G-Star x Ryan Gander x Wallpaper* Collaboration

G-Star have partnered with artist Ryan Gander and Wallpaper* magazine on a fun project. As they ship their proprietary 3D-denim, the Arc Loose Tapered, to stores worldwide, 30 pairs will be the limited edition Ryan Gander G-Star Arc Pants!

Beginning yesterday, August 1st, visitors of G-Star stores worldwide might find one of the 30 limited edition Arc Pants from G-Star RAW, customized by Ryan Gander. The project was commissioned as part of Wallpaper* magazine’s ‘Artist Intervention’ series and was previewed at Wallpaper*s Handmade exhibition during this years Salone del Mobile in Milan.

Conceptual artist Ryan Gander’s collaboration with G-Star involves adding discreet white embroidery, to mimic drips of paint, on select pairs of the brands 3D Arc Loose Tapered jeans, in addition to a small-figurine key ring. The basis for this design intervention comes from renowned modernist Le Corbusier’s phrase “By law all buildings should be white”, which inspired Gander to invent a national holiday in Japan called ‘New New Day’, encouraging people to paint buildings white. The symbol of this day is ‘Arata-Chan’ (translated as ‘cleaning helping friend’), a little figurine with Le Corbusier-style glasses and a paintbrush in his hand. The white embroidered ‘paint drips’ on these limited edition Arc Pants are a visual representation of this concept.

From August 2011, the 30 limited edition pairs of men’s denim will be distributed without fanfare to selected G-Star stores, where customers can buy for the regular retail price. “I like the idea that someone might think they’re damaged, try to return them and not realize they’re getting a limited edition,” Ryan Gander says. “If you specifically wanted a pair, you couldn’t go looking for them. It’s a bit like Willy Wonka’s golden ticket.”

One pair of the limited edition Arc Pants will be on auction on the G-Star Facebook page. The resulting money will be donated to charity. The collaboration is featured in full in Wallpaper*s August issue, out now – please click here for the making-of video by Ingmar Swalue.