IAN SCOTT KETTLE

MENSWEAR DESIGNER MAKER & BRAND MENTOR

In this emerging world of sustainability and the desire for ethical practices to be present, denim, like many other mass-produced products, initiates difficult conversations around the excesses of Indigo dying or the ethical questioning of mass-production! Having repositioned my own men's accessory business around bespoke and commissioned design and production, I feel the narrative of the "five-pocket western" can do the same. There is a need for traditional indigo/denim production to look to new chemistry/technology for less wasteful dying solutions, while the manufacturing must revert to its original, raw state. Denim is perhaps well placed, being able to support a higher price point where innovation and quality are present.