insidedenim: Global denim industry news and views site

Designer Christelle Kocher worked with Levi’s to show how beautiful and versatile the “democratic” fabric can be when given the same attention, time and craftsmanship as the most precious materials at a Parisian atelier, with a 10-piece capsule making its debut at Haute Couture Week.

Denim is an immense fashion category, one that has grown from humble beginnings to a fashion powerhouse. From traditional jeans to red carpet gowns, denim has been styled to fit virtually any occasion. It was often showcased at the recent New York Fashion Week, where attendees could see how designers regularly work the fabric into their collections. And now, Cotton Incorporated has released its 2028 Denim Style Report, to help brands and designers navigate a changing landscape and provide inspir

Kipaş is breaking down the barriers to recycling mixed textile waste with FibR-e. The facility, which began operating at the end of last year, can recycle 100 tonnes of waste per day.

Resins, metallic finishes and coatings are giving designers alternative ways to add drama and texture.

Suppliers say potassium permanganate’s inclusion on the ZDHC Watchlist sends an “important signal” and, with new products that compare performance and cost-wise, there is no reason to put workers at risk.

In our common memory, denim is and has always been a blue fabric made of cotton. Yet history shows that before being blue and cotton, denim was something quite different. Tilmann Wröbel says recent shifts in trends seem to confirm that this forgotten chapter of denim history could hold the key to longer-lasting fashions.

The denim industry in Turkey faces multiple challenges from falls in demand and increases in cost. Its vertically integrated value chain is coming under intense pressure.

As Lycra’s partially bio-based elastane hits commercial volumes, Fashion for Good launches a pilot to validate lower-impact stretch fibres and galvanise support around nascent recycling systems.

The shift towards wider and looser styles is a blessing for the denim industry as a whole. While structured fits are big, so are the slouchier and more fluid fits, where manmade cellulosic fibres can play a key role in enhancing drape and softness. These changing market dynamics also elevate the notion of comfort in jeans.

The making of jeans adorned with ‘deep fake’ digital prints, motifs etched out by lasers or woven into jacquard fabrics, calls for equal measures of technology and craftsmanship. Integrating decors is not necessarily costly and also happens to be one of the most sustainable ways to offer creativity and differentiation.