Pleated Rider Jeans

The pleated rider jeans were created in a two-fold concept with another piece in the ANC collection. Many of my ideas stem from re-imagining garments that either have not been created yet, or in a way that rivals their intended functionality. Typically, pleated pants are seen in two environments: firstly, in a white collar/formal space, and second, in farming when starching jeans for durability. However, in the formal space, the pleated pants are typically a more formal wash. Whether it be khakis, wool trousers, or selvedge denim, the pants uphold a very put together look, and the function of the pleats are more similar to that of a suit; to assist with more 'give' in the pants when sitting down at a desk job, etc. On the other end of the spectrum, in farming, pleats are seen on jeans that are bootcut with a lot of fading; the function of these pleats is a byproduct of starching. With these two ideas in mind, I wanted to create a piece that sort of embodied these two situations --- a wide leg pleated mud wash jean. Combining the formality of a white-collar box pleat with the mud washing of labor, these jeans feature 6.5oz denim with nickel plated hardware. I was able to achieve the mud washing by putting the garment through 3 sets of bleaching at a ratio of 80:20 water:bleach, and by mud washing with coffee grounds. I finished the piece off by hand painting some 'fading' on the back right pocket to look like fading from a wallet.