Etched denim

Invited by the Rembrandt House Museum, another famous Amsterdam creative brand steps into the footsteps of Rembrandt. Following the immense success of the temporary tattoo workshop by Schiffmacher & Veldhoen in 2023, fashion brand G-STAR is innovatively translating Rembrandt’s craftsmanship into Denim. Inspired by Rembrandt’s etching technique and his iconic self-portrait from the museum collection, the G-STAR design team has combined the latest laser technologies with experiments on various types of Denim. This is G-STAR’s tribute to ancient craftsmanship in a modern way.

Etching on denim

Rembrandt was not only a great painter, he was also a phenomenal etcher. For example, he not only printed his prints on regular paper, but also experimented with other materials, such as parchment and Japanese paper. This was the reason for G-STAR to give a modern interpretation to his innovative way of experimenting.

The designers chose Rembrandt's self-portrait from 1639 as a basis and used the latest laser technology to investigate which types of denim, washings and coatings yielded the best results. In addition, the artworks were adjusted a little bit. Sometimes with the help of AI. The Etched Denim exhibition shows some of Rembrandt's famous prints and also shows the research into the denim collection.