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A Tale of Jeans and an Unjust Art World

When you see a wall of jeans at the store, what do you think about? Who do you think about?

Author

Steven Vargas
April 10, 2025

Mentally preparing for taxes.

A Tale of Jeans and an Unjust Art World 

“How are your folds?” my manager at H&M asked. 

“I’m sorry?” I replied. 

“Would you say that you are good at folding jeans?” 

I looked up at the wall of jeans, contemplating the outcome of each possible answer. I say no, and I’m stuck at the cash register or running around the store putting clothes back on the floor from the fitting room. I say yes, and I’d have to refold every jean on the wall. After a day of difficult customers, I opted for the wall. 

Since starting this part-time retail job to supplement the volatile state of freelance journalism, I’ve learned a lot about life and careers. It just so happened that the location I joined was on the way to becoming a brand city store. While I am still unsure of the extent of what that means, I knew it meant an entire overhaul of the store’s workflow and aesthetic, which brings me back to this wall. 

My manager wanted the jeans to stack like bricks. I found the change a bit dramatic. Why change it if the current style still works? I didn’t ask questions and went on with the assignment, switching from a tri-fold to a double sandwich fold that hid the tags and exposed the stitching of the back pocket.

The act was tedious, yet therapeutic. It felt like mending clay, stacking heaps of denim atop each other. I manipulated bits to be airy or compact, shaping every pair of jeans into squares. As the wall came together, my manager returned and nodded in approval. I started to see his vision. 

Call me a sappy artist or overthinker if you must. However, I realized I got a front row seat to the artistic eyes of retail. Visual managers came in, moving pieces of clothing around, styling sections to suggest trendy pairings for customers. Mannequins got new garments. As I watched the progress, these were styling decisions I would’ve never thought of, but felt cohesive and interesting. There was no outline from corporate, it was all being crafted in the moment.

As the denim wall came together, I could see the story my manager wanted to tell. The back pockets folded so that they spread above and below the fold, exposing two diagonal lines. From afar, it was like a striking dash on the canvas. The colors and washes shifted to a darker hue towards the bottom of the wall. Pulling the jeans flush to the shelf, I created an illusion of one big masterpiece. 

As I made my way down the wall, a customer grabbed a pair of jeans I had just folded. They opened it up, tossed it back in disapproval and walked away. I looked at the disruption. It was something like an unexpected jab of the paintbrush on wet paint. I contemplated the point of something like an aesthetic wall. Is it meant to be an interactive piece or something to maintain? What does each story tell?

“Where are these jeans? I can’t find them,” a customer says amid my folding. I look over at a pair of jeans that I haven’t seen before. 

“I don’t know, but it looks like it would be in that section over there based on the tagging,” I reply. 

“So you don’t know where it is?” 

“Well, no-” 

She slams the jeans onto a random rack and walks away. I look away from my wall to see similar interactions across the store. What makes art worth being spat on, disrupted and ridiculed? Is it the hands that made them? These stylists and creative directors in the store create on mannequins for their work to be prodded and bid over (customers pleading that their importance trumps our rule to keep clothing items on the mannequin). 

I found myself reflecting on the art world and art media. Why is it taboo to praise a certain piece of art because it is not in a traditional gallery? What makes an art piece or artist not worth reporting on? Their work is presented at Frieze, but “it is art meant for Instagram” (a real response I’ve received from an editor). Is it really, or is it because it is made by a Black artist with something to say that you can’t understand? 

My store location is primarily made up of Latino employees. This fact impacts how customers ask questions and interact with the clothing. The store quickly becomes an art gallery trashed and abused by strangers. Non-interactive pieces are scratched into. The artwork curated to be in the corner is tossed to the center of the room. A drink is left at the front desk. 

I started this reflection talking about jeans, but I’ve moved on. I’ve accepted that the wall is ephemeral, which leads to my point. In the moments where you encounter a newly completed work of art in retail (or anywhere, really), praise and appreciate it. There are hands and minds that made it for you to admire and feel inspired. 

And it’ll be gone tomorrow.

This Week’s Top Spots

‘You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!’ @ South Coast Repertory

Keiko Green’s “You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!” makes its world premiere on the Segerstrom Stage. The story follows M, our emcee, coping with their father’s terminal diagnosis and his aspiration to save the planet. This comedic play simultaneously makes you chuckle while also upholding an impactful reflection on life and climate change. 

LOCATION: 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa, CA 92626 
DATES: April 5 - May 3
PRICE: $35 - $114
LINK: https://www.scr.org/plays/productions/24-25-season/you-are-cordially-invited-to-the-end-of-the-world/

(Photo by Jared Sorells / courtesy REDCAT Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater)

‘[siccer]’ @ REDCAT

Will Rawls reflects on how Black bodies are documented, distorted and circulated in the media with “[siccer].”  The title plays on the Latin adverb “[sic],” which indicates incorrect spelling, to comment on the perception of Black vernacular vs. standard English. The work does this by employing filmmaking tools and techniques. Rawls will be joined by Holland Andrews, keyon gaskin, jess pretty, Katrina Reid and Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste, creating provoking images and reenacted American film. 

LOCATION: 631 W 2nd St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 
DATES: April 10 - 12
TIME: 8:30 pm
PRICE: $27
LINK: https://www.redcat.org/events/2025/will-rawls

Blue13 Dance Company (Photo courtesy of Blue13 Dance Company)

Blue13 Dance Company @ Sierra Madre Playhouse

Sierra Madre Playhouse presents an evening with Blue13 Dance Company. The group, led by choreographer Achinta S. McDaniel, merges modern dance with classical Indian and Bollywood influences. Blue13 will include works from their repertoire, ranging from “!947” to “Terpsichore in Ghungroos.” 

LOCATION: 87 W Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024
DATE: April 12
TIME: 7:30 pm 
PRICE: $12 - $35
LINK: https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org/event/blue132025 

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham "If We Were a Love Song." (Photo by Tony T)

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham @ The Wallis

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham will present an evening of newer works at The Wallis. The performance includes Andrea Miller’s “Year,” Rena Butler’s “The Shell of A Shell of The Shell,” Paul Singh’s “Just Your Two Wrists,” and Abraham’s “2x4.” The works offer a look into the company’s movement styles. Abraham’s piece infuses his modern and ballet techniques with Black queer vernacular movement. 

LOCATION: 9390 N Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210 
DATES: April 11 - 12
TIME: 7:30 pm Fri.. & 2 pm Sat.
PRICE: $75.90 - $86.90
LINK: https://thewallis.org/show-details/aim-by-kyle-abraham-2024 

Newt Arlandiz (“Yadira”), Valerie Vega (“Elissa”), Blanca Isabella (“Marisela”) and Noelle Franco (“Clara”). (Photo by Xavi Moreno)

‘Just Like Us’ @ The Los Angeles Theatre Center

Latino Theatre Company presents Karen Zacarías’ “Just Like Us,” based on the book by Helen Thorpe. The biographical play tells the story of four Latina teenage girls whose friendship is challenged by the realities of immigration status. While two hold legal documents, two others do not. As they traverse high school, college and student loans, the stark differences in their paths surface. 

LOCATION: 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
DATES: April 10 - May 18
PRICE: $10 - $75
LINK: https://www.latinotheaterco.org/justlikeus 

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