Some cities have fiberglass bulls; others pigs; others horses; and the representations go on and on. Greensboro has blue jeans. With Greensboro’s rich textile and denim history, this choice makes perfect sense. The above plexiglass pair of jeans is called “Woven Heritage” and is part of the ‘Celebrating Jeansboro’, NC series. Wrangler VF Jeanswear spearheaded this public art project in 2015.  The above artwork is by Neidy Perdomo and Ivan Gonzalez. There are jeans, each painted with a different theme, all throughout Greensboro. The White Oak pair has been installed in front of the Carolina Theatre on Greene Street.

White Oak was the original and last selvedge denim supplier in the United States. There is a mill in Louisiana using some of the equipment from the White Oak mill, and there are murmurings that they will make American-milled selvedge denim. The article is linked here.* We remain hopeful that someone will find a way for Greensboro to once again become a center of selvedge denim. With the shop local, small-batch, quality-over-quantity movement that is thriving in young-adults, surely, high quality denim will be once-again made in Greensboro. Every time you walk past one of these beautiful sculptures, consider making that wish.

* (Inside Hook, September 1, 2020)