The bluest Monday - A 'Fashion against depression' x House of Denim Foundation exhibition

What if you are Generation Z and you grow up with a pandemic in the years when you should be free to explore life to the fullest? What if you are dealing with the pressure to be successful & are no longer allowed to make mistakes? When shaming, blaming & ghosting are part of your daily reality? If you are in your head most of the time & not feel connected to your body? To be diagnosed & labeled but not getting the help you need? You feel lost. You feel lonely. And yes, you have friends and sometimes family, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Mental health is a big topic and we just can't seem to talk about it, address it or express it.

This is a Gen Z love story of fashion as identity, because what you wear is a great part of who you are. It can help you to express how you feel. Fashion is in the minds of a lot of people either shallow or just functional, but we see fashion as something bigger. Fashion is expression, streetwear is what we wear, and denim is one of the most versatile fabrics there is. Wearing denim is like creating your own passport of life; the longer you wear it, the more it becomes you.

We, as the House of Denim Foundation, based in Denim City in de Hallen and co-founder of the first and only Jean School together with the ROC van Amsterdam, have a soft spot for talent, we run a special incubator program, coach, guide, support and let talent grow in their creativity, both professionally by offering them real skills as well as on personal development.

Everyone has a unique identity and should be able to look, feel and act the way they want to express themselves. We also know that making something with your hands is super healthy for both mind & body. You need focus, you have to put your phone away, make mistakes and have to redo it. It can feel like meditation and clear the mind at the same time.

These talents get the opportunity to work together and develop their own handwriting in making unique items or capsule collections. They create the blueprint for their own future.

We offer talents a safe haven & a daily “home away from home” in Denim City, de Hallen. Denim City is the denim innovation campus with a store, a workshop/atelier, an archive, a school and a lab, all based on sustainability, innovation, circularity and crafts(wo)manship. We show how you can create items from post-consumer recycled denim, reconstruct, upcycle & repair pre-loved items by giving courses to professionals, students, and consumers.

The house of Denim mantra is to work “Towards a brighter Blue”

Bluest Monday should become the best (denim) Blue Monday. It is a journey towards real connections & we welcome you to share & lighten up your day!

As part of the @bluestmondayamsterdam week House of Denim presents you 9 talents with their personal story. From upcycled t-shirts, tailor-made jeans, art, poetry, and video to lots of other streetwear-related items with a strong message.

This is where street(wear) meets talent. Fashion against Depression!

Concept, realization & denim troubleshooters: Mariette Hoitink, Jos van den Hoogen & Anil Gezmen