Louisa Smith

Denim makers are a tight knit community and Première Vision has tapped in to this sector with its niche show purely for the global denim cognoscenti. From denim mills to finishers and trims, all aspects of the denim world are covered at the show.  It the narrow focus of this fair that gives it its strength, and neither rocketing cotton prices nor the blizzard conditions in Paris during the event stopped denim’s die-hard followers from being there. While the regular editions of Première Vision have a denim atelier, but it is focused more towards ready-to-wear brands that have denim lines as part of their collection.  This is different from the true denim brands who start work on their collections earlier and see Denim by Première Vision as the starting point of the season.

Soaring cotton prices have battered the denim industry, which relies on the fiber as its key ingredient.  So were surprised that cotton wasn’t the main topic of conversation. Instead the attitude was to ignore the probable outcome of rising raw material costs and shift the focus to what mills could offer in terms of added value for the end consumer (who will face inevitable price increases). 

“Our customers are trying to do blends, but denim is such a cotton driven category you have got to have cotton as the dominant fiber, Mills are looking for innovative and new ideas, offering fabrics with added value to the product to account for the increased prices,” said Jean T Hegedus, global marketing director-bottoms at Invista (Lycra).

Weavers were being clever in their use of blends with a variety of new developments, although this isn’t a key solution in reducing the price. As one denim industry insider told Inside Fashion. “ Cotton prices are a problem but blends aren’t necessarily a solution.  A lot of the fibers we are looking at to blend tend to be luxury: silk and cashmere, or cellulosic to give added softness and fluidity, but these are some of the most expensive fibers out there, especially cupro [copper fiber].”

The latest spinning developments for linen have created new opportunities for this natural fiber in pure linen denim or cotton/linen denim, at the same time creating new denim applications. Premium denim mill Berto (Italy) showcased a 60cotton/40 linen denim, hitting both trends for blending, and for the emerging trend towards lighter weight denims, with this quality weighing only 8 ounces.

 

For weavers the need to stand out from the crowd has led many to create their own denim brands to sell to the global denim brands. Orta (Turkey) has lines including Curve – shape for him and her, Girl Power – superstretch, while Tavex (Spain) offers Second Skin Free Collection guaranteeing 35 per cent stretch. Identifying unique aspects and added value is a priority at Isko-Sanko (Turkey) whose range now has trademarked concepts including Jeggings, for lightweight super stretch, Recall offering faster shape recovery in denim, and Smoked, an a innovative finishing process that gives fabrics and authentic denim look. One of the leading internationaldenim mills , Isko-Sanko has achieved this status by building partnerships with key brands, the latest being Diesel, which has resulted in a revolutionary line called Dieselturbodenim. Using Turbotech technology means that jeans take an authentic shape and finish over a short period of time, just 30 days, compared to six months to a year to get the desired look. Using a special weave and indigo dyeing process, the jeans quickly take on a unique finish, molding to items in the wearer’s pocket and to his or her physique making them truly unique. After a few washes the garments fade and take on a vintage stone washed effect that continually changes with subsequenty washings and wearings.

Standing out from the Asian denim mass-market crowd and competing on a level with the European suppliers are Arvind (India) and Central Fabrics (Hong Kong). Both mills continue to push sustainability as a key aspect with Arvind focusing on organic cotton, pure indigo dyes and linen. For Central Fabrics the emphasis is on recycled cotton and cotton/Tencel blends that fit into the season’s trend for denim fluidity, both offering quality collections combined with innovation.

Stretch denim continues in force, with 98% cotton/ 2% spandex the favored blend. But super stretch denim, especially for the womenswear market, is key as it leverages  the continued interest in shape enhancing jeans for the 40+ market and the skinny jeans trend.  Tavex’s (Spain) Second Skin range guarantees 35 per cent stretch. Spanish denim supplier Royo continues their ‘King of Stretch’ concept for the season, extending it to include a men’s stretch denim/sportswear line Suave plus+, denim that is extra soft with the added comfort of stretch.

One of the key directions for the season is lightweight denims ranging between 6oz and 10oz, with even lighter weight chambray qualities and shirting twills being offered, including both shirts and bottoms. Agghh, the solution you might think in combating raising cotton prices is lighter weight denim which use less cotton used? Unfortunately not, if anything, more cotton is used as lighter weight denims are narrower in width on the loom and more cotton has to be woven to accommodate classic jean apparel.

The good news in the industry is for finishers who are reaping the rewards of customers looking for unique aspects on this basic fabric. “Anyone can make a pair of jeans,” said Nadir El Qabbaj of Atlantic De Nimes a Moroccan-based garment manufacturer and finisher. “The real added value is in the washing. It is not in the sewing, but in the washing that you can create new effects…finishing makes the difference” he said, adding that you still have to have a good base fabric to achieve a good effect for the finishes. Customers, he explained,  fall into two categories: the classic and the more adventurous, which is driven by the focus on the latest washes and distressed and abraised finishes.

“It’s made business quite difficult,” explained Mounir Zarrad, commercial director of Sartex, a Tunisian-based garment manufacturer and finisher, with reference to the increased cotton prices.  “Customers want lower prices but obviously the price of denim is increasing. What we are trying to develop in terms of fabric finishes is a soft hand on lightweight denims,” he said, adding that there is a noticeable interest in comfort stretch for men, were in the past the focus was on rigid. Washing techniques for the spring 12 season include double stone washing, bleaching down and light colors. A clean theme also dominates the season: “It’s always unwashed with small whiskers and resinated,” said Zarrad. 

But it is the uncertainty that has many in the industry discreetly concerned. “Nobody can predict for the next season what’s going to happen. Every two to three weeks there’s a new cotton price, it’s hard to confirm orders in advance,” one industry insider told Inside Fashion.

This isn’t such a problem for US company PCCA (Plains Cotton Cooperative Association) which is vertically integrated from cotton growing to weaving and garment manufacturing.  The company produces 40 per cent of all cotton in the USA and supplies the majority of the US apparel brands.  “Because of the volume of cotton [we use], we can lock prices, we don’t have to deal with the volatility of the market. For six months, nine months, one year we can lock the price which is a big advantage over our competitors,” said Eduardo Gutierrez, director of international sales at PCCA. Exhibiting denim fabrics and garments under Denimatrix, PCCA’s denim garment company, Gutierrez explained that the aim was to test the water in the EU market with their products that are oriented to the US market. They confirmed that they had found a small niche of people [in Europe]who like American fabric and styling. 

One thing that is clear is that despite the increased price of cotton, denim will still maintain its popularity. The determination of denim mills, manufacturers and finishers in pursuing innovation, combined with the passion from denim devotees not just in the industry but at retail too, will ensure that denim continues to evolve and develop - no matter what the cost.