Benzak Denim Developers Go Back To the Well With A 2nd Kickstarter

Benzak Denim Developers Go Back To the Well With A Second Kickstarter

Posted July 28, 2014

Benzak Denim Developers Introduce New Products Through A Second Kickstarter Campaign

Just over a year ago, Lennaert Nijgh launched Benzak Denim Developers through a successful Kickstarter campaign. After a productive year, Lennaert is ready for his second production run. BDD will once again use the crowd-funding model to finance the project.

The reason for Lennaert to choose Kickstarter is simple:

“By this, BDD will avoid dealing with banks or big investors, who force revenue and endanger the creativity of the project.”

Over the last year, we have seen a lot of denim projects going down the crowd-funding route. Looking at the projects we have seen, there seems to be a lot of people out there simply cashing in on the popularity of raw denim via crowd-funding.

We can say, hand on heart, that this is not the case here. This is a project we are more than happy to fully support.

I had a chance to handle a pair of BDD denims earlier in the year whilst visiting Tenue de Nîmes in Amsterdam. I was very impressed at what I found.

The construction is done in Japan. As you would expect from a Japanese made product, it is second to none. But it was the fits that impressed me the most.

Currently, BDD have two fits. The BDD-006 is a slim fit whilst the BDD-710 is Lennaert’s take on a regular fit.

Lennaert has found a perfect balance in the fits. They both represent the best of what a particular fit should give the wearer. The jeans also evolve the notion of the five-pocket jean, by simply adding a sixth pocket. This is not done on a whim; it is the acknowledgment that nowadays we carry a little more around with us.

Two different denims are used for the two fits. The denim used for the BDD-006 denim is a 14.7 oz. deep indigo denim in right hand twill. For the BDD-710 a left hand twill 14.7oz denim is used, it has a strong green cast and a very clean hand.

For the latest Kickstarter, BDD will introduce new products

The BDD-006 will be available in a “dark tone denim.” In this denim, both the warp and the weft yarns are indigo dyed. Combine this with the slubby yarns used, this denim is sure to fade in a fascinating manner. As Lennaert notes:

“Double indigo for true blue maniacs!”

We also see the introduction of a new fit, the BDD-016.

The top block is very similar to the 006, but the legs are further tapered making it the tightest fit in the BDD range. The denim is slightly lighter than previous denims used, weighing in at 13.5 oz. with a slight grey cast and plain selvage ID.

Along with the jeans, BDD offer two T-shirts, one in deep indigo and one in indigo stripe. Both the perfect companion to any of the jeans.

We again see Lennaert’s appreciation for materials that will age with the owner.

A vegetable tanned natural leather belt rounds off the range. Like the denim, the belt will age and evolve with the individual wearer.

The offerings this time around are a reflection of BDD’s commitment to “pure products and functional design.” We get the perfect top to toe range of garments. We are very keen to see this project through to completion and are excited to see a new denim brand out there with such dedication to all the aspects we love about denim.

You can find a full rundown of the project on the Kickstarter page here. Head over to the BDD website to learn all about the brand itself or read our previous article about Lennaert has his denim venture here.

Benzak Denim Developers, Japanese denim, Kickstarter, The Netherlands

Matt Wilson

Before turning his attention toward clothing and fashion, Matt Wilson was a product designer. He witnessed first-hand the unethical manufacture of products designed and developed specifically for obsolescence and quickly recognised the inherent dangers of this attitude towards consumerism. A happy chance occurred when he discovered Raw Denim. Fascinated by the narrative contained in each garment, this newfound passion led him into a journey of discovery through the fashion and clothing industry. The qualities he found in a great pair of jeans he soon found in other garments, shoes and accessories. Up until February 2017, Matt was heavily involved with Selvedge Run, a trade show for menswear, shoes and accessories. A home for brands with a philosophy that aligned perfectly with his principles of craft and quality at the core of a good product. He now shares this passion the as the Editor of Rope Dye, an online men’s lifestyle magazine about the passion for well-crafted menswear as well as other cherished products and designs that baulk against today’s throw-away culture.