A month’s work in a single pair: Spectacular upcycling from Handz-Jeans
Handz-Jeans, a ‘genderfluid’ brand co-founded by Inside Denim contributor Tilmann Wröbel alongside Themis Goudroubis, has launched its first take-back and recycling initiative.
The brand's first products - made from rare Japanese artisan denim - hit the market in 2022, and now, after three years of wear, customers can return their jeans and receive 50% off a new item.
Tilmann said: “A few months ago, our friends brought back their first Handz-Jeans, worn for at least three years, which has allowed us to start our upcycling initiative.
“We will take these worn-in or worn-out jeans, clean them, repair them and upcycle them, creating unique items, featuring new levels of upcycling - from simple Sashiko patches to entire artistic interpretations of what modern yet traditional sashiko repair could be."
Sashiko is a type of traditional Japanese embroidery or stitching used for decorative or functional reinforcement of clothes.
Among the first products is a pair of 14oz Japanese selvedge jeans, with handmade, hand-sewn sashiko patches and stitches – which took one month of skilled embroidery work to produce (pictured).
Tilmann added: "Our mission is to create durable jeans that will last forever. We are putting jeans back into the circuit, creating a never-ending lifecycle for Hanz-Jeans."
Other bespoke and upcycled products can be found on the Handz-Jeans website.
