Endrime Details History Book Launch and Designer Collaborations
Kingpins Show is always a hotbed for new collection and project launches, and that was triply the case for U.K.-based design consultancy Endrime.
During the most recent Amsterdam edition of the fair, Endrime debuted three different projects: two mill collaborations and a book. After the busy show, Carved in Blue caught up with Mohsin Sajid and Sadia Rafique, the husband-and-wife creative team behind Endrime, to hear about their latest launches.
“We successfully released three major projects,” said Mohsin. “Not sure how we found the time, but mostly down to good planning and paying lots of extra baggage at the airport.”
Endrime Archive Volume 1
Mohsin is a denim lecturer and professor at four fashion universities in the United Kingdom: Central St. Martins, London College of Fashion, Kingston University and Ravensbourne University. In addition to teaching about construction and denim development, these workshops—which are supported by TENCEL™—cover denim history.
“At the end of most of my lectures, I do get many students and other lecturers asking if I have a book about the many hundreds of samples I show each year. ’Surprisingly not yet,’ has been my go-to answer,” Mohsin said. “So creating an Endrime Archive book series was something that was in the back of my mind for many years.”
Endrime has an archive of over 3,000 vintage samples dating back to 1850, which it uses for inspiration, showcases during lectures and rents out to fellow designers. Mohsin noted that although there have been some denim history books, including volumes on Levi Strauss and the now out of print Worn series from Sue Barrett, there was a lack of books that provided a broad overview of the heritage and historical significance behind traditional denim garments like the trucker jacket and five-pocket jeans.
The first book includes 92 jeans styles, 70 denim jackets, 18 overalls and more across 510 pages. Along with photography of Endrime’s own archive and pieces designed by the studio, the book captures pieces from other designer collections, including Cone Denim’s Found Collection and the mill’s archive. Endrime also had access to photograph pieces from the Levi’s archive, including the brand’s first laser collection from 2002. Additionally, there are pieces from Naked and Famous Denim, MTTR Projects, TENCEL™’s Bast Recast collection, Bossa Denim and Naveena.
This first volume is not exhaustive, leaving room for more archival reveals in upcoming volumes. “I have so many more pieces still to photograph for volumes two and three, many of which will be surprises, but I thought it’s a good starting point,” said Mohsin. “It features many samples I teach with each season and will be helpful for the students and younger designers who don’t have access or know about the stories about certain denim pieces.”
This book is now available for preorder on the Endrime website, and the books will be shipped worldwide in May when the book is officially released.
Endrime is in talks with a Chinese denim mill to license the book for the China market by the summer. In addition to this initial book, Endrime has a denim making step-by-step book covering constructions from 1860s to 1920s, which will be coming out in October, as well as books on branding and denim patterns in the works.
Vintage Vibes, Neela by Sapphire x Endrime x Marmara Hemp x Circulose
Working with Neela by Sapphire based in Lahore, Pakistan, Endrime designed and developed Vintage Vibes, a 30-piece collection that uses Circulose by Renewcell and a blend of Marmara Hemp by The Flax Company.
“This collection was in the works even before the trouble with Renewcell happened,” said Mohsin. “We still wanted to carry on the project, as all the fabrics had been developed, the collection had been designed, and as Tricia Carey said, there is two years’ worth of Circulose pulp in the market. For me, it was full steam ahead.”
Neela by Sapphire created 13 sustainable denim fabrics using platinum-4.0 level cottonized hemp fiber from Marmara Hemp, Circulose, post-industrial waste cotton, regenerative cotton and Lycra. The collection was designed by Mohsin and was sustainably finished in-house at Neela by Sapphire.
“The concept revolved around creating a capsule collection that embodies true sustainability while exuding authentic appeal,” said Mohsin. “Vintage Vibes captures the nostalgic and classic essence of bygone eras, offering a glimpse into a specific time period. Embracing a vintage vibe entails infusing the style, aesthetics and cultural nuances of earlier times into the contemporary fashion.”
Sadia photographed the collection in a photoshoot styled by Kelly Harrington, and Mohsin directed and edited the accompanying video.
Off Beat – Indigo Textiles x Endrime
Endrime’s third project shown at Kingpins was Off Beat, a collaboration with Pakistan-based mill Indigo Textiles. The collection uses sustainable denim fabrics crafted by Indigo Textiles, including Circulose, post-industrial waste cotton, regenerative cotton, TENCEL™️ lyocell, hemp and linen.
The collection was sustainably finished by experts at Blackhorse Lane Ateliers using the Up System technology from Tonello. This technology uses water recirculating technology that reduces the liquor ratio needed in the drum. All of the garments were lightly lasered treated with ozone wash down technology, which is the hyperchloride alternative. This collection has been carefully designed with an artist in mind, with an ethos of clean construction and workwear details dating from the 1870s.
“This to me was a lovely collaboration, creating real creative artisan pieces that are highly complicated in construction with a true 1870s ethos,” said Mohsin. “Each of the fabrics was very special and a joy to make and construct.”
The collection is showcased in a video directed by Mohsin that was styled by Kelly Harrington using the Endrime archive and photographed by Sadia. Vintage Vibes will also be shown at the upcoming Denim by PV show in Milan on June 5-6.