Indigo Goes Green at BPD Expo
BPD Expo was held
July 24 to 25 in New York.
Seventies vintage looks, paint-splattered jeans and a move away from destroyed denim styles were upcoming trends noted at the latest BPD Expo, a denim trade show event recently held in New York. With genuine and strong undertones of sustainability, the denim industry appears to be poised — and ready — for change.
Bill Curtin, founder of BPD Expo and owner of BPD Washhouse, told WWD, “Sustainability was a key focus for the show and how it can be easily accessible and understandable for the brands. There is so much information in this space — mills that can organize and present it a simplified format will attract buyers. It is also effective to have design and sourcing in the same sustainability presentation to form a cohesive and effective strategy for the brands.”
Paint splatter was a key trend at BPD Expo. BPD Expo's exhibitors collectively emphasized the importance of new technologies, namely laser design, while companies such as Pakistan-based Indigo Textiles presented new sustainable denims that reduce the amount of chemicals in manufacturing, streamline labor operations, and a proprietary technology that creates jeans with a plush, velvety soft hand. “It's an exciting time to be in denim right now. New technology is driving the denim industry. From mills to washhouses, new techniques are evolving quickly. We just got our first laser at BPD Washhouse and the demand for laser design is strong. Laser designers are in high demand in this new arena of denim development,” Curtain explained.
“We are also winding down on the heavily destroyed look in denim so what emerges next will be exciting to see. At the expo, we featured a gallery of a vintage Seventies and early Eighties disco jeans like Jordache, Sasson, Sergio and Gloria Vanderbilt. They seemed fresh and new and an alternative to the vintage 501 craze that has run its course for women.”
And on the consumer front, Curtain noted that many attendees were perusing vintage options in addition to scouting out emerging denim concepts. “Consumers are looking to understand their fashion choices. At BPD Expo, we are B2B and B2C since our expo is a storefront and pop-up format. The consumers loved our vintage market but were [also] checking out the B2B side of the expo. The curiosity to see how things are made is insatiable from the consumer side. Mills could take advantage of this.”