Denim is, perhaps, the most commonly worn and commonly misunderstood fabric in our daily wardrobes. The history in both fashion and workwear is long and heavy. We’ve witnessed an ebb and flow in popularity, but one thing is constant, jeans are simply part of our lives.

They also connect strongly to heritage and a current interest in workwear and manufacture. This is, in no small part, due to the great number of Japanese repro brands and their undying interest in authenticity. Through them a niche interest in looms and fabrics and dyes has grown over the past few years. Understanding the basis for cuts, too, is greater than ever.

Yet, these stories are quite well told. For Selectism, it was clear that a feature on denim was necessary and would also be personally rewarding. One of the brands that has piqued my interest recently, and whose story I wished to begin to capture, is Sweden’s Denim Demon. Operated by brothers Anton and Oskar Olsson under a simple and admirable mission, “To protect and to nurse the blue jeans’ heritage,” they proceed with a reverence and love for the history of their chosen product.

Part of this process involves finding the perfect wash. In this endeavor they’ve engineered a delightfully interesting project. Seven people from Northern Sweden, representatives of Sami culture, were given raw jeans to wear for six months. The result is both stunning in wear and exciting as a cultural project.

The wear-outs prove denims transition from American workwear to global icon. With Denim Demon there’s no doubting the understanding of tradition in the garment. But, there is the added benefit of seeing how that mutates and grows over time and across space. For this reason, I sought out Oskar for an interview.

The two of us exchanged emails on and off for several months. Oskar was generous in his sharing of information about sourcing and inspirations. Through our discussions I also learned a little about Sami culture, something I am now eager further explore.