G-Star Raw’s New Project Celebrates Denim, Drag and Couture
As Pride Month approaches, G-Star Raw is getting in the spirit with some of drag’s biggest stars.
On Monday, the Dutch brand released Denim Drags, a collaboration with The Nightmare Disorder (TND), an Amsterdam-based costume design studio founded by Benji Nijenhuis and Nemo Cheminée.
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G-Star teamed with TND to make custom outfits for international drag icons Shea Couleé, Envy Peru and Hungry. With intricate details and innovative constructions, the collection combines the art of drag with G-Star’s dedication to craftsmanship.
G-Star initiated the partnership, however, the brand handed over the creative reigns to TND.
“After our meeting [with the brand] we were super excited because G-Star gave us full creative freedom,” Nijenhuis told Rivet. “G-Star and TND are, in many ways, opposites. [However], we both share the value of craftsmanship. That’s why we were so excited for this opportunity.”
For each queen’s look, Nijenhuis and Cheminée worked closely with the drag superstars during the research and design phase.
“We talked about their ideas regarding the material, what inspires the queens for their persona and if they had anything they were dying to try,” Cheminée told Rivet. “Based on these conversations, we conceptualized three directions for each queen and slowly came to this end result. The full process, including designing, took about three months, and in the last two months, around six people were working on these costumes full time.”
Peru’s look, named the “Disco Dreamer,” pays homage to the ‘70s and disco. For the outfit, the two brands pulled inspiration from designers like Paco Rabbane and artists like Cher. The short dress contains over 2,000 metal rings—a nod to f the hardware typically used in jeans. The matching headpiece was made with titanium and the crown features laser-printed denim feathers.
Couleé’s ensemble, called the “Trophy Gown,” pulls sculptural elements from 2000s Parisian couture. The voluminous dress boasts an amplified interpretation of the G-Star Elwood knee pad on the skirt.
Hungry’s “Anatomical Distortion” look fuses multiple bodies into one shape. The outfit is built on the fundaments of a classic denim jacket and capri jeans, turning the casual look into “an artistic couture piece,” G-Star noted.
“Next to working with these amazingly talented drag icons, we really enjoyed working with the restrictions of denim,” Nijenhuis said. “Challenging denim into couture silhouettes was very exciting, and we learned a lot [during the process]. It was also really nice to see how a company like G-Star saw the importance of this art form and gave us the platform to show our craft.”
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