One of the interesting things about Kingpins is that the show provides a good insight into the preferences of the specific market in which the event is held, in addition to overall denim trends. This was certainly true of the New York show, which took place in January. Mills said that the collections they were showing reflected the more traditional tastes of the New York customer, compared with the trendier preferences of the L.A. denim market (Kingpins L.A. was held a week prior to the New York show).

While the New York market may be more conservative, certain big international trends prevail here, including tight fitting jeans (for women).

Stretch has become an accepted (and increasingly expected) property, with mills citing its role in their collections as “important”. The ongoing trend towards skinny jeans and jeggings, as well as comfort, makes spandex a must-have ingredient in the women’s sector. “For women stretch is a must,” said Peter Y. T. Poon, general manager at Far East Network (HK) Ltd. (FEN). At Chiripal, “women’s high stretch and power stretch” denim is amongst their bestsellers, said Vipul Mahadevia, group creative head of denim business. “Stretch is critical. We’ve had more requests for super stretch (30-35 percent stretch). Consumers want a tighter fit with less growth and more recovery,” said Steve Naturale at Tavex.

While stretch properties may have become standard in most women’s jeans, those looking to add value are opting for Lycra’s DualFX, which provides more powerful stretch and recovery through the use of both Lycra and Lycra T400 fibers in the fabric. Ever worn jeans that within an hour of putting them on start to slip down, and you have to keep pulling them back up? “DualFX can help to overcome this,” said Rita Ratskoff, marketing manager, ready-to-wear at Invista.
“Shape recovery is a priority for consumers and DualFX plays an important role in helping us to achieve [better] recovery,” said Hiro Ikuta, sales manager, fabric department at Itochu Textile Prominent (Asia) Limited.

The jury is mixed on the acceptance of stretch in men’s jeans. Proponents of adding stretch to men’s bottom say it adds comfort. However many mills told Inside Fashion that most men still preferred traditional 100% cotton. “Men’s stretch is more talk than actual sales,” said Steve Naturale. “Men will only accept a little stretch,” added Peter Poon.

In addition to stretch, the other key property is ‘soft touch’. This is being achieved in a variety of ways. At Rainbow Textiles, Inc. micropolyester, which uses a finer filament, creates a soft hand feel, said Koehei Takakubo. Itochu, who pioneered cupro denim, offered a lower priced soft touch alternative in a cotton/rayon blend.

After several turbulent years mills are expecting 2012 to offer more stability. When asked what the biggest challenge was, almost everyone said “price.” Increases in labor costs and currency rates in China topped the list of cost increases. “These are keeping prices high, despite relief from cotton prices,” said Hiro Ikuta. “Most mills don’t want to go back to the old prices because they are not profitable,” explained Steve Naturale.

However, another challenge is the continual search for innovation. “The end consumer is very evolved. Women’s is the largest category and they are very selective. We must keep coming up with something new,” said Vipul Mahadevia.

For several seasons there has been few real innovations as mills and buyers played it safe. Mills told Inside Fashion that they now are seeing a return to creativity. This is good news for the market since innovation can help justify higher prices.