Industrial designer Marc Newson releases his interpretation of the G-Star 5620 Elwood jean, in this month's special collaboration to celebrate 20 years of the denim label's fabled design.
Drawing inspiration from Newson's archive of designs gathered across 12 years, the release's emphasis rests on technical construction. Made from 14.6 oz Japanese selvedge denim, the 5260 G-Star Elwood x Marc Newson uses a right-hand twill construction technique, resulting in a cooler-toned wash, while stitched seams are heat-sealed using a bonded synthetic tape - a material and process normally reserved for high-performance wear. With less leather detailing than previous iterations, the 5260 G-Star Elwood x Marc Newson comes in a tapered denim fit for men, with a mid-rise slim fit for women. Both are released in light blue and white.
The history of the G-Star Elwood can be traced to the south of France and an incident most would simply forget. Around 20 years ago, Pierre Morisset was vacationing in the south of France when a motorbike sped in front of him. Its rider, shunning traditional tight leather pants, was instead wearing a pair of denim jeans. It was at this point that Morisset, then head designer for global denim label G-Star RAW, first began sketching out the designs for what would become the world’s most popular and prolific pair of biker jeans: the G-Star 5620 Elwood.
What makes the G-Star Elwood different is that the jean was the first to ever incorporate the idea of 3D construction in creating a garment. Instead of approaching the jeans as a flat design, fabrics are instead sculpted and modeled around the human form before being cut. Despite changing with time, the G-Star Elwood continues to incorporate the five key functional design elements that signify a genuine pair of biker jeans: the saddle patch, heel guards, 3D shaping knee darts, slanted thigh seams and the distinctive knee patches.
To celebrate 20 years of the G-Star 5620 Elwood, the brand is releasing a special edition of its signature biker jean on the 20th of every month through 2016. January saw the Moto Edition, a like-for-like reiteration of the original 1996 design – the Enduro Motorcross Elwood – which was itself based on archival designs from mid-'60s Enduro racing. February’s release incorporated bionic yarn in a special RAW for the Oceans edition, supported by G-Star’s recently announced new co-owner, Pharrell, while March saw a split for men and women, with the latter catered for by DJ Eva Shaw’s designs, with men being seen to by Afrojack.
Newson marks the April edition. Take a closer look at the G-Star Elwood with the label's lookbook, above, or via the denim label's interactive archive. Or just cop a pair via the online store.
