ANDREW OLAH

FOUNDER, KINGPINS SHOW

The most important innovations used on a massive scale are liquid indigo dyestuff, Slasher Dyeing equipment, especially from Karl Mayer, and the huge advancement in machinery for processing jeans like laser and ozone, etc. And we have to give huge credit to Lenzing and their Refibra technology, which points us in the right direction to reuse our waste and whose effects we will see for 20 years to come.

Our industry is now firmly on the sustainability train and we will not reach our destination until every garment sold in developing nations has a label on it that states the environmental impact of each process within the garment – from fibers to dyes – and contains a complete and transparent story of the manufacturing and social impact. Designs and styles come and go depending on culture, politics and social situations. But sustainability will be paramount, regardless of style. No longer will fashion be more important than the decency of the brand and/or the product.

Time is always on denim’s side. Trends come and go but denim has always had a 2% market growth rate, and I am sure the same will be true ten years from now. Global jeans consumption might have matured in developed nations, but it still has a long way to go on other markets.