Rope Dye Chats: Lennaert Nijgh of Benzak Denim Developers

by Matt Wilson

Get a glimpse into the mind of a Denim Designer with Lennaert Nijgh of Benzak Denim Developers.

So a couple of things happened in the last week. I took my first foray into Reddit and as a result of the channel all but doubled in subscribers. Now this is awesome and I am delighted, but man! Reddit is a tough crowd. Happily, the kind comments outweighed the snarky ones.

Some Good Advice

But filtering through the snide comments, there was some good advice. Basically, try to shorten the vlogs up a little bit. I will try guys. But I have a lot to say about most everything and denim most of all. But your advice is heeded.

Warning: Lengthy Content Ahead

However… I recorded this particular vlog before I heard anything about that and so this comes with a warning. THIS VLOG IS LONG!

At the heart of it, it is two mates just riffing about denim.

I Don’t Know How To Pronounce His Second Name Either

Specifically. Lennaert Nijgh of Benzak Denim Developers. If you are one of the new subscribers and have not trawled through all the (apparently overly long) videos so far I will give you a little background.

I started this whole vlogging thing off with a series on getting your perfect pair of selvedge denim jeans. All the Do’s & Don’ts, how to decide on a style, what denim weight was right for you, how to measure and so on. Everything I have learned in my 6 years of denim obsession.

I then took this and used all the info to get a new project pair of jeans.

The Master Plan

The idea was that I would use this as a way to show you guys all number of things about raw denim, the break-in process, wearing, washing… and this is still the plan!

I chose the Benzak Denim Developers BDD 006. You can find out why here.

He Got There First!

So aside from the 006’s being just an amazing pair of jeans. Lenn is a close mate which means I could bug him to be on the Vlog. And that’s just what I did last time he was in Berlin for Fashion Week. I was going to sit down and he would tell us, in detail about the details of the jeans, why he made those choices and what he feels makes a perfect jean. The trouble is, he did just that on his own channel around the same time.

But the beer was bought, the tripod set up so why not just sit down and have a chat about denim!

If you are a denimhead, you might just love this. It is a glimpse into the beginnings of a career designing jeans. Where Lenneart started with the whole thing and how it has developed up to this point.

previous post

Evisu Flagship Store Tokyo: See The Artisans at Work

next post

GINEW: BLACK THUNDERBIRD TEE!

Matt Wilson

Before turning his attention toward clothing and fashion, Matt Wilson was a product designer. He witnessed first-hand the unethical manufacture of products designed and developed specifically for obsolescence and quickly recognised the inherent dangers of this attitude towards consumerism. A happy chance occurred when he discovered Raw Denim. Fascinated by the narrative contained in each garment, this newfound passion led him into a journey of discovery through the fashion and clothing industry. The qualities he found in a great pair of jeans he soon found in other garments, shoes and accessories. Up until February 2017, Matt was heavily involved with Selvedge Run, a trade show for menswear, shoes and accessories. A home for brands with a philosophy that aligned perfectly with his principles of craft and quality at the core of a good product. He now shares this passion the as the Editor of Rope Dye, an online men’s lifestyle magazine about the passion for well-crafted menswear as well as other cherished products and designs that baulk against today’s throw-away culture.