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Spotlight: Denim Futures

Denim PV Not Another Sourcing Event, But Melting Pot for Ideas

Denim’s been a hardy survivor, so have been its stakeholders. And as they congregate at the 'responsible denim fashion event', considered the Mecca for the sector—the Denim Première Vision (Denim PV), at Berlin beginning tomorrow—more than 80 exhibitors, after going through an intensive selection process, will showcase their wares as also their approach in terms of sustainability.

Subir Ghosh

16 May 2022

5 minutes

Long Story, Cut Short

Denim is reinventing itself because all stakeholders—from fabric manufacturers to garment makers—are keeping themselves busy reinventing their own roles in the chain.
A sourcing event, this Mecca for the denim sector, will see buyers keeping a hawk’s eye on offerings.
There’s a trust deficit in industry—that's why gatekeeping becomes paramount, and Denim PV has its own standards to measure things.

The denim sector of the textiles-apparel-fashion industry cannot be seen or studied in isolation. It’s the flagship sector of industry—admit it or not. What happens in this segment either has a direct bearing on most others or becomes a benchmark for everyone else: from dyeing techniques and fibre innovations to energy/water consumption and circularity/recyclability.

Flagship Material The denim sector of the textiles-apparel-fashion industry cannot be seen or studied in isolation. It’s the flagship sector of industry—admit it or not. What happens in this segment either has a direct bearing on most others or becomes a benchmark for everyone else: from dyeing techniques and fibre innovations to energy/water consumption and circularity/recyclability. Nicola Cordi / Première Vision

NOTE: The quotes which appear in this article are from interviews which will be published in full later this week.

Listing out the reasons for why denim remains an all-time favourite would be a hackneyed idea. So would be why it has been so censured over dye and water usage in the last two decades. What has, however, gathered steam since the start of the pandemic is the practice of sounding the death knell of denim. But that has not happened, so far.

Just as denim itself has been a hardy survivor, so have been its stakeholders who have had everything to lose. Denim is reinventing itself because all stakeholders—from fabric manufacturers to garment makers—are keeping themselves busy reinventing their own roles in the chain.

It's not that everything has been transformed, but the denim sector is abuzz with feverish activity. A lot of these can now be seen with one's own eyes at the two-day Berlin edition of Denim Première Vision (Denim PV, for short), which starts on 17 May. After two years of online iterations, the event is back for real. As real as it gets. The event will see more than 80 exhibitors cutting across the denim spectrum: taken together, the exhibitors at the show would be representing a total production capacity of 1.5 billion metres of denim fabric. That’s scale for you.

Denim PV is the Mecca for the sector, and the exhibitors this time are among the biggest names in industry: Advance Denim, Akkus Tekstil, Azgard9, Berto Industria Tessile, Bossa, Cadica Group, Calik, Fec*Serilabel Di Facchinetti, ISKO, ISKO Luxury By PG, Iskur Denim, Island Denim, Kassim, Kilim, Komet Metal, Kurabo, Kuroki, Maritas, Naveena, Ndl, Orta, Pacific Jeans, Panama Trimmings, Polsan Button, Prosperity Textile, Rajby, Sharabati Denim, and the list goes on. Names are evidently important, but what is significant is what these names have been up to these last two years.

It is a sourcing event after all, and buyers will be keeping a hawk’s eye on offerings.

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.

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As a leading global meeting, business and communication platform for the fashion industry, Première Vision has a unique advantage: it remains in contact with different—and seemingly disparate—links of the entire supply chain, denim included. One of the outcomes has been a recently released two-part white paper titled 'Fashion & Sustainability'.

Distinct Advantage As a leading global meeting, business and communication platform for the fashion industry, Première Vision has a unique advantage: it remains in contact with different—and seemingly disparate—links of the entire supply chain, denim included. One of the outcomes has been a recently released two-part white paper titled 'Fashion & Sustainability'. Nicola Cordi / Première Vision

Organisers as gatekeepers

Today, clouds of uncertainty hang over certification schemes, and the malaise of greenwashing has sown seeds of doubt in everyone's minds. There’s a trust deficit in industry—that's why gatekeeping becomes paramount, and Denim PV has its own standards to measure things.

Explains Show Manager Fabio Adami Dalla Val, "From our point of view, the situation is not that critical as we have a stable roster of exhibitors and as each exhibitor at Denim PV has—since 2007—to go through an intensive selection process that will help us to understand their approach also in terms of sustainability.

"It's not our mission to certify them, but we are able to understand—from facts and figures—their approach and consistency to ensure each buyer that the partner they will meet at Denim PV respects the specific criteria. These parameters are the highest in the industry in terms of business models, services and sustainability, of course."

