SHAPING DENIM’S FUTURE
The denim industry is ever changing with sustainability and design at its core. WeAr presents here some of the novelties that are taking denim to the next level, from fabrics and concepts to products and the stories behind them told by the denim practitioners.
Sustainability and low-impact is key for brands as such, Kurabo presents its ‘Looplus’ collection consisting of fabrics produced with pre-consumer and post-industrial cotton coming from denim wastages. These are collected during the cutting process of local Japanese brands’ denim garments. The brand also only sources GOTS certified raw organic cotton and all fabrics are OCS certified. In terms of dyeing Kurabo offers a small collection of natural dye taken from Japanese tea leaves and stems through a simmer process, this system is called Kusakizome in Japan.
Picking up on recycling and dyeing topics, Tejidos Royo has launched ‘Loop’, using materials such as recycled cotton, European cotton and recycled elastane dyed with zero water. Vice-president and sales manager Jose Rafael Royo Ballesteros says, ''Our motto is to manufacture better with less, to make fabrics with values. Minimizing resources in the production process is key to our business strategy. We want to demonstrate that changing part of the process can accelerate the move towards a more sustainable textile industry."
Echoing this statement, Sharabati Denim's new collection takes a holistic approach by unifying Tencel blends, recycled materials, and no water dyes in their 'Reboot' collection.
AGI Denim’s ‘Kaleido’ denim comes in a range of colors, created with a dyeing technique which uses recycled water. AGI Denim's Executive Director, Hasan Javed: "In recent years, AGI Denim has been making significant efforts in water stewardship. We are especially proud of ReFresh Denim, a concept in which no freshwater is used."
Also Isko’s new yarn spinning technology R-TWO50+ reduces water usage by 65% and carbon emission by as much as 45%. It uses a minimum of 50% recycled materials to reduce reliance on natural resources. “We are extremely proud of R-TWO50+ and our advancements that open up a new frontier of Responsible Innovation,” says ISKO’s Head of Sustainability, Ebru Özküçük.
Picking up on the circularity topic, Candiani’s follow-up to its Coreva line, which is a compostable stretch denim fabric, focusses on using less chemicals by combining Coreva with regeagri certified cotton, sourced from Brazil’s Scheffer. The cotton is grown without irrigation, greater efficiency, and 48% fewer chemicals, compared when compared to conventional cotton. This combination resulted in Candiani’s most impact positive collection yet.
Candiani picks up an important topic as an estimated 71% of fabrics produced contain synthetic "bres or yarns and conventional stretch yarns are synthetic and petrol-based. They are not the only company focusing on creating alternatives.
The Lycra Company and HeiQ joined forces to create a yarn which aims to be a substitute to oilbased Fibres. HeiQ AeoniQ is a continuous cellulose filament yarn, positioned to provide a versatile substitute to polyester and nylon fibres, offering a path for apparel brands to directly act to reduce carbon dioxide and microfibre impact.
Ananas Anam, Bananatex, and Circular Systems have joined forces and formed the FIBRAL material alliance. It aims to bring back a focus on ancient and underrepresented "bres alongside new and innovative plant-based materials, introduced to the market to provide support and solutions to help heal the Earth’s ecosystems. But not all innovations should only revolve around sustainability – "t and design are key to getting customers to purchase new denim.
Naveena’s Self-Fit technology, part of Wraptech 2.0 fabrics, offers products that fit different body types and sizes simultaneously, guarantee comfort, help prevent product returns, and decrease the number of unsold items to be sent to landfills. SelfFit fabrics have a particular addition: one-size-fitsmore. This concept is also part of the Science of Fit platform of The Lycra Company. Test results show that Self-Fit fabrics enable garments to fit two sizes up and down.
Current innovations in denim draw a remarkable parallel with the circular economy, and new legal regulations ensure even more modernization in terms of water and energy management. On the other hand, innovative "bres play an important role to reshape denim’s possibilities right at the beginning of the supply chain.