Always ready to push boundaries, G-Star has joined forces with the Dutch taxidermy artists Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren. To mark the opening of the artists’ new Art Zoo Museum in Amsterdam, they are unveiling a 3.5-meter-tall gorilla installation inspired by the brand’s anatomical denim design principles.

G-Star has a rich history of collaborating with top-tier creatives across various disciplines, including Maarten Baas, Marc Newson, Anton Corbijn, and Pharrell Williams. This time, the denim brand has teamed up with Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren, known for their extravagant and artistic approach to traditional taxidermy. Together, they have created a larger-than-life gorilla sculpture, each muscle 3D-printed and covered with hand-stitched denim skin.

Since 1989, G-Star has been devoted to the fabric, craftsmanship, and culture of denim. As a forward-thinking brand, it holds a unique position in shaping the future of the material. Driven by creativity, G-Star transforms ideas into fabric while staying true to its distinctive path.

This dedication to art and design extends far beyond collaborations, it begins at their headquarters in Amsterdam. Completed in 2014 by architect Rem Koolhaas, the industrial building merges indoor and outdoor spaces, reflecting Koolhaas’s signature focus on environmental integration. The headquarters embody the brand’s love for detail, architecture, and contemporary design, with interiors featuring furniture by Marc Newson and Jean Prouvé. Vintage and modern elements coexist within installations like a G-Star airplane made of recycled denim and a custom-built denim closet. Upon entering the building, visitors are greeted by the custom made Drag Queen Collection, also featured in Numéro Berlin’s PASSION issue.

What makes the G-Star headquarters particularly exceptional is that it also houses Europe’s largest archive of vintage garments. This archive acts as a source of inspiration: by deconstructing old pieces, ideas are uncovered that are reinterpreted into modern silhouettes. The collection mainly includes vintage functional wear like motorcycle gear, space suits, and military uniforms from the 1930s to 1970s, which often serve as blueprints for G-Star’s modern designs. Here, utility becomes storytelling, evoking emotion and shaping future aesthetics.

The Denim Gorilla

The creation of the Denim Gorilla took nearly two years of meticulous craftsmanship, including 700 hours of sewing. In total, 56 square meters of denim were stitched together using 3,000 meters of thread. The result is a breathtaking anatomical study of a silverback gorilla, with every muscle and vein rendered in detailed, hand-sewn denim.

G-Star collaborates with a new artist each year, often from outside the fashion world, allowing for bold and unexpected outcomes. The Denim Gorilla will remain a permanent fixture at the new Art Zoo Museum by Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren, located in the heart of Amsterdam.

Unlike traditional representations of gorillas in natural history museums, this sculpture strikes a model-like pose. The gestures reference Mannerist art, emphasizing elegance and expressive form, while the muscular silhouette nods to G-Star’s own anatomical design ethos.

The artists specifically chose a silverback gorilla because it is so deeply associated with masculinity. Their goal was to challenge that perception. “What is the most male-coded animal we can think of?” they asked. The answer was: the gorilla. The tension between that hyper-masculine symbolism and their attempt to soften or feminize it made the gorilla the perfect subject. The final sculpture plays with those contrasts, adding layers of meaning.

G-Star’s mission is not just about making denim – it’s about reshaping creativity and sustainability. The Denim Gorilla also inspired the brand’s upcoming Fall/Winter collection, which explores anatomical shapes and movement in wearable form.

More unexpected projects are already in the works. As the brand looks to its next chapter, one thing remains clear: for G-Star, denim is just the beginning. The Denim Gorilla didn’t just make a statement at the museum; it set the stage for G-Star’s next evolution. The striking art piece inspired a new capsule denim collection launching in September 2025, focusing on anatomical fits and body-following silhouettes, marking a return to raw denim aesthetics and late ‘90s style. This renewed vision aligns with the appointment of Dutch-Caribbean design duo Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh as the brand’s first creative directors since Aitor Throup’s departure in 2018. Under their creative direction, G-Star is poised to redefine itself once again, beginning with the debut of the first RAW RESEARCH collection at Paris Fashion Week next January.