How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect your company? How did you manage both ends of your supply chain: buyers as well as suppliers? How did you manage your financial issues? Could you elaborate?
The COVID 19 outbreak generated difficulties for the whole supply chain. We tried as much as possible to build partnerships with clients on a long-term basis. On the supplier side, there were no issues as our parent company Sanko manages the whole supply chain under one roof. What affected our costs the most, as for all players, has been the increased cost of energy and the pressure on raw materials such as cotton and polyester. However, being part of the textile business of Sanko—one of the largest conglomerates in Turkey—we were able to retain our market share well. Conversely, we aimed to offer our clients, whenever needed and wherever possible, alternative payment terms, with a view to promoting long lasting partnerships and to building better value for our common business in the future.
How significant is Denim PV for you? What are you looking forward to? And what new are you offering at Denim PV? What are the challenges and changes that you expect to see in denim sourcing (both as fabrics / finished products)?
Denim Première Vision has a particular value for our company in 2022, since we are getting back to trade shows after five years. We are really looking forward to, once again, being able to meet our clients and the whole denim community, which has a desperate need to get together in person after the pandemic. We are getting back to Denim Première Vision with a product-centric approach, since we feel the market really needs good products, and we are focusing on our iconic denim technologies presented with a new responsible approach. With our R-Two technology, we are now able to offer denim products using a minimum of 50% recycled materials that are all GRS-certified. We are also displaying a range of denim fabrics that contain only recycled or regenerated fibres.
The denim market will be more and more regional in the future, as we say with a “Glo-Cal” approach, trying to build synergies over the supply chain on a regional basis.
We are also very happy to say that our presence will be two-fold as the ISKO Luxury by PG collection, the result of a collaboration between ISKO and Paolo Gnutti, will be launched for the first time at Denim Première Vision.
As Paolo himself explains: Having the opportunity to collaborate with ISKO in the creation of this new collection aimed at the world of luxury was a source of great satisfaction for me. Being able to combine my creative side with their great technological expertise has allowed us to create a unique collection that today was missing in the market. Moreover, we share a common production vision: creating fashion while respecting the environment and work ethics. We decided to launch the new ISKO Luxury by PG line at Denim Première Vision in Berlin, because it is a trade fair that attracts many players of the fashion world (and not only in the denim one) and because of the great cooperation and values that we share with the team at Denim Première Vision.
The new EU Textiles Strategy has been announced. How is it going to affect you? What specific steps are you taking to ensure that you adhere to the new regulations that have already come in, and the ones that are likely to take shape in the near future?
We have a huge focus on circular economy, textile recycling and sustainability in general. We are building partnerships with clients trying to promote the culture of recycling, we are trying to use as much textile waste as possible to start our sustainable journey right from the beginning of the fabric production, aiming at not using virgin materials in the production of the new fabrics. We are also investing in new recycling technologies about which we will be able to tell you more in the future.
As a denim company, what kind of information or knowledge do you seek to help you source/manufacture earth-friendly denim? What is the focus on sustainability in your company? What steps do you take at the B2B level and the retail point to help the consumer make an informed ‘sustainable’ choice?
We are collaborating with brands and retailers to spread the culture of responsible denim and thanks to our ‘thought leadership’ activities in the industry we are pushing the culture of responsible innovation. Also, certifications do play a pivotal role in sustainable production as they help to prove one’s claims preventing greenwashing practices from happening. We are a Bluesign system partners company, which is an incredible feat for a denim mill to achieve.
We have more and more certified GRS products thanks to our R-Two50+ platform, but what is as important is that we never lose sight that sustainability has to go hand in hand with style and fashion which have the power to appeal to consumers’ emotion.
