The denim industry weighs the risks and rewards of a decentralized apparel sourcing matrix
Your first look at the top news, notes and highlights from Kingpins Amsterdam exhibitors. 12 20/10
In 2024, Kingpins celebrates two decades in New York, 10 years in Amsterdam, and the bright future of the denim industry. 21
28 Egypt's Denim Prospects Investments—both foreign and domestic—are laying the groundwork for continued growth in the region
Kingpins this year was full of new things, new ideas, programs and anniversaries. The show started as you all probably know 20 years ago this past July and Amsterdam started