“With my eyes turned to the past, I walk backwards into the future”
Yohji Yamamoto, fashion designer
The city of Nîmes in France is the place where denim has its origin. The city is situated in the southern part of the Provence, near Marseille. In the seventeenth century a fabric called ‘Serge de Nîmes’ was developed here. It was a mix of wool and silk. The term 'denim' has its roots in this fabric but has evolved to pure cotton in the United States. Besides the origin of denim, Nîmes has been a legendary city for its exquisite fabrics and patterns. Inspiration for these special products came from the beautiful landscape in the area's around the city. In the eighteenth century Nîmes became famous for its silk shawls which were, thanks to a new rail road, worn all over Europe. “To me the paradox between the rawness of denim and the elegance of silk, became a metaphor for the way I curated the stores back in 2008. In fact it it is still the way to visualise what we do at Tenue de Nîmes today.” Menno van Meurs, Founder & CEO.
