There are few garments capable of spanning eras, generations, and cultures like a pair of jeans: their styles, washes, and the way we wear them may change, but denim bears the marks of time, evolves alongside those who wear it, and, above all, has never told just one story. It is precisely from this idea that “Voices of Denim” was born: A Living Cultural Language, a project by the AFRO Fashion Association and Levi’s® that, after nearly a year of research, mentorship, and creative production, has reached its final phase with an immersive exhibition at Casa degli Artisti, open to the public free of charge through October 2, 2026.
First presented during Communities at Work at Milan Fashion Week last February, Voices of Denim uses denim as a starting point to explore much more: memory, identity, work, movement, resistance, and transformation. The project brings together the heritage of Levi’s®, which is inextricably linked to the history of this fabric, and the work that the AFRO Fashion Association is doing to create concrete opportunities for BIPOC talent within the creative industry.
The project showcases emerging talents and builds a path for them based on skills, relationships, dialogue, and creative output. The talents involved come from different disciplines, such as fashion design, photography, visual arts, film, styling, curation, sound, and design, and were mentored throughout the year by professionals from the fashion, publishing, and creative industries, including Cara Fenu and Paul Dillinger from the Levi’s® design team, Edward Buchanan, Tamu McPherson, Michelle Francine Ngonmo, Francesca Ragazzi, Walter D’Aprile, Cristina Baruzzi, and Idris Balogun.
Some of the creatives used Levi’s® deadstock materials to create signature looks, while others focused on photography, styling, creative direction, sound design, editorial production, or exhibition design. Denim thus becomes a shared foundation upon which each person can contribute their own voice and experience, connecting the brand’s heritage with new perspectives.
Curated by Jordan Anderson, the exhibition allows all these identities to coexist within a single, overarching narrative. Casa degli Artisti thus takes on the appearance of an open construction site: painted steel scaffolding, metal mesh, plywood panels, ropes, denim, tarps, and drapery create a deliberately unfinished environment, built largely from previously used materials. What would normally remain behind the scenes is brought before the public’s eyes, to the point of becoming part of the story itself.
Just like denim—a material that changes—the exhibition’s layout also transforms, constructed using sheer fabrics, nets, curtains, and drapery that prevent visitors from seeing everything at a glance. Visitors must move around, traverse the space, and shift their perspective. There is therefore no single path, just as there is no single way to interpret the project.
The opening reception on September 24 extended this concept beyond the artworks themselves, transforming the evening into a convergence of fashion, visual arts, gastronomy, and music. Immaculate Ruému, Executive Chef, culinary researcher, and creative entrepreneur, collaborated with Degustazione Ristoro and Dispensa to create a culinary experience that bridges her Nigerian roots with her Italian experience. Red Longo, an artist of Ethiopian descent, presented a performance tied to his exploration of the intersection between fashion and the visual arts, while Polly & Pamy shaped the evening’s soundscape with “Echoes & Frequencies,” a DJ set blending live saxophone with contemporary electronic influences.
Also behind the development of the project’s identity is Macs Iotti, Executive Creative Director at Voices of Denim, who led the exhibition design and art direction through MACSIOTTI Studio, working alongside Filippo Antonioli’s design team. Studio Exhibita, founded by Marco Ramon, handled production and provided design support for the event.
[📸 Courtesy of Levi’s® / Photo by Luigi Colonna]
