Words by Edda Alma Seibert The Art of Denim Anatomy: G-Star Collaborates with Dutch Artists Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren for the Creation of “The Denim Gorilla” Amsterdam’s crowd gathered for an unforgettable evening as G-Star unveiled its Denim Gorilla during the grand opening of the Art Zoo Museum in the heart of the city. Standing 3.5 meters tall and crafted entirely from G-Star’s signature material, the artwork was created by Dutch artists Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren, renowned for their work in fine taxidermy. A powerful symbol of G-Star’s commitment to its heritage, the piece reflects how the brand continues to evolve — embracing new ideas and outside influences along the way. Words by Edda Alma Seibert G-Star has always stood for movement, bringing functionality to fashion through denim. From the beginning, the brand’s design language has focused on garments that move with the body. Inspired by post-war American fashion and the cinematic influence of Hollywood stars, G-Star made its mark with a groundbreaking innovation: reimagining non-denim garments in denim. That’s how the Elwood 5620 motorcycle pant was born – an industry first that redefined denim design and established G-Star as a European leader in the field. At G-Star, denim is everything: not just a material for fashion, but a medium for creation in every sense – explored in each stitch, shape, and form. This ethos is based on and fueled by the brand’s impressive archive, housed at its Amsterdam headquarters. One of the largest fashion archives in Europe, it contains over 48,000 vintage, story-rich garments and objects. More than just a an archive, it also serves as a living source of inspiration for future designs. The architecture itself seems to embody this spirit of creativity. Designed by the legendary Rem Koolhaas and built in 2014, the space resembles an airplane hangar, perfectly reflecting the architect’s philosophy of merging buildings with their environments – connecting nature and architecture. When you step into the G-Star office, it’s immediately clear that the brand has been pushing the boundaries of denim since its beginnings. With a multitude of artworks and pieces born from collaborations with various artists over the years, G-Star showcases the full creative potential within the material. At one point, the brand even had a dedicated in-house team of ten people creating art full-time by using denim, leftover materials, and experimental techniques. Their work remains on display at the HQ and in stores around the world, ranging from abstract sculptures to repurposed canoes. Although this team no longer exists, G-Star continues to collaborate with emerging artists and designers through special projects such as this one: The Denim Gorilla by Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren. Like for all other collaborations, the artists come from outside the fashion industry, offering a fresh perspective on working with denim. Jaap Sinke and Ferry van Tongeren are known for their elevated taxidermy, inspired by 17th-century Dutch paintings and artworks. They launched their first collection, La Vie de L’Eden, at the end of 2014, which was subsequently acquired by Damien Hirst. For The Denim Gorilla, they were given complete creative freedom by G-Star – no commercial brief, just the freedom to explore. “Art is always the starting point, never commerce,” as Tanne Donjacour Gielen, Editor-in-Chief at G-Star RAW, puts it. Reflecting on the experience of working with an entirely new material, one of the artists shared: “I think in a way it freed us. When G-Star approached us, our first reaction was, why us? That’s not what we usually do. And then we started thinking about it, and we already had these kinds of models from different animals in our workshop. That’s when we felt this moment of freedom.” The artists were given full insight into the brand’s world, drawing inspiration from the archive and G-Star’s legacy of 3D denim. Combined with their own practice, they created something as original to the brand as possible – focusing on the body, its form, and its ability to move. The Denim Gorilla was born, circling back to the Elwood 5620. A 3.5-meter-high sculpture based on anatomical models, it reveals only muscles. Created in 700 hours of stitching, the gorilla is composed of over denim 150 pieces. But why a gorilla? When asked, the duo explained that they usually work with bold, brightly colored male birds and strive to make them look as feminine as possible. But when considering the idea of creating an écorché in denim, they quickly landed on the silverback gorilla: big, tough, powerful — masculine and feminine all at once. They styled the gorilla in elongated, elegant poses that evoke expression and movement. The posture also echoes classical sculpture, with references to Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Though the gorilla stands on a marble pedestal like a timeless figure, it bridges past and present — its classical stance contrasted by the modernity of denim and the theatrical spirit embedded in its creation. The artwork is housed at the Art Zoo Museum, located in a 17th-century house in Amsterdam shared with the Vrije Academie. As the first and only museum of its kind, it brings together art, animals, and storytelling in the spirit of a classic Wunderkammer – a cabinet of curiosities. In this museum, it’s not the animals that are caged, but the visitors walking through it. The Denim Gorilla didn’t just make a statement at the museum – it set the stage for G-Star’s next evolution. The art piece inspired a new capsule denim collection launching in September 2025, focused on anatomical fits and body-following silhouettes, with a return to raw denim aesthetics and late-‘90s style. G-Star continues to redefine itself while staying true to its heritage. With the recent appointment of Dutch-Caribbean design duo Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh as the brand’s new creative directors – the first since Aitor Throup’s departure in 2018 — G-Star enters an exciting new chapter. Their vision will debut with the next RAW RESEARCH collection at Paris Fashion Week in January. “We are thrilled to see what’s to come, with these exciting news for the brand in our pockets. The Denim Gorilla for sure offers a powerful first glimpse into G-Star’s bold new exploration of the relationship between the body and denim.” Credits Images courtesy of G-Star Read Next Horsegiirl: “I’m just a silly little horse” Peaches: Echoes of Rebellion and Resonance Siniša: Just Don’t Take Them Seriously
G-Star has always stood for movement, bringing functionality to fashion through denim. From the beginning, the brand’s design language has focused on garments that move with the body. Inspired by post-war American fashion and the cinematic influence of Hollywood stars, G-Star made its mark with a groundbreaking innovation: reimagining non-denim garments in denim. That’s how the Elwood 5620 motorcycle pant was born – an industry first that redefined denim design and established G-Star as a European leader in the field. At G-Star, denim is everything: not just a material for fashion, but a medium for creation in every sense – explored in each stitch, shape, and form. This ethos is based on and fueled by the brand’s impressive archive, housed at its Amsterdam headquarters. One of the largest fashion archives in Europe, it contains over 48,000 vintage, story-rich garments and objects. More than just a an archive, it also serves as a living source of inspiration for future designs. The architecture itself seems to embody this spirit of creativity. Designed by the legendary Rem Koolhaas and built in 2014, the space resembles an airplane hangar, perfectly reflecting the architect’s philosophy of merging buildings with their environments – connecting nature and architecture. When you step into the G-Star office, it’s immediately clear that the brand has been pushing the boundaries of denim since its beginnings. With a multitude of artworks and pieces born from collaborations with various artists over the years, G-Star showcases the full creative potential within the material. At one point, the brand even had a dedicated in-house team of ten people creating art full-time by using denim, leftover materials, and experimental techniques. Their work remains on display at the HQ and in stores around the world, ranging from abstract sculptures to repurposed canoes. Although this team no longer exists, G-Star continues to collaborate with emerging artists and designers through special projects such as this one: The Denim Gorilla by Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren.
