Strong local delegation at Denimsandjeans India
Last month’s Denimsandjeans India exhibition, which ran between April 26 and 27 in Bangalore, welcomed more than 250 companies and 1,350 visitors, organisers have revealed, including “an influx of attendees from nearby countries”.
Fashion brands Gap, Pepe Jeans, Levi’s and Allen Solly were all named as attendees in a post-show report, as were retail group Landmark and Hong Kong-based sourcing platform Asmara.
The theme of the event was Repurposed Denim, so special attention was paid to upcycling pre-worn, surplus or discarded denims into new fibres, yarns, fabrics and apparel. Fittingly, a dedicated trend area spotlighted denim produced from at least 20% post-consumer recycled cotton, plus "performance" jeanswear made with functional materials, in addition to “eco” trims and washes.
Denim expert and Hong Kong Design Institute visiting fellow David Tring presented on creative approaches to recycling (‘It’s only waste if you waste it’) and served as moderator for a panel on supply chain digitalisation. His panellists comprised chief sourcing officer at Kontoor Brands licensing partner Ace Turtle, Mohit Mathur; Raymond Uco chief executive, Arvind Mathur; chief executive and managing director at Anubha Industries, Aditya Goyal; Ace Turtle’s vice-president of product, Pramod Hebbar; and Jeanologia division director Manuj Kanchan.
Chief executive at Arvind-owned Flying Machine, “India’s first homegrown denim brand”, Nidhi Raj, meanwhile delivered a talk on opportunities and challenges for India-based denim brands, while Sri Lanka Apparel Brands Association president, Yasotharan Paramanantham, discussed the “resilience” of the country’s fashion industry and how stakeholders might pivot their current strategies for future successes.
Other presenters included marketing director at full-package Portuguese producer Pizzaro, Vasco Pizzaro, who spoke about “sustainable and innovative approaches in the value chain”, as well as WGSN’s business development director for South Asia, Puneet Dudeja (‘Denim forecast autumn-winter 2024’).
Students from denim school Indenium School of Responsible Design in Dharamshala also notably gave in-person attendees a live indigo vat dyeing demonstration and showcased a selection of their own denim designs.
Catch some of the talk replays on Denimsandjeans’ YouTube channel here.
Image: Indenium School of Responsible Design students delivering their indigo-dyeing workshop.
Credit: Denimsandjeans.
