Although physical trade shows cannot happen many hot topics and new practices can be disclosed via webinars and digital get-togethers. An example is the first edition of Denim Premiere Vision’s Digital Denim Week held from November 30 to December 4 (also see here).
Along with new fabric collections, trend forecasts and denim workshops, a selection of talks discussed hot topics that will characterize tomorrow’s visions of the denim and fashion industry. Some keywords of the digital event were sustainability, transparency, regenerative agriculture, blockchain and fiber coins. Discover a selection of quotes from its participants.
Part 1 – What will the future of denim be like?
Guglielmo Olearo, COO, Denim Première Vision, France:
“The future of our industry will be built around a combination of physical and digital. We are defining our future strategy by leveraging both, to create a unique experience for the denim community. The Covid crisis is a huge opportunity to accelerate and support change, and define a winning format for the market.”
Sandya Lang, sustainability manager, Nudie Jeans, Sweden
“The future lies in establishing social sustainability within the supply chain among different stakeholders. We recently started a new collaboration that involves the denim manufacturer Bossa and Outland Jeans, a jeans brand from Australia (also see here). This project is meant to create a new channel for the farmers and it is a different way to handle the supply chain. It’s a new type of collaboration–also including different jeans brands at the same time–that shows how open and transparent our work can be.”
What’s next in denim and jeans?
Sandya Lang, sustainability manager, Nudie Jeans, Sweden
“The next frontiers in terms of sustainable jeans means our recent focusing on organic cotton and social sustainability. We have constantly visited and built our relationship with cotton growers, an aspect that has been especially crucial during this pandemic. We have also been taking care of our relationships with customers by making sure they can wear products for a longer time.”
“We will also focus on new chemicals as we want to substitute regular chemicals with GOTS certified ones, as our denim and garment manufacturers are already doing. As part of this strategy we want to increase our offer of GOTS certified styles, but also continue our recycling program as we want to use our own postconsumer waste so we are sure of what we use for upcycling products.”
Hamit Yenici, co-founder, Hich Solutions, Turkey:
“If we will use fields for growing, for instance, less cotton, more fields will be free for growing food, which is very important today. We need new sources for growing fibers and the best way to achieve this is to recycle or upcycle used garments and give them a new life. I presume we will see more recycled products and more recycled fibers in our denim world. Despite recycled cotton is hard to be used in lightweight fabrics but denim, often offered in thicker in heavier weights we have more chances.”
“It’s time to recycle raw materials but also finding ways for recycling the chemicals we use, as the denim industry is much criticized for that. For instance, we could start recycling dyestuffs and give them a second life.”
“This is not a single player’s or one department’s responsibility, but a responsibility of each of us in the industry. And if each of us feels responsible we can pass this responsibility to consumers as well.”
“Online sales will continue to be key, but conveying the consumer concepts like casts, shades, slubs and softness is hard. Weavers and jeans brands will have to learn new ways for communicating a product’s special characteristics via social media in very fast times. We have to create online friendly jeans or denim that can convince the consumer to think: ‘These jeans fit you.’”
Hamit Yenici, co-founder, Hich Solutions, Turkey:
“Denim is definitely going toward comfort as all of us are spending more time at home. As the newest denim types you start wearing are easy to wear and give you a sense of softness and warmth, we all hope that we can all go out again but also bring that same sense of comfort with us. Comfort is the new normal today.”
What is sustainability?
Giusy Bettoni, owner and CEO, C.L.A.S.S., Italy
“Sustainability is not about an ingredient but it's about ethic, social and innovation altogether, not just one single thing.”
Is local production the future?
Sandya Lang, sustainability manager, Nudie Jeans, Sweden
“Working with the same suppliers after years is a way to keep control of the supply chain as well. We have a few suppliers with a long-term relation. It’s a very good recipe for a sustainability program.”
Guglielmo Olearo, COO, Denim Première Vision, France:
“A return to local production is an emerging macrotrend these days. People tend to buy locally because it’s more responsible as produced on a short distance. This happens in food, cosmetics and fashion.”
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