Antonio Menchen
Curators
Renato Della Poeta, Aurélien Le Genissel
Venue
ethall, Barcelona
The seams on the backside of the jeans are visible and it’ possible to see how they were made. Normally, they are a different colour. Their structure reveals whether, for instance, the gusset is placed lower or higher up, as well as giving a rough idea of where the waistline will be situated. All of this affects the dimensions of what is called the trunk. Pockets, belt loops, waistband, zip, rivets, buttons. Each of the elements that make up the trunk corresponds to what the final proportions of the trouser legs will be. The remesh, with its characteristic zigzag, follows the seams from the lower to the upper part of the insides of the trousers. The cut can be skinny, loose, regular, oversize, slim or boot. The obverse is done first and the front is displayed later, since in the end not all the garment’s seams will be visible. The threads in the bunch are kept neat and tidy. All of this evinces that the cut of the trousers will fit the body differently, depending on the pattern.
Just a few weeks ago, I saw someone who was wearing his jeans inside out. This was in Paris while I was helping my friend Yoel build his installation. One of the exhibition assemblers, sick and tired of always staining his trousers when painting walls, had decided that it would be the insides that were to suffer the more than likely paint stains. It seemed to me simply brilliant, except for the impossibility of using the pockets. Which reminded me that, on many occasions, the jeans that I buy have their pockets sewn shut. In particular, I remember a pair I bought back in the year 2001 or 2002 by the designer Kostas Murkudis. When I bought those black jeans I didn’t know who that particular designer was, although I later understood why that shop in Madrid placed his work alongside designs by the Austrian Helmut Lang. The trunk and trouser legs of those jeans fit me perfectly. Murkudis had taken some pre-existing jeans made by Levi’s and reshaped them. The pockets were sealed shut, but once opened, they were deep and wide and it was easy to put one’s hand inside. I still have them.
Normally the manufacturers decide to sew them shut to prevent clients from putting their hands inside when they are on display in shops. That way the garments don’t get deformed and continue looking factory fresh.