Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak and Candiani Denim Release First Denim Collaboration
With over a decade of friendship built over a shared passion for creating music and supporting shared responsibility for our planet, Grammy Award winning DJ/music super producer Steve Aoki and denim master Alberto Candiani, owner of the Candiani Mill, announce the launch of their first collaboration, Dim Mak x Candiani EC-01, a limited edition jean that will stand as a showcase of the future of denim. A testament to the intersection of creativity and innovation that has been the hallmark of their respective success stories, the jean is made with an unprecedented level of attention and detail for true denim aficionados.
Completely made in Los Angeles with fabric created by globally-recognized Candiani Denim Mill and hand painted by Aoki and his Dim Mak artisans, the EC-01 jean ($150.00) will debut on Friday, May 15, 2020 at 8AM EDT on www.DimMakCollection.com and the Dim Mak App available on iTunes and Googleplay.
The new 5-pocket straight-fit jean is an incredible feat in modern water-saving and sustainable manufacturing. Crafted with ReGEN Denim – a statement indigo selvedge fabric created for the 80th Anniversary of the Candiani Mill the EC-01 jean is made without using any fresh cotton. The exclusive denim fabric is composed of equal parts recycled cotton, made from the mill’s own production waste, and REFIBRA™ Technology, a recycled fiber created by Lenzing using cotton waste. ReGEN is the same fabric that won the ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award in 2019, the most prestigious award in the textile industry.
The denim’s wash required very little washing at all. The distressed, vintage-effects, and even the artwork itself, was created by using laser technology to gently burn the fabric’s surface with varying degrees of intensity. The yarn is dyed using Candiani’s water-saving Indigo Juice® and Kitotex® technologies which enhance the custom laser treatments that give the jean its signature look. The whole process of creation allows for incredible savings in terms of water, chemicals, and energy compared to conventional denim, without compromising the aesthetics, performance, and durability of the final product.
In the hands of Dim Mak, the EC-01 jeans have a deconstructed pop art meets manga aesthetic which has evolved from Dim Mak’s ‘AOKI 1of1’ series, where Steve Aoki, the multi-platform, modern day renaissance man has been upcycling clothing and making original, one-of-a-kind wearable art pieces. Working at the Candiani Design Center in Los Angeles, Aoki chose hardware and learned about denim treatments and processes before adding another very personal touch to each pair – individually hand painted Yōkai, the Japanese demons including the misunderstood Rokurokubi, the mischievous Karakasa kozō, and monstrous Gashadokuro – with the help of Dim Mak’s artists at Aoki’s Las Vegas home, where Aoki has a design and recording studio.
