Last week Kingpins Show debuted the very first virtual tradeshow with Kingpins24 and it proved to be a great success in uniting the denim community once again! One of the reasons I dove headfirst into the denim industry was because of the community and I wanted to do something to show how strong this blue-blooded fam really is with some fun little interviews.
First up we have Robin Meijerink, Founder of Robin Denim!
Tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do, and why you love denim.
Hi Ani, thanks for the opportunity to be featured on your amazing platform. I have been following you for ages and the effort you are putting in communicating the industry’s sustainable solutions (and needs) is admirable!
My name is Robin Meijerink, but most people might know me as Robin Denim. I started to love denim about 10 years ago when I bought my first pair of jeans under the pressure from some friends. As soon as the first little fades appeared, I was hooked! Hooked on the fabric, the fading process, the quality… HOOKED ON DENIM.
I started to try different brands, fabrics and fits, and I started to learn more about high-quality denim. I decided to capture my (denim) journey on Instagram, and from there I started to relate with likemindeddenim dudes and dudettes.
Today, I run the online denim magazine ‘Robin Denim’, in which I write about my experiences, cool brands, and different denim shows around the world. I started a website to become less independent of Instagram, and because I needed more space to write about denim-stuff I love. Nowadays, Robin Denim puts me in a privileged position to combine my two biggest passions in life: denim & traveling.
What is your favorite pair of jeans and why?
Choosing just one pair of jeans is quite impossible for me. I own so many pairs, and I love every single pair for various reasons. When I started to wear denim, I wore just one pair of jeans for at least one year, enjoying every part of the (fading) process. Nowadays, it is quite hard for me to dedicate myself to just one pair because I just can’t let all the other great pairs hanging in my closet…
But, to get back to the subject, I do have a preference for denim from Japan. Why? Because they really took denim to the next level, and beyond. The quality they make and their attention to detail is just unparalleled. Essential for a good pair of jeans is the way it was made. The ingredients they (the involved mill and factories) put into the fabric are determining the quality. Just like the way they are treating their employees. You can’t make a pair of high-quality jeans while paying your employees a shitty salary, it’s simply impossible.
What is it about our denim community that really pulled you in?
What I love most about the community is the common love for denim and the super positive vibe. It’s rare to find an industry where people are genuinely helping and admiring each other, and I am not only talking about the fans. Even between brands, there is huge respect, which helps them continue to improve themselves. After spending almost 10 years in the industry, most of the time just being a fan, I met so many cool guys I now consider to be my friends. Meeting these guys at events (like Amsterdam Denim Days) is like being at a children’s party in a candy shop.
I love the community for the people who are forming the community!
Thanks, Robin for sharing your love for denim and our community with us! It is so true that we all inspire each other, but most importantly HELP each other when we need it. I heard someone say once that when the blue bug has bitten you, you're never getting out! Stay tuned for more interviews and come back next week for the first breakdown of Kingpins24. In the meantime, STAY DILIGENT FRIENDS!