Denim's Fashion Ferocity Lifts Sustainability, Innovation In Fabric

With the Denim Premiere Vision tradeshow wrapping up earlier in the month, innovative trends and sustainable options relating to denim fabrics remain key issues, on the back of this season’s denim renaissance. According to Euromonitor International, jeans sales in the U.S. dropped 2.7% in 2014, and the luxury category plunged 9.3% for the same period. But in Europe, there have been material signs of a shift in recovery, on the back of a 2.1% sales jump for jeans overall, and a 4.2% gain in the luxury sector. With early signs of recovery in the denim market, Denim Premiere Vision attendees in Paris were feeling energized by the ‘what’s next’ demeanour greeting them from the stands of the industry’s biggest denim makers.  Not forsaking the details of yarn combination and quality of knit, nor the stretch of the fabric and overall comfort, improvements in the way denim is produced and its affect on the environment were some of the hard-hitting issues addressed this Denim PV. Under the show’s seasonal theme ‘Denim Constellation’, mills were pushing for new levels of performance innovation; showing how sport continues to influence denim. It coincides with the prominent sportsluxe trend – where active wear fabrics and cuts intertwine with luxury garments – and its impudent entry into fashion. The number of European brands that showcased denim on their runways recently highlights the case even more. For women’s wear, Chloé and Balmain looked to the indigo cloth for high-end boilersuits and maxi-skirts, while Gucci and Neil Barrett used denim in bleached-out trench coats and car jackets, this time for the men in Milan. It emphasizes the renewed importance of denim in today’s luxury market. But, as highlighted by Denim PV, concerns about dyes, washing and water wastage remains top of mind. Garmon Chemicals, the first company in the garment industry to have obtained GreenScreen certification for dyes, has collaborated with denim maker, Orta Anadolu and presented their sustainable vegan collection during PV. The collection used alternative bleaching agents for indigo, as well as a range of eight eco-pigments exclusive to Garmon.  The development forms part of a transparent chemical hazard screening, developed by the NGO “Clean Production Action” (CPA) to help firms adopt greener and safer chemicals. And it was the first time the dye techniques were used in denim.  Another eco-ambassador in today's denim market is Herbalfab. The India-based firm offers GOTS-certified dyed fabrics made from organic cottons. It produces wovens ranging from 6’S to 80'S counts and single jersey and interlock knits in 30’S and 40’S counts. Herbalfab reduces the amount of air, soil, and water pollution caused by its production. One way is by trying to revive the age-old art of dyeing with natural indigo, thus limiting the endless use of synthetic indigo. Key textiles from the mill this season include the custom solid-dyed cotton, ranging from dark denims, to lighter chambray, and textural corduroy.  Cordura, part of America’s Invista group, make jeans that last longer than most traditional 100% cotton denim. Based on a blend of cotton and Invista’s T420 nylon 6.6 fiber, the denim retains the authentic look and feel of cotton denim, but with added abrasion resistance - 4 times that of a cloth with a comparable weight. “You can work hard and play hard in jeans made with Cordura denim fabric. It’s like we’re putting the fun into functionality,” Cindy McNaull, Cordura’s global brand director, told Innovation Textile, in a recent interview. McNaull emphasized the denim’s durability and said the cloth's lightweight properties are purposed for performance, giving consumers a fashion-y pant to wear that is good for the environment, post-purchase. “Urban cycling is one such example currently driving the demand for performance denims,” she added.  Cordura’s latest denim collection is available on Le Souk. The bi-stretch denim look fabric is comprised of polyamide (65%), polyester (28%) spandex (5%) and Lycra (2%) – offering sturdiness in touch and stretch for movement. Founded in Brazil, EcoSimple produces incredible, innovative fabrics made from recycled plastic and material remnants from large, industrial textile mills. Many of the mill’s fabrics are a blend of recycled cotton and RPET, a yarn made from plastic bottles.This form of ‘upcycling’ eliminates the need for raw resources to produce cotton-derived denims, and the RPET yarns reduces the environmental impact of plastic, which typically stays as landfill.  Available on Le Souk, the EcoSimple’s recycled cotton and recycled polyester-blend denim comes in white, black and midnight blue washes.