The Denim Industry Makes a Major Foray into Sustainability
The December 2019 edition of Denim Première Vision (Denim PV)--an international trade fair for denim apparel held in London, UK--was marketed as "the responsible denim fashion event". In keeping with this motto, the major theme at the fair was environmental sustainability, and almost all of the 97 exhibitors presented innovations that reflected this theme. According to the organisers of the fair, the exhibitors represented approximately 33% of the denim industry and about 90% of the "premium" denim industry.
This report identifies the denim design trends for the spring/summer 2021 season and the latest product developments in the denim industry, including indigo dyeing technology; fabric production technology; and denim fabrics which contain hemp fibres, recycled organic cotton, and materials made from recycled polymer derived from post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.
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Executive Summary
Sustainable denim was a “most wanted” consumer product category during 2019. Appropriately, the December 2019 edition of Denim PV, unlike previous editions, was marketed as “the responsible denim fashion event”.
In keeping with this motto, the major theme at Denim PV was environmental sustainability and almost all of the exhibitors presented innovations that reflected this theme. Notably, the exhibitors represented approximately 33% of the denim industry and, perhaps more significantly, they represented approximately 90% of the “premium” denim industry.
Many of the exhibitors proudly displayed certificates which recognised their efforts in sustainability, and many exhibitors advertised key products which had been certified as compliant with various environmental standards.
Noteworthy exhibitors included Bossa, a denim manufacturer based in Turkey, which presented a range of fabrics made using recycled organic cotton, Tencel Lyocell fibre with Refibra technology and Lycra T400 fiber with EcoMade technology.
The fibres used in the fabrics are widely considered to be trailblazing examples of environmental sustainability. The fabrics themselves are dyed using Bossa’s Saveblue technology, which is said to consume 85% less water than conventional dyeing technologies.
Also, Naveena Denim, a denim manufacturer based in Pakistan, presented a fabric called Hemp Denim at the fair. The fabric is made using increasingly popular hemp fibre and its manufacture consumes 70% less water than the manufacture of cotton fabric.
Meanwhile, KilimDenim, a denim manufacturer based in Turkey, presented its Cactus indigo dyeing technology which is designed to reduce the amount of water consumed during the indigo dyeing process, particularly during the rinsing stage.
Dyeing processes which utilise the technology are said to consume 93% less water compared with conventional dyeing processes.
Also at the December 2019 edition of Denim PV, a trend area was hosted which was dedicated to the presentation of design trends for the spring/summer 2021 season. The trends suggest that innovation in environmental sustainability will be a major focus for the denim industry looking ahead. In particular, organic fibres, recycled fibres, and recycled materials will be key ingredients for use in the manufacture of denim in the future.
Companies Mentioned
- Bossa
- DNM Denim (DNM)
- ISKO
- Iskur Denim
- ItemaLab
- KilimDenim
- Naveena Denim
- Prosperity Textile
- Soorty
