Ep 50: Putting Humanity Back Into Denim with Piero Turk

Andrew sits down with Piero Turk, a longtime friend from the old Italian denim days, when companies were small and you learned the business by doing everything yourself.For those who don’t know Piero, he’s a freelance designer who started in 1983 and has worked with major jean brands across Japan, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, New York, Italy, Turkey, Pakistan, and the UK. He’s collaborated with Andrew at Kingpins, and his ideas are widely respected and used. Original ideas are rare in this industry. Piero has had more than a few.They revisit Team Kit, Japan, laundries, and why Italy once had a real advantage that was almost impossible to copy. Taste, proximity, and lived experience mattered in a way spreadsheets never could.Then the conversation turns. Globalization, profit, and the things people don’t like to say out loud. Piero is blunt about luxury denim, calls out sustainability claims that ignore labor realities, and shares a pricing example that’s funny at first and then quietly disturbing.The episode closes with one simple rule that could change everything: If you want to sell in the West, you follow Western labor and safety rules.A simple idea. Very complicated consequences. We're happy to share this interview with him with you.Thank you to our sponsor Inside Denim.Piero Turk InstagramPlease follow us on: Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.