G-STAR x Los Angeles-based design studio TOMBOGO introduces a limited-edition jean inspired by harness straps, buckles and utility.
What happens when you give a designer a blank denim canvas, access to your archive and the freedom to experiment? THE DENIM is G-STAR’s ongoing collaboration series, giving designers room to push what denim can do. The latest comes from TOMBOGO founder Tommy Bogo, who looks at denim through form and function, putting the way it’s built and worn front and centre.
It started with THE DENIM 001 and Ottolinger. KNWLS followed, then Togo-born designer Jacques Agbobly brought African influence into the series for the first time, with a super-high-waisted bellbottom jean. For the fourth edition, TOMBOGO takes denim somewhere a little less familiar. The jeans come loaded with harness-style straps, buckles, panels and hidden pockets, all worked into the design rather than added as decoration.
Meet TOMBOGO
TOMBOGO was founded by multimedia artist Tommy Bogo in 2020 and works across fashion, technology, music and community. From cameras and speakers to wearable tech and clothing, TOMBOGO doesn’t stick to one category for long. Its designs often start with a familiar object and ask what happens when you mess with the way it works.
You can see that approach clearly in THE DENIM 004. Straps wrap around the legs, buckles break up the silhouette, and pockets appear where you might not expect them. It’s still a pair of jeans, but the familiar five-pocket formula has been pulled apart and put back together differently.
From Boots to Denim
The origin is almost too simple. Bogo saw someone wearing harness boots with buckle straps and wondered what that logic would look like on a leg. Then Bogo went digging through the G-STAR archive, where old utility wear, straps and workwear-inspired pieces gave him plenty to play with. The idea that started with a pair of boots soon found its way onto denim.
“I approached denim through a technical lens, aiming to create something new. Translating the idea of harness straps into a pair of jeans felt like a natural way to bring TOMBOGO’s design language into denim, while connecting with G-STAR’s heritage in utility and construction,” says Bogo.
Hardware Meets Denim
It’s an easy meeting of minds. TOMBOGO likes taking familiar things apart and figuring out new ways to use them, while G-STAR has spent years doing something similar with denim.
G-STAR’s Chief Brand Officer Gwenda van Vliet frames it as a fit rather than a stretch.
“We’re excited to continue THE DENIM series with TOMBOGO, a designer who approaches fashion through innovation and purpose. Tommy’s ability to translate complex ideas into wearable design aligns naturally with G-STAR’s focus on craftsmanship and experimentation,” says Gwenda van Vliet, Chief Brand Officer at G-STAR.
Keep Pulling the Thread
If THE DENIM has shown anything so far, it’s that there’s no one way to approach a pair of jeans. Each designer starts with the same denim canvas and takes it somewhere completely different. Four editions in and the list keeps getting more interesting to watch.
- THE DENIM 004 by TOMBOGO is available worldwide from September 2026 at selected G-STAR stores and on g-star.com.
