Genova Jeans Week 2024
From the 1st to the 6th of October, the city will come alive with Genova Jeans Week. Exhibitions, fashion, craftsmanship, art installations, music, and workshops will fill Genoa.
Since the mid-16th century, a very durable cotton fustian fabric was produced in Genoa, mostly dyed with indigo that arrived from the East. It was shipped on vessels bound for England, where the packaging was marked with the city of origin. The English terms “Jeanes,” “Jeane,” and “Jean” eventually became “Jeans.” Today, the city pays tribute to its history and opens up for an unforgettable week, curated by Anna Orlando.
Genova Jeans Week, by numbers
There will be 13 art and history exhibitions in as many locations:
- “Alle radici del jeans” and “Iconic Jeans” at Via Balbi 4, University Library
- “Porto i pantaloni” at the Commenda’s Mei Museum
- “Blu Janua. L’arte della cianotipia” at Palazzo Grillo in Piazza delle Vigne
- “ArteJeans. Jeans Loci” and “I teli della Passione” at the Diocesan Museum
- “Garibaldi in Jeans” by Ian Berry and “I jeans dei Garibaldini” at the Museum of the Risorgimento in Via Lomellini
- “Tra due Blu” and “Poseidon” by Alex Vinotto at the Massone Gallery in Vico Superiore di Pellicceria
- “Jeans e Medioevo” in Via Prè
- “Jeans in Copertina” in Via del Campo
- “Pianeta e mensale in Jeans” by Simon Clavière-Schiele at the Church of San Luca
In short, plenty of opportunities to explore the treasures of the ancient city as part of Genova Jeans Week.
Expo Fashion Craftsmanship
There are many Expo events. “The Jeans Backstage. Beyond your blue jeans” will take place from 4th to 6th October at the Customs and Monopolies Agency, the CNA Hub with Expo artisans and fashion companies on Sunday 6th October in Via Balbi, and the Confartigianato Hub at Palazzo Imperiale di Campetto. There will also be artistic installations in Via Prè, Vico Dora, Via Luccoli, and Via di Scurreria. Additionally, there will be installations in the Palazzi dei Rolli: as many as 8.
Blu di Genova
In June 2001, when scholars opened the five-century-old chests, they were astonished: metres upon metres of blue fabric were carefully folded, just as an unknown custodian had done at the dawn of the 16th century—perhaps both the keeper and artist of a genuine treasure in denim. Yes, a treasure of raw, dark fabric, a precious cargo between the sacred and the profane, now visible at the Diocesan Museum of Genoa on Via Tommaso Reggio. The weave of the denim on display is still intact, as are the laces, also made of denim, that supported its weight. The painted scenes, faithful reproductions of Albrecht Dürer’s miniatures, depict episodes of the Passion of Christ with astonishing precision.
