Miles Johnson x Soorty: historical workwear through a fresh lens
Drawing inspiration from Doug Gunn’s Kingpins seminar in autumn 2024 that led to a year-long project centred around job roles of the past, designer and consultant Miles Johnson worked alongside design specialist Gail van der Hoeven to create a collection for Pakistan-based mill Soorty, showcasing its fabrics and finishes through the lens of workwear.
‘Miles Johnson: Heroes of the Past & Future by Soorty’ took eight jobs as inspiration, with a particular focus on often-overlooked female roles, such as ‘pit brow lasses’ (female miners in England), lumberjills, fisherwomen and cowgirls.
“When we think about the history of workwear, it is not just the five-pocket jeans. Denim is such a strong cloth,” said Miles. “We were inspired by old photos. It was wonderful to find out about these roles and it gave us inspiration for building silhouettes, thicker layers and texture into the older pieces.”
Each look has been meticulously researched and planned to create garments that represent clothes that would have been worn, and how the fabrics and finishes might be used in the future. For instance, the fishermen and women’s outfits highlight Soorty’s waterproof finishes, the lumberjacks/ jills have layered looks and patchwork, including a ‘blanket coat’ to keep them warm (pictured), while the cowboys/girls highlight Soorty’s capabilities with laser and embroidery.
Every department at Soorty, from the fabric developers to the wash and laser experts, helped bring the designs to reality. The mill’s new AI team also brought the photos to life: scanned with an app, the subjects move around.
The collection will now be used to inspire brands and designers, showing the possibilities that can be achieved through combining expertise of the fabric, garment and laundry teams with creative design.
“There is sometimes so much in history that is more modern than anything we see in brands’ new collections,” added Miles. “It’s so important to look back before designing the next step.”
Read Miles Johnson's Guest Comment for Inside Denim
