Blue Archives: A Dutch Denim Exhibition of the New and Old

As part of the Modefabriek fashion show earlier last month, Amsterdam was host to the Blue Archives – an exhibit showcasing select pieces from Ruedi Karrer’Swiss Jeans Museum in Zurich, Switzerland.

Blue Archives Exhibition

Wouter Munnichs, from the Long-John blog, curated the selection with the help of Ruedi Karrer. As the founder and owner of the museum, Karrer has collected any and all faded denim over the last 35 years, reaching an outstanding collection of over 12,000 pieces. Needless to say, the duo successfully put together one of the best faded denim selections ever seen in The Netherlands; leaving visitors with a comprehensive understanding of the concept, “denim evolution”.

Ruedi Karrer

Ruedi Karrer from the Swiss Jeansmuseum

The exhibition was split into two eras – the “Oldies” and the “New Ones”. As the name implies, “Oldies” represented more traditional brands (including the “big three” in denim – Levi’s, Lee and Wrangler) and also provided a stark contrast to the “New Ones”; which featured modern brands like Nudie, Pepe’s, and G-star.

They created this division not only to tangibly show the influence of the “Oldies” over the “New Ones”, but also to highlight the evolution of different denim through the years. As well as the aforementioned brands, several Japanese labels like EDWIN, Denime and Strike Gold were on full display.

Denim Samples

Denim Selections from Blue Archives

Faded Denim Examples from Blue Archives

Blue Archives Faded Denim Samples

Blue Archives Worn Denim Samples

Blue Archives Strike Gold Denim

Don’t think the Blue Archives was just about jeans though! As a significant part of the expo, also on show was a healthy selection of heavily faded denim jackets; such as the Levi’s Big E, Wrangler Blue Bell and Lee Storm Rider.

Lee Denim Jackets Samples

Lee Denim Jacket Samples

Denim Jacket Selections

Denim Jacket Selections Blue Archives

For those who missed out on this year’s Blue Archives, don’t fret. Munnichs and Karrer are eagerly planning next year’s edition with the aim of giving attendees a taste of all the Swiss Jeans Museum denim treasures, as well as a special perspective of the meaty world of denim.