heads the Superdenim forum on Superfuture is the only online community worth the time. Kiya Babzani, proprietor of authentic denim mecca Self Edge in San Francisco, facilitated a collaboration between his shop, the Superfuture community and (my personal favorite) Japanese denim brand Dry Bones. The collaboration yields 300 pairs of the SEXDBXS09, a slim, straight-leg jean made from 16oz pure indigo-dyed, high character denim woven specifically for this project. Further involving the community, everyone who buys a pair is invited to wear them every day and document how they break in. Whoever has the best looking pair after a year will get a free pair of any jean Self Edge has in-store.

The Self Edge, Superfuture, Dry Bones collaboration jeans go on sale for $275 at 8am PST Saturday 28 February in the Self Edge online store and at noon the same day for in-store customers.

Below is an interview with Kiya and Jimmy Crow, Superfuture community member who designed the label.

Photos by Sidney Lo

Cool Hunting: Self Edge x Dry Bones is easy to grasp, but how does Superfuture come in to the mix?
Kiya Babzani: Superfuture from the beginning has had a forum by the name of Supertalk. Within Supertalk there's a subsection by the name of Superdenim, this is the largest collection of information available on the internet about denim and the history behind it. Years of online conversations are archived there, and many people's first exposure to a higher education about denim starts within the forums of Supertalk. We thought it was time to produce a jean that lived up to the Superfuture name, and have the members that spend time there help with the design process of the model.

CH: Tell us about the jeans. Fit, construction, expected wear. How many pairs were made?
KB: The jean is a straight leg model, a tad bit on the slim side with a long inseam which can then be hemmed to any length. The denim used was woven for this project, and is truly one of the most amazing types of denim we've ever seen come through here. It's got massive character and is lightly resin pressed to give it a nice sheen, but underneath that sheen is a pure indigo dyed 16oz denim with great variations in the weave pattern through the fabric. The stitch is poly/cotton, the back pocket stitch represents the rep bar that Superfuture users are so familiar with, the back pockets are lined with dark green canvas, and a leather tag designed by one of Supertalk's own stars, JimmyC. We had 300 pairs produced, which is an astronomical number for any jean produced for only one retail store, yet we think they'll move quick considering the quality and uniqueness of the project combined with the $275 price tag.

CH: Did the Superdenim members know they were helping to design a pair of jeans or was it more about scouring the forums to get a sense of what members look for in the perfect pair?
KB: They definitely did, we had multiple samples made and we'd put up photos and take the feedback and tweak the jean, all the while adding our own touches to it. The initial samples even were made out of a completely different denim which wasn't good enough for the critical tastes of the forum, but the final denim that I had the mill make samples of came out so good I'm thinking that people need to see it beyond just this one jean, it's truly an amazing denim.

CH: Who is going to judge the contest?
KB: It'll be voted on by the users of the forum after 12 months, there will be an online poll taken.

CH: What's your background? Are you an artist? Designer?
Jimmy Crow: I have been an artist and graphic designer for the last 20 years. I own my own printing company (Tattoo Productions) to subsidize my art career. :)

CH: Is this your first label design?
JC: Yes this is my first label design. At Kiya's request I submitted a design for the SExDBxSF jeans. As a moderator for the forum (and a big fan of Self-Edge) I jumped at the chance.

CH: Tell us a bit about your inspiration and process.
JC: My inspiration for the design came from both Dry Bones and Self-Edge. I knew that Dry Bones has a history of using traditional Japanese imagery on their labels and I wanted to combine that with something iconic from San Francisco to represent Self-Edge. The Golden Gate Bridge was an easy choice and Hokusai's "Great Wave" seemed to fit into that image perfectly. I rarely sketch anything on paper anymore as I usually just begin in lllustrator with initial sketches drawn there, but for this I did overlays of the bridge and the wave to see how they
would work together. I was worried that the two images would not work out proportionately but in the end I thought the exaggerated size of the wave over the bridge showed how much the Japanese influence on denim has come back to America and is poised to take over something that is so uniquely American. The three different logos in flowing banners was very easy to incorporate into the design as well.

The design was well received on super future but there were some detractors. After 20 years of doing design I am used to that. You can't always please everyone. I am happy that the folks at Dry Bones were happy with the design and I was glad they approved of the one color outline embossed on leather which has become synonymous with raw denims. Overall I am very happy with the design and I think it does Kiya (Self-Edge), Dry Bones & Super Future justice in this collaboration. Hope everyone that buys these awesome jeans feel the same way. I know I cannot wait to get my pair!

Harlem Shakes: Technicolor Health

by Doug Black

If one were to throw a rock in the western part of Brooklyn, it'd likely hit the supporting member of some transplanted indie rock band. With everyone and their mother's band relocating to the borough, it presents a problem for a five-piece, guitar-driven rock band like Harlem Shakes to rise above the fray.

They may get their chance with "Technicolor Health", the band's debut LP to be released 24 March 2009 on Gigantic Music. The songs' nasal vocals and angular guitar lines will appeal to fans of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, a band with whom they've shared the stage. Primarily upbeat compositions and clever wordplay suggest adjectives like "twee" and "literate," while the occasional synthesized drumming and Memphis horn blasts suggest influences more diverse than their local peers.

If you live in the greater New York area, you can see them open for Tokyo Police Club tomorrow at Webster Hall. Find out more on the Webster Hall site.

Bas Louter: Dust (Asphault)

by Karen Day

Currently on display at the Ambach & Rice gallery in Seattle's artsy neighborhood of Ballard is a collection of works from Amsterdam-based artist Bas Louter. Louter uses ink and charcoal to create a chiaroscuro effect for his works, which conflate historical characteristics and imagined futures to suggest an adventure into an unknown destination—explaining the latter portion of the exhibition's title. The initial word, Dust, refers to Louter's layered but limited charcoal palette as well as the metaphysical nature of his art.

Partially inspired by a recent trip to L.A., Louter's site-specific installation is a look at where we've been and where we're going, which coincides well with Ambach & Rice's newly renovated gallery. Formerly the OKOK gallery, Louter's solo exhibition is the gallery's first since the change of names last month.

Bas Louter: Dust (Asphault)
Through 14 March 2009
Ambach & Rice Gallery
5107 Ballard Ave. N.W.
Seattle, WA 98107 map
tel. +1 206 789 6242

Painter Ann Toebbe

by Lost At E Minor

Ann Toebbe's paintings of domestic scenes and assorted interiors are quite inspirational, giving the feeling of living in a geometric, melancholy collage. The Chicago-based artist's work shares some of the color, shapes and flatness of Christoph Ruckhäberle, but she leaves out the people and weirdness. In each piece, intricate patterns and simple forms clutter the plane, which make up a uniquely one-dimensional composition.

Two New Notebooks

by Karen Day

Two notebooks that allow you to express yourself freely, the new Walls Notebook by design studio the. and Moleskine's upcoming Folio are intended to provide an outlet for the creative class and doodlers alike.

While Moleskine's latest addition to their notebook collection is a large-format, bound tablet with blank pages for your complete imagination, the.'s Wall Notebook comes with 80 pages of NYC backdrops for you to live out graffiti artist dreams.

Moleskine is set to release the Folio Collection in stores in May 2009 and the series will include both a ruled and plain book, a portfolio, a sketchbook and watercolor album. Walls Notebooks is available now from Amazon for $17, which they aptly point out, is much cheaper than jail time.