Denim

The denim industry’s sustainability discussions often exclude those closest to production, from farmers to mills, allowing misinformation and greenwashing to thrive. Fear keeps suppliers silent, while brands avoid confronting hard data. In this candid exchange with texfash.com, Andrew Olah, Co-Founder of Transformers Foundation unpacks the systemic silencing of suppliers and the urgent need for honest, inclusive dialogue.

Seven denim manufacturers from Pakistan, Türkiye, Italy, and China recently collaborated on measuring and comparing water use in indigo dyeing, and wrent on to establish a shared benchmark. Andrew Olah, Founder of Transformers Foundation, and Rashid Iqbal, Executive Director at Naveena Denim, share experiences and ideas on the backdrop and the project's significance.

The Transformers Foundation has launched the first benchmark for water usage in indigo dyeing, offering clear standards for measuring environmental impact. The study, involving seven denim mills and equipment makers, defined water consumption metrics for both rope and slasher dyeing methods, aiming to curb greenwashing and bring consistency to denim sustainability reporting.

Last month, Environmental Impact Measuring (EIM), a well-known platform for measuring the environmental impact of garment finishing, presented the first global report on the environmental impact of denim finishing. Begoña García, creator of the EIM platform and co-author of the report, talks about the complexities of environmental metrics.

A report claiming to be the first ever on the environmental impact of denim aims to guide the garment finishing industry towards greater environmental responsibility by identifying challenges, uncovering opportunities, tracking progress, and promoting transparency through a comprehensive examination of environmental metrics.

Worn-out jeans, old woollen sweaters, polyester textile waste and recycled linen is what Goor-based Blue Loop Originals uses to craft a high-quality second life for discarded clothing. With the mission “Worn to Reborn”, its Dutch Founder Ron van de Wiel started Blue Loop in 2013 when he realised that 640 million pairs of jeans are discarded annually in Europe. Texfash talks to the man to know more.

If you are looking for creativity that reeks of inspiration with out-of-the-box designs in some happy blues then the Denim Première Vision is where you must head to, and in the same direction again if you are a solo designer, a small label or looking to make MOQs.

The Gothenburg-based brand WeftSide is spanking new, founded only this year. A spokesperson tells texfash about the minimalist approach that the pursuit of endless growth entails, favouring simplicity and quality instead.

Gender division in fashion is more a factor of culture and aesthetics than one of practicality, and the oversized fit is very contemporary — in fact comfortable, cool with the possibility to use elastane-free fabrics. That’s the USP of Andrea Bonfini’s Fade Out Label which is also about patchwork, cuts, handcrafted quality and of course intensive work.

Here’s a weaver-designer deconstructing and redesigning everyday garments in a new way, pushing too for an equal division between the textile-making process and the fashion design process, as very often, the textile maker is rather invisible compared to the fashion designer. texfash in conversation with the Swedish Kelly Konings of the eponymous Kelly Konings Textiles.