Denim Still a Key Player in Industry Due to Its Flexibility and Ability to Adapt its Image

As the versatile denim continues to evolve as a key player in the fashion industry, the two-day Denim Première Vision beginning 23 November at Milano has been dynamically designed to serve as a natural link between the different elements of the value chain and a strong fashion attitude. Fabio Adami Dalla Val, Show Manager, Denim Première Vision talks to texfash.com.

Long Story, Cut Short
  • Each element of the space is designed based on the brand identity with a dedicated service and attention as never before.
  • Denim PV’s Fashion District is the natural link between the different elements of the value chain with the fair at the centre of it.
  • Denim is still a key player in the industry thanks to its flexibility and ability to adapt its image, and thanks to the power to drive the sustainability revolution.
Denim Première Vision’s Fashion District is a new-born project that is creating its own legacy.
The Denim Legacy Denim Première Vision’s Fashion District is a new-born project that is creating its own legacy. Andy Rumball / Première Vision

The Denim Première Vision (DPV) show at Milan next week celebrates its 15th anniversary.

Fashion seminars, live sourcing from the fashion forums, themed conferences, innovation pitches… there will be a number of presentation formats to help visitors  better understand the industry’s major challenges and the season’s fashion trends and products.

  • Denim Fashion District #2: After a successful first edition in Berlin, the Denim Fashion District would be back in Milan and will once again bring together a dozen ready-to-wear brands that will present their capsule collection created in collaboration with the show’s exhibitors. Brands in the new edition include: Revibe (France) upcycling platform with RESAP(France), Broke Clothing (Italy), Common Parts (Romania). Fade Out Label (Germany), Milena Andrade (Italy), Hen’s Teeth(Italy), Gallia (Italy), Gimmi Jeans (Italy), Denzilpatrick (United-Kingdom), Kentroy Yearwood (Netherlands), Stripes Of-f Road (Italy), Blue of a Kind (Italy), Marsēm (Italy).
  • The Indigo Eden collection: Initiated by Alessio Berto, the Indigo Eden project aims to create a zero impact capsule collection in collaboration between creative minds and companies committed to eco-responsibility. The five silhouettes of the collection will be exhibited in a dedicated space at the Denim PV show in Milan.
  • Archives exhibition: The Italian group WP Lavori in Corso, founded in 1982 in Bologna, has chosen the Denim Première Vision show to exhibit the archives of its ready-to-wear and accessories collections on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. An exhibition to be held in a dedicated space at the show.
  • Organic cotton made in Italy: Discover the story of 100% organic, fair trade and CO2 neutral Sicilian cotton through an exhibition prepared by Cotone Organico Sicilia, an organic farm specialised in the culture and processing of cotton in Sicily.
  • The experience of hand weaving: Founded in 1895, Tessitura La Colombina is a company that produces fabrics by hand on ancient looms. Come and practice your handloom skills and create your own denim fabric with the expert advice of Carlo Colombo at Denim PV.
  • The art of dyeing: During the 2 days of the show, take part in our collaborative textile design workshop. A dyeing experience by Emina Batik and Tintes Egara on a fabric woven by Tessitura La Colombina with the design of denim designer Stefano Aldighieri.
  • Other highlights: A story of circular economy with the Aborigeni Mezzadri photo exhibition, the “Denim then and now” installation by Officina+39, Prosperity Textile and Bluesign, the Rewind project, the Calik installation, a space suit made in Italy…

Six months is too short a time period to gauge trends. Yet, the world has been in much tumult in the gap between Denim PV Berlin and Denim PV Milan. Are there any changes in buying/sourcing trends that you have noticed in these six months? What are the driving forces/factors for these changes?
At Denim Première Vision, we explore the fashion world and share trends inputs with our exhibitors and visitors. That’s something we do continuously during the whole year through different tools, meetings and events. Although we can't have a product revolution every six months, considering the high level of exhibitors, we are able to catch and present new and interesting values, stories, and innovative ideas every season.

In the last months, we have seen a reallocation of production, especially for the luxury sector that is looking to reliable partners who are able to provide them with quality services and products with a high value of research with a fast approach.

Indeed, the economic situation in the US is affecting the productions of countries that are more exposed, while the EU has, for the moment, less impact. I'm saying ‘for the moment’, because the situation is fluid in a way that we have never seen before.

The energy crisis has wreaked havoc in Europe, and the textiles-fashion industry has been affected like everyone else, and in some countries more than others. How much has this impacted the denim industry? As far as this event is concerned, most brands and retailers would have made plans much before the energy issue had assumed crisis proportions. What is your appraisal of the situation?
It’s complicated because it is difficult to identify a unique business model for entire Europe. For example, the Italian ecosystem has a high level of flexibility due to the small and medium size of many companies that can react in a flexible way to the crisis. Some of them also started years ago to improve their energy consumption so that now the energy crisis is impacting (them) less.

There is also a big movement where—finally—the companies are starting to become bigger thanks to partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. It will allow the value chain to maintain flexibility while improving the capability to drive a global market. This is the value chain side that most of the time needs to satisfy the requirements of the brand.

Fashion seminars, live sourcing from the fashion forums, themed conferences, innovation pitches… there will be a number of presentation formats to help visitors  better understand the industry’s major challenges and the season’s fashion trends and products.
The Overview Fashion seminars, live sourcing from the fashion forums, themed conferences, innovation pitches… there will be a number of presentation formats to help visitors better understand the industry’s major challenges and the season’s fashion trends and products. Andy Rumball / Première Vision

Coming to the event itself. We had mentioned the Denim Fashion District w.r.t. Denim PV Berlin. But that was before the event had happened. Could you tell us what transpired at the Denim Fashion District? How is Milan going to be different in that sense?
Denim Première Vision’s Fashion District is a new-born project that is creating its own legacy.

In Berlin, the mix of brands and producers was interesting because it was possible to explore a different vision of the trends and the exhibitors’ materials interpretation. At the show, we have a vision in long-run trends through the Denim PV forums, and an actualisation of the trends through these brands and their collaboration with the exhibitors. It was and it is also an important tool to emphasise the role of Denim PV as a hub where to conduct research, and discover new partners and innovative materials. In fact, the collaboration between the actors to create the collections is active and continuous.

In Milano, we will have a dedicated space for the brands in order to emphasise even more the role of Denim PV as a key player for the whole denim industry, and to create a dynamic space with a strong fashion attitude. Each element of the space is designed based on the brand identity with a dedicated service and attention as never before. Denim PV’s Fashion District is the natural link between the different elements of the value chain with the fair at the centre of it.

This Denim PV is being held in Italy, a country that was severely hit by the pandemic, and has also been affected by the current energy crisis. How is the Italian textiles-fashion industry holding up, especially the denim sector? In fact, this is one of your conference sessions.
Thanks to its infrastructure of small/medium-sized actors that have the highest level of know-how in the fashion industry, Italy reacted quite well to the pandemic situation, although, of course, few companies did end their activities. The Italian fashion sector is facing a big transformation and two main points are becoming clear:

  1. collaboration and size are important;
  2. luxury is the end zone for the Italian fashion production.

The impact of the pandemic heavily affected the industry, but the flexibility of the local industry and the government support allowed the system to survive. Obviously, companies that were not financially strong suffered much more. The current energy crisis is a bit different because it is difficult to predict when and how it will evolve, and there aren’t solutions in the short run.

The impact of the pandemic heavily affected the industry, but the flexibility of the local industry and the government support allowed the system to survive. Obviously, companies that were not financially strong suffered much more. The current energy crisis is a bit different because it is difficult to predict when and how it will evolve, and there aren’t solutions in the short run.

Fabio Adami Dalla Val
Show Manager
Denim Première Vision
Fabio Adami Dalla Val

There will be two exhibitor pitches at Denim PV: Sharabati Denim and Bossa. What can we expect from these two sessions? More importantly, how and why were these two focus areas chosen (recycling and sustainability)?
Actually, we will have Sharabati, Bossa, Calik X Jeanologia, and ISKO.

All of them are able to present continuous innovations and content to drive the market. They have indeed much information to share with the market and it is not possible to share everything in just a session. We expect them to generate curiosity among the audience and push the boundaries. Recycling and sustainability are keywords now because they are one of the two most important challenges for humanity. We need to explore new opportunities and a new evolution of the system that is complex. We will talk also about products and education that are other main points for our industry and the future of fashion.

You also have a session on 'Turning to denim during times of uncertainty'. Irrespective of what transpires at the session, how does Premiere Vision itself look at the subject? Denim has historically been rugged wear. You can use just one pair of jeans instead of maybe 10 pairs of normal trousers. With the global economic situation only expected to turn worse, do you see denims being the fabric of choice?
In more than 100 years, denim has evolved in a way to reach a prominent position in society and in the fashion system. In certain times, it was driven by the economic situation (WWII, 2020), in others, the product was the main point (80s, 90s), and in still other periods it was a matter of identity.

Today, denim is still a key player in the industry thanks to its flexibility and ability to adapt its image, and thanks to the power to drive the sustainability revolution.

In more than 100 years, denim has evolved in a way to reach a prominent position in society and in the fashion system.
Denim Dominates In more than 100 years, denim has evolved in a way to reach a prominent position in society and in the fashion system. Andy Rumball / Première Vision

Subir Ghosh

SUBIR GHOSH is a Kolkata-based independent journalist-writer-researcher who writes about environment, corruption, crony capitalism, conflict, wildlife, and cinema. He is the author of two books, and has co-authored two more with others. He writes, edits, reports and designs. He is also a professionally trained and qualified photographer.

 
 
 
  • Dated posted: 15 November 2022
  • Last modified: 15 November 2022