Jeansland Podcast
This is why I do this. Jeansland is a podcast about the ecosystem in which jeans live. There are an estimated 26 million cotton farmers around the world, and about 25% of their production goes into jeans, which could mean 6.2 million farmers depend on denim. I read estimates that at least 1 million people work in retail selling jeans, and another 1.5 to 2 million sew them. And then there are all the label producers, pattern makers, laundries, chemical companies, machinery producers, and those that work in denim mills. I mean, the jeans industry, which is bigger than the global movie and music business combined, employs a lot of human beings. And many of them, like me, love jeans. The French philosopher and existentialist Simone de Beauvoir, when visiting New York, said, "Everyone in the New York subway is a novel." I never met her, but I guess she made the observation because of the incredible diversity of people who ride the subway system. I'm convinced the people in our jeans industry are like those in the subway. They are unique, with rich and complex stories to tell, and I want to hear them. And deep inside me, I think you might feel the same way.
https://jeansland.co/
Jeansland Podcast
Ep 44: Building Jeans Worth Defending with Menno van Meurs
“If the supply chain isn’t something I can be proud of, the garment isn’t worth making.”— Menno van Meurs, Founder of Tenue de Nîmes and Tenue.
Menno van Meurs runs one of the most respected denim stores in Europe, Tenue de Nîmes in Amsterdam. He also makes his own jeans under the Tenue brand. He's not chasing trends. He's holding the line on craft, quality, and supply chain integrity in an industry that's mostly given up on all three.
In this conversation, Andrew and Menno talk about how the denim business lost its way. How boardrooms started dictating what quality should cost instead of asking what quality should be. How brands squeezed every dime out of their suppliers and then acted surprised when the product looked miserable. And why Menno finally decided to start his own brand after a decade of success, just so he could make jeans he was proud to stand behind.
Menno traces his path from finding his father's old 1970s denim in a closet to working in Dutch retail under entrepreneurs who believed risk and responsibility belonged on the shop floor. He talks about the slow collapse of large online retailers, the resilience of independents who still care about fit and service, and why he thinks there's a window of opportunity right now for stores that survived the last decade of chaos.
At the center of it all is his belief that value comes from honesty. With suppliers, with customers, with yourself. If the supply chain can't be defended, the garment isn't worth making. And if a brand can't protect its makers, it can't claim a heritage.
A good conversation about what it takes to build something that lasts, told by someone who still treats denim as a craft, not a commodity.
Thank you to our sponsor Inside Denim.
Menno van Meurs
Founder, Tenue de Nîmes & Tenue
Tenue de Nîmes, Tenue, Instagram