Enrique Silla: A strong eruption of colour will boost the industry to another level
Enrique Silla, co-founder of Jeanologia, offers his views on where the industry is heading and how on-demand manufacturing and collaboration will be vital to increase efficiency.
When we think about the most important developments in the denim and jeans industry, we need to distinguish between what is happening in the market, what is happening in production and what is happening in the product.
In the market, we are seeing a very strong consolidation of manufacturers and brands. The biggest brand controls only 2% of the market and the biggest jeans manufacturer only 1% – so consolidation will continue over the next five years and will have tremendous consequences. It’s time for better and stronger brands and time for better and stronger manufacturers.
In terms of the business model, I think the focus for sustainability will move slightly from raw materials to efficiency in production. Raw materials are increasing in price, but sustainability in production means eliminating waste, and reducing or eliminating water and C02 emissions. It’s aligning the interests of the planet with the interests of the industry because it is reducing costs. Automation is key. We need humans and machines to work together; for instance we recently launched Handman, where one human collaborating with two robots and eight lasers can produce 10,000 jeans per day.
We also need to have the right product in the right place at the right time, so it’s not necessarily about nearshoring but about market intelligence and data analysis. This data analysis, together with the way we use technology, is going to lead us to on-demand manufacturing. We need to produce what we sell, rather than sell what we produce. Remember that 15% of the jeans that are produced are never sold because it’s the wrong fabric, the wrong colour, the wrong fit or just because the right product is in the wrong place. This needs to change as it’s extremely inefficient from an economic and environmental point of view.
We launched Urban Factories for end-to-end connection between consumer and manufacturer, meaning we are able to produce near the consumer in a very fast way. We have already built them in Italy, Spain, China and Japan. They are completely automatic, small production centres that are able to produce one by one at the cost of mass production. We also need postponement, meaning we can do the stitching in one country – perhaps in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam or Mexico – and then the finishing near the consumers, or do it all in one place but at different times. We believe 20% of the jeans in the market will be manufactured in this way in the next three years.
In the product, we will see a strong eruption of colour. Jeans are not necessarily about only blue denim, they are about five-pocket jeans and the fit. New garment dye technologies will allow us to wear jeans not only in vintage blue but in every colour of the spectrum. After the pandemic, consumers want to see more colour but it’s also a cycle: we’ve been in a cycle of blue for the last seven to eight years and we are entering a cycle where colour and blue are going to be combined. This will boost the jeans industry to another level. This industry has been driven by fabric for many years and now it is going to be driven by consumers.
As an industry, we need to learn from the software and automotive sectors: companies that are competing for a contract on a Monday are collaborating on a Tuesday to add value to the consumers. I don’t see that in our industry, it’s extremely traditional. We need to have a culture of creating an ecosystem where you are competing and collaborating with the same companies.
Sustainability is not going to happen if it’s more expensive, and it can only be scalable if it’s at neutral cost or cheaper. For that, you need collaboration between the brands, the suppliers and the technology providers. This is our main fight, to try to change people’s mentality because it’s not about the technology, it’s about the way we use the technology and it’s about market intelligence. Technology is the tool to align planet and profit but the real way to do it is market intelligence and collaboration. This is a must, and the brands and retailers that understand this are going to have a winning position. It’s time for strategic partnerships.
When we started Jeanologia 27 years ago, we had a clear mission that we called Mission Zero: to completely eliminate the use of water in jeans and textiles manufacturing and eliminate waste, including CO2 emissions and chemicals of concern. Now, this is the trend, but for many years we felt like a lone voice and no one was listening. In 2018, we created Laundry 5.Zero, and established the first one in Nevada, USA, in the middle of the desert. This was the first time that we were able to produce jeans or any textiles without water. Today, there are 10 Laundry 5.Zeros, so 10 places where we have accomplished our Mission Zero. This touches our hearts because it has made the dream that Jeanologia was created for a reality.
Enrique Silla is the co-founder and president of technology and software provider Jeanologia, based in Valencia, Spain. Jeanologia’s developments in laser, ozone, washing, dyeing and wastewater technologies are capable of enhancing productivity, reducing water and energy consumption and eliminating emissions and discharge.
Photo: Jeanologia
