TRUE INDIGO - OUR FOREVER FAVOURITE

The stories of our lives are weaved into the clothes that we wear. We all have a fading pair of indigo jeans that remind us of a certain night, years ago. Or, what about the denim jacket that’s worn with white lines around the pockets because of the way we hold our hands in them. Without us even realising, our clothes become an extension of ourselves, a souvenir from times past.

For us, the colour indigo is our enduring favourite. It’s a colour that’s constantly transforming, ageing with grace, and telling our story as we wear it. Every indigo piece becomes personal. That’s why the colour indigo appears again and again in HANSEN Garments pieces, season after season.

As an ode to our favourite colour, each member of the HANSEN team picked out the indigo pieces which are their enduring favourites.

TRUE INDIGO

First, we have Alexander who wears our Elias Loose Fit Five Button Blazer in botanic indigo with matching Gilbert Wide Cut Shorts. These pieces are made from an exclusive, super-lightweight Italian jacquard fabric. With a composition of 98% cotton and 2% metal, the fabric has a bit of ‘memory’, giving it the breezy, wrinkled look.

Our fabric is indigo dyed, meaning it has the truest, deep blue colour. This sort of dye comes from a species of plant called indigofera tinctoria, or true indigo. The plant itself is a shrub, grown to one or two meters high with light green leaves and sheaves of pink or violet flowers. To extract the dye, the leaves are processed by soaking them in water and leaving them to ferment. This converts the glycoside indican into the blue dye indigotin. The payoff is remarkable.

The shirt Alexander wears is also a HANSEN Garments piece, the Sebastian Long Pull-On Shirt in wave indigo. The fabric in this piece is true indigo dyed as well and is produced at Kuroki, one of the most famous Japanese denim mills.

TRUE BLUE

Åse chose this Flannel Damask Print Kakashi Coat from the Japanese cult brand Kapital. The piece is made from 100% cotton and is again natural indigo dyed. As is typical of Kapital pieces, this Kakashi Coat works as a modern interpretation of Japanese tradition. Japanese craftsmen have dyed fabrics with indigo for centuries. In fact, looking towards Japan illuminates just how ancient this tradition is.

It’s commonly accepted that indigo dying became popular in Japan back in the Edo era, between 1603 and 1868. During this period, the country’s military leadership enforced strict rules on how people should dress. Luxurious fabrics and elaborate colours were suddenly out of bounds to everyone but the upper classes. Indigo began its reign. The dye was also stunningly practical as it has antibacterial qualities. This was perfect for the everyday Japanese worker and continues to be a staple to this day.

THE QUALITY OF BLUE

Per opted for the HANSEN Garments Frederik Casual Blazer in indigo stripe with Fred Regular Fit Trousers in black indigo. This look is typical of HANSEN’s style - that sort of everyday timelessness which endures for a lifetime. The pieces endure too. They’re both made from brilliant quality Italian fabrics. In fact, the fabric from our Frederik blazer is produced by Berto, one of Italy’s most famous denim mills. Of course, the fabric is real indigo dyed.

He paired the HANSEN pieces with a Danton Linen Cloth Short Sleeve Pull-On Shirt in navy. The way that the different shades of blue contrast with one another is subtle but elegant. It’s laid back and put together at the same time.

INDIGO IN ALL SEASONS

Finally, Kristian also wears one of the stunning Kakashi coats from Kapital, this time the 8oz Selvedge Denim Kakashi Coat. The pale blue collar and breast pocket on the Phillip Short Sleeve Pull-On Shirt work in stark contrast. The balance of different shades of blue looks striking.

Both the Phillip shirt and Jim Casual Summer Trousers are newcomers for our SS20 collection. Our love of indigo shades and pieces will never go away. It’s a pleasure for us to go back to it each time we think about a new season.