User:Elzwear

Elzwear is a logo used on apparel, created by Elza Jensen in large part from adopting the idea of that name from his friends, associates and customers during the decade of the 1980's. Elza Jensen was using his own created logo: di8 which stood for "Design Infectious 80's" as well as "End-o-Century" inspired by the lyrics from a Ramones song in the 1970's. The name "Elzwear" is a self described style that covers several logos used by the artist, on clothing as well as wall lamps which now includes:[I.U.](identity undefined).

Elza Jensen began his street style graphics in Boulder, Colorado in the early seventies selling to locals at the "Boulder Art Festival" beginning in 1974. At that time his work was labeled strange and avant garde. But later in the seventies his work was embraced and identified with the early punk scene.

A self taught artist who moved to San Francisco from Boulder, Colorado in 1976 to start an art noise music group as well as apply for a government opportunity grant to enroll at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1977. After a few unsuccessful attempts at receiving a scholarship or a government sponsored grant to attend his only choice in schools, he discovered screen printing and combining the use of those same inks to paint on clothing, which was an uncommon technique. After striking a vein of reaction and local interest in San Francisco, California, he decided to return to Boulder and Denver where he gained a reputation for shock art clothing especially throughout the 80’s and 90’s. Directly after starting to sell in shops his work would also coin the term ‘[artwear]’ from art-to-wear. Here is an article in the [Denver Post], the local newspaper in Denver. Additional exposure could be found in April of 1984 in the now defunct Rocky Mountain News, link to scanned photos of that article.

It’s been a life long passion - displaying a serious interest in creative expression since a child, Elza Jensen has sold his graphic wear world wide for over 30 years inspiring many large and small within the fashion industry. When it comes to graphics and patterns Elza’s varying styles haven’t ceased in genuine and contemporary vibrancy, some sustain an impression of what’s new even 20 years later. Always having done small scale production, the artist has a tried and true attitude toward mass production for the fact that a nature of devaluation of artist expression is common in the process saturating markets found in the fashion industry. Elza Jensen's "Elzwear" is limited edition scale and format with thousands of variations on his own unconventional style compositions are collected in a small scale within a community of friends and clients in Denver, Colorado today.