THE DENIM DREAMS OF BART SIGHTS
Part of denim’s allure is the story it tells. Persisting through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, denim has come to connote hard work, dedication and discovery -- all romantic traits linked to an undeniably American mythos. And at the forefront of the popularization of denim jeans is the company that patented them in 1873. Since then, Levi Strauss & Co. has consistently revolutionized what people wear.
At the outset, Levi’s first started manufacturing blue jeans that were primarily intended to be work wear. But 167 years later, jeans have developed as functional, versatile, and fashionable garments worn across the world. As the denim industry continues to grow, one leader continues to stay ahead of the curve in innovation and development.
A Henderson, Ky. native and Centre College graduate, Bart Sights has produced groundbreaking new techniques, technologies and structural improvements that have catapulted Levi’s to unprecedented heights.
Raised to Make History
Bart Sights has contributed to and eventually led the creative, conceptual, and technical development of fabrics, finishes, and prints for Levi Strauss’s global brands. But his path to becoming an authority in the denim industry started long before his time at Levi’s. In a recent article, he opened up about how fabrics have practically always been part of his life:
“My mom would take me to Bernstein’s Jeans Shop in Henderson, Kentucky on the first day of every school year, beginning in the first grade. We would buy three pair of rigid little Levi’s with reinforced knees, and I would watch with amazement as they changed and aged as I wore them every single day for a year, literally becoming a walking history of my experience and expression.”
This attention to detail would prove immensely important as he entered his formative years. At the same time that he was able to observe the dynamism and personality of denim, he was also engaged in dealing with fabrics in a hands-on, direct way. Growing up in Henderson, his parents ran and operated an industrial laundry business. It was through these inspirations that he would take his burgeoning interest to the next level. From the age of 12, he would develop a profound familiarity with denim and other textiles at his family’s laundry company.
Fast forward 10 years, and the business of washing jeans on an industrial level was beginning to explode. As Sights was just then graduating from Centre College in Danville, Ky., he decided to take advantage of the new popular washing trend by going into business with his father. “Brands were starting to need their jeans washed,” he stated in an interview. “I was getting out of school, and my dad and I decided to start a business that nobody had really any idea how to go about. It was at the very infancy of denim finishing.”
Bart Sights in his signature indigo courtesy of Levi’s
He would then become the president at Sights Denim Systems, a major manufacturing operation based in Henderson. The experience gave him the independence to learn more and experiment with denim washing. In a sprawling feature in The New York Times, his role at the organization was to build “an offshoot of the company where, with the premium denim market booming, they began renting out facilities for companies to prewash jeans in wholesale quantities.”
He would continue refining his craft until the company’s closure in 2008. With his wealth of experience and knowledge base, he became a consultant for large denim brands around the world, namely Levi’s. Through these opportunities, he would go on to find himself living in cities such as Bangalore, New York, Istanbul, and then ultimately San Francisco, where he would begin his position as the senior director of technical innovation.
A Leader in Denim
After settling in the Bay Area, Sights started Levi’s Eureka Lab, a cutting edge collaborative space where new ideas are researched, explored, and perfected. One of the latest undertakings for Bart and his team is Project F.L.X. (future-led execution), which has rewritten the denim finishing process to make it cleaner, quicker, and more consistent.
The Eureka Lab in San Francisco, courtesy of The New York Times
By replacing several manual techniques with lasers and digital technology, they have drastically reduced the amount of chemicals (from thousands to about a dozen) and time (from 30 min. to 90 sec.) required to apply the worn, faded, textured designs to a pair of jeans. The benefits of this method are ten-fold, branching out from the company to the workers, retailers, consumers and the environment.
Sustainability is immensely important for Sights. Amy Leverton of Denim Dudes noted that after Project F.L.X. began to incorporate a digital focus on their experimentation and design, the lab began to consume a lot less. Importantly, the transition toward innovative technological trends “means great things for the environment (cutting out tons of harmful chemicals and almost all water) and it makes denim production agile and flexible.” Sights firmly believes in creating a model where people can buy jeans and express themselves with, as he’s stated, “zero impact on the environment.”
Now in his mid 50’s, Bart Sights seems just as passionate about his work as ever, and his team and colleagues are all aware. “Bart Sights is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to denim and denim finishing,” said Paul O'Neill, the Head of Design at Levi’s Vintage Clothing who recently focused a collection on the underground post-punk scene in Louisville in the 1980s/90s. “I work in the same building as Bart and it is inspiring to see him at work and I believe him and his team are revolutionizing the denim industry through innovation.”
To sum up Bart’s significance in the community, Jonathan Cheung, head of global design at Levi’s, said: “In this industry – denim – there’s only one Bart.”