But it's not that Denim PV imposes any correctness liability on exhibitors. Continues Adami Dalla Val, "Considering that we have mainly the top players at the show that are continuously under the lenses of the value chain, I'm not afraid about their reliability, but we can't impose them what to claim. On the other side, all the content we create, as well as those which present the exhibitors’ novelties, also in terms of sustainability, are verified by a team of experts who would never allow us to present something that is not clear and real."

Denim PV calls itself 'The responsible denim fashion event', but it is not a new-fangled descriptor. The ‘Smart Creation’ study and information platform was launched by Première Vision a good seven years ago to promote the responsible offer at its shows, and showcase a new generation of values combining creativity, innovation and sustainability.

As a leading global meeting, business and communication platform for the fashion industry, Première Vision has a unique advantage: it remains in contact with different—and seemingly disparate—links of the entire supply chain, denim included. One of the outcomes has been a recently released two-part white paper titled 'Fashion & Sustainability'.

Though it is called a white paper, the document is essentially a veritable starting point for reference material on the subject, and a key feature are the 'performance codes' meant to help visitors navigate the eco-responsible offer at the Première Vision shows and on its Marketplace.

Denim PV calls itself 'The responsible denim fashion event', but it is not a new-fangled descriptor. The ‘Smart Creation’ study and information platform was launched by Première Vision a good seven years ago to promote the responsible offer at its shows, and showcase a new generation of values combining creativity, innovation and sustainability.

Responsible and Smart Denim PV calls itself 'The responsible denim fashion event', but it is not a new-fangled descriptor. The ‘Smart Creation’ study and information platform was launched by Première Vision a good seven years ago to promote the responsible offer at its shows, and showcase a new generation of values combining creativity, innovation and sustainability. Nicola Cordi / Première Vision

The old and the new

Denim PV this time has a lot of attractions, a key one being the return of the world's largest denim producer: ISKO. Says Marco Lucietti, Director for Strategic Projects at the Turkish giant: "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." That’s old players and new ideas.

Many things have changed since Isko was last there at Denim PV, and even the last event of two years back might seem to be a long time given the gusts of change sweeping through Europe, the new EU Textiles Strategy being the one likely to have far-reaching effects on denim, among others.

Denim manufacturers are prepared and raring to go. Another big player is Bossa, one of the largest integrated textile corporations of Turkey. Its General Manager Onur Duru has this to underline: "Brands are looking for sustainable and—especially—recycled products. And many brands are committed to making their products sustainable and/or recyclable in certain proportions. Companies that consider sustainability as an expense will not be able to sustain themselves. Policies such as European Green Deal will also force companies to work in this direction." Old players, new realities.

If you are going to Denim PV, you might as well bring along new offerings. Everyone that texfash.com spoke to would be offering innovations on a platter. Here’s a slice from the Cadica Group, CMO Carlo Parisatto: “We have worked with particular attention on the new ethical-choice items: felts coming from the careful recycling of plastic combined with cool screen prints in the total preservation of nature; soluble accessories that disappear in water; elegance and style emerging from bioplastics and biodegradable resins. We have created 100% biodegradable and compostable labels, trying to give them a strong design that can be perfect also for active and tech brands.”

That’s just one company. There are 80+ others.

Considering that we have mainly the top players at the show that are continuously under the lenses of the value chain, I'm not afraid about their reliability, but we can't impose them what to claim. On the other side, all the content we create, as well as those which present the exhibitors’ novelties, also in terms of sustainability, are verified by a team of experts who would never allow us to present something that is not clear and real, says Show Manager Fabio Adami Dalla Val.

All Verified Considering that we have mainly the top players at the show that are continuously under the lenses of the value chain, I'm not afraid about their reliability, but we can't impose them what to claim. On the other side, all the content we create, as well as those which present the exhibitors’ novelties, also in terms of sustainability, are verified by a team of experts who would never allow us to present something that is not clear and real, says Show Manager Fabio Adami Dalla Val. Nicola Cordi / Première Vision

Ideas whose time will come

The denim sector of the textiles-apparel-fashion industry cannot be seen or studied in isolation. It’s the flagship sector of industry—admit it or not. What happens in this segment either has a direct bearing on most others or becomes a benchmark for everyone else: from dyeing techniques and fibre innovations to energy/water consumption and circularity/recyclability.

In that, Denim PV is not yet another sourcing event—it’s a melting pot for ideas. It would therefore be interesting to see which ideas are bought, which rejected, and which will set the trends. Or better still—disrupt industry for good.