Selvage denim and jeans from Nudie Jeans

Worn in Gallery - Tuff Tony Onyx Rinsed Selvage
Worn in Gallery - Tuff Tony Onyx Rinsed Selvage
Tuff Tony Snake Eyes Selvage worn in
Tuff Tony Snake Eyes Selvage worn in
How do you build a profitable business that also gives a sh*t?

An interview with Joakim, Co-Founder of Nudie Jeans.

What's your background?

–Well, Nudie Jeans is actually my first "real" job. Before this, I worked as a musician. In the 90s, I played drums in several Swedish punk bands. Simultaneously, I attended business school. It was a life filled with contrasts. 
I never really finished business school, but that's my background: being a drummer and studying economics on the side.

And how did you decide to focus on jeans in particular?

–I was in a relationship with Maria, with whom I started Nudie Jeans. She is ten years older than me and, at that time, had been working in the denim industry for a while. So, she's a denim enthusiast, I would say. I really like jeans too, but from a different perspective, more related to style and pop culture, perhaps, rather than pure product development.
How do you build a profitable business that also gives a sh*t?

An interview with Joakim, Co-Founder of Nudie Jeans.
”We started this as a super-niche project and never actually intended for it to become this big”
Joakim on starting Nudie Jeans.

When I was growing up, a pair of jeans was either Levi's or a copy of Levi's, period. Then, in the 90s, workwear became a thing, and for the first time since the 50s, the denim industry was on the decline. So, when we started Nudie Jeans, the denim industry had been in decline for about 6-7 years, and a completely new generation had grown up with a different perspective on what a pair of jeans could be.
**What's your background?**
Well, Nudie Jeans is actually my first "real" job. Before this, I worked as a musician. In the 90s, I played drums in several Swedish punk bands. Simultaneously, I attended business school. It was a life filled with contrasts. I never really finished business school, but that's my background: being a drummer and studying economics on the side.
**And how did you decide to focus on jeans in particular?**
I was in a relationship with Maria, with whom I started Nudie Jeans. She is ten years older than me and, at that time, had been working in the denim industry for a while. So, she's a denim enthusiast, I would say. I really like jeans too, but from a different perspective, more related to style and pop culture, perhaps, rather than pure product development.
**Was it always a given for you to work with sustainability?**
Maria had been in the textile industry for many years, and all the negative things you hear about the textile industry are true. So, from the start, we knew that "we want to be able to sleep at night, and we want to do this in a good way." For example, we worked with very few suppliers, and they were all in Europe, like Italy and Portugal. It all has to start with control because you can't address these issues if you don't know who makes your products, and the truth is that most brands don't.

"Buy good things and use them for a long time. Wear them in, repair them, and don't wash them too much. That's an extremely sustainable way to approach fashion. And that's where we are today. Create vintage, not garbage."
— JOAKIM ON SUSTAINABILITY
When I was growing up, a pair of jeans was either Levi's or a copy of Levi's, period. Then, in the 90s, workwear became a thing, and for the first time since the 50s, the denim industry was on the decline. So, when we started Nudie Jeans, the denim industry had been in decline for about 6-7 years, and a completely new generation had grown up with a different perspective on what a pair of jeans could be.
**Is it even possible to sell clothing while advocating for a sustainable mindset?**
That’s a very relevant question. Because strictly speaking, the world doesn't need more clothing. Our approach is that the clothes we make should be able to turn into vintage items. We make sure we never create garbage. And in that way, I feel that we have actually developed a more sustainable business model.
**Was it always a given for you to work with sustainability?**
Maria had been in the textile industry for many years, and all the negative things you hear about the textile industry are true. So, from the start, we knew that "we want to be able to sleep at night, and we want to do this in a good way." For example, we worked with very few suppliers, and they were all in Europe, like Italy and Portugal. It all has to start with control because you can't address these issues if you don't know who makes your products, and the truth is that most brands don't.
"Buy good things and use them for a long time. Wear them in, repair them, and don't wash them too much. That's an extremely sustainable way to approach fashion. And that's where we are today. Create vintage, not garbage."
— JOAKIM ON SUSTAINABILITY
You offer "free repairs" for your clothing. How do you actively encourage people to use this rather than fall for the temptation of buying new piecesz?

–We truly invest in promoting this free repair service. And quite a lot of people do actually come back. We repair 50-60 thousand pairs a year, so we're really busy. We’ve always told people to wear their clothes for a long time. The logical consequence of that is that the clothes eventually wear out. So that's why we started with repairs.
Knitty Gritty
Kent Fuzzy Cardigan Multi
Clean Eileen Deadstock
Kent Fuzzy Cardigan Multi
Clothes that become more beautiful the more you wear them, the more you reapir them.
Knitty Gritty
Kent Fuzzy Cardigan Multi
Clean Eileen Deadstock
Kent Fuzzy Cardigan Multi
Clothes that become more beautiful the more you wear them, the more you reapir them.
Knitty Gritty
Kent Fuzzy Cardigan Multi
Clean Eileen Deadstock
Kent Fuzzy Cardigan Multi
Clothes that become more beautiful the more you wear them, the more you reapir them.