G-Star RAW’s new art platform: The Art of RAW
Lenny Stöpp joins the roster as the latest young design talent.
G-Star RAW has created denim art pieces since its start, with art and design being a strong part of their DNA. This year, the brand launched a new art platform: The Art of RAW. After collaborating with various international award-winning design talents such as Teun Zwets and Athena Gronti, they are now launching their newest one with designer Lenny Stöpp.
The talents of the future
Continuing in their quest to push creative boundaries, G-Star RAW is collaborating with multiple young creatives on a brand-new series of art objects. In line with the brand’s responsible initiatives, each artist has been given the freedom to experiment using denim waste, creating unique pieces within their own disciplinary whilst upcycling materials.
Multi-disciplinary artists lead the way
Teun Zwets (1992) graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2020 and immediately won the Kazerne Award. As the first artist to kick off The Art of RAW, he made the unique furniture object ‘Denim Living’ by layering denim waste piece by piece and laminating it with a binder- it featured a lamp, a cupboard and a chair in one.
Next to feature on the platform was Greek designer Athena Gronti (1993). After intensively researching denim and juxtaposition within the history and sociologic aspects of the fabric, Athena concluded on creating a large quilt named ‘Ariadne’s Thread’. From rough areas to soft and intricate stitching to abstract shapes, the large art piece aims to bring these paradoxes together.
Lenny Stöpp: Artist or Scientist?
G-Star’s new artist collaborator is designer Lenny Stöpp (1994). The multidisciplinary artist produced the furniture series 'Fluff Stacks', consisting of a side table, a stool and a lamp. His approach to The Art of RAW is reminiscent of a science experiment. Inventing his own denim recipe by mixing water, starch and denim pieces in an industrial pulp machine, to create a brand new material. After pressing the denim pulp into moulds, it was dried thoroughly before finally being assembled into the final art pieces.
There is no limit to what denim can do
There will be various collaborative projects utilizing the material at G-Star’s core – denim. Over the coming year, multiple artistic avenues will be explored such as sculpture and fine art. The next up will be glass artist Nienke Sikkema, followed by Iwan Pol and Johanna Seelemann. The third Art of RAW collaboration with Lenny Stöpp launches on July 2022.
About G-Star RAW
Since 1989, G-Star RAW has pushed the boundaries of denim design, manifesting its own vision of the future by introducing “luxury denim” for the streets through pioneering styles. Hardcore Denim is the philosophy that expresses the brand’s obsession with denim; the cloth, the craft and the history. It pushes G-Star to invent, explore and take craftsmanship to another level - down to the smallest detail - and with a strong belief that there is no limit to what denim can do. With innovation, sustainability and creativity at its core, the brand pursues to define the next generation of denim with respect for people and planet.
About Lenny Stöpp
Lenny Stöpp (1994) was born and raised in The Netherlands. The multi-disciplinary designer likes to explore a specific material and process in-depth before moving on to the next. He works with many different mediums including ceramics, textiles and wood.
About Athena Gronti
Athena Gronti (1993) is a multi-disciplinary designer, originally from Greece and now based in Rotterdam. Research is a key part of her creation process with topics such as feminism playing a main role. She translates serious topics into poetic art pieces showing the juxtaposition in a subtle way.
About Teun Zwets
Teun Zwets (1992) is a product designer based in the Netherlands. He graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2020 and won the Kazerne Award in the same year. His creations are made on the spot and use waste material a lot of the time.