CBL presents stretch updates and revamps focus
Pakistan-based denim mill and manufacturer Crescent Bahuman (CBL) has presented two stretch developments among its spring-summer 2026 collections as it looks to expand its focus, “thinking not just about the client but also the end consumer”.
Its Invisible Stretch collection is presented as a garment rather than just a fabric: the front panel is rigid fabric, which allows designers to add rips or finishes and features, while the back is a mechanical stretch material for comfort.
The second stretch development is the addition of Lubrizol’s X4zol-J fibre, which has previously been used in filament form but CBL has used it in spun form, which gives a more authentic look but it has all the stretch benefits, said You Nguyen, CBL’s global brand and creative officer. This fibre is produced using a solvent free extrusion process, which requires relatively less energy during fibre production, said the company.
Mr Nguyen wants to move further towards creating fabrics with the finished garment in mind - his retail background meaning he will act as a bridge between brand and manufacturer. As supplier consolidation continues, mills will have to add more value, he said. “Brands are reducing the number of suppliers, concentrating on the best of the best,” he told us. “The good ones will have to supply more than fabric – they will need to show creative thinking. The only way to do that is to shift your mindset beyond the customer to the consumer. That will drive the innovation that will feed into the brand.”
US-based Mr Nugen has worked with CBL for many years during his tenure at Levi’s; it was the first manufacturer outside the US authorised to produce 501s. One of CBL’s strengths is the ability to spin, weave, dye, sew and finish on one campus, he comments, as well as the social sustainability that has been built into its operations since its launch in 1995. Half the employees live on campus, about an hour from Lahore, and facilities include a gym, shopping centre, sports provision and a school. The company also recycles all its water through an on-site effluent treatment plant and has planted 500,000 trees.
New fabrics for spring-summer 2026 also include blends with fibres made from waste from banana and pineapple farming, the use of which creates extra income streams for growers in Pakistan and Thailand.
Inside Denim contributor Tilmann Wrobel discusses how mills are increasingly adding design specialities in the latest issue of the magazine.
