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Abstract
The markings associated with the physical wear and tear of denim garments are an integral aspect of material culture, pursued as creative concepts through deconstructed fashion approaches. For some designers a textile's heritage and the effects of time are as important as reworking silhouettes from history. While fashion is inherently forward thinking, it is the patina of age that comes from “wearing” a garment that can be integral to the designer's artistic vision. Denim garments possess unique possibilities for articulating the human form in ways that transcend the vagaries of the latest cut, through evidencing (or simulating) practices of wearing and concepts of longevity. This paper explores denim's capacity to act as a canvas for the body through analysis of a series of conceptual and commercial approaches drawn from contemporary fashion and textile designers, who have reinforced denim's origins or reinterpreted it through creative experimentation. The study is underpinned by the author's empirical research, which seeks to reveal both the recognizable and more abstract visual qualities embodied within denim as a fashion construct. Denim is evaluated as a surface for conveying complex visual signifiers relating to temporality, demonstrated through the cloth's unique facility to embody narrative and illusion.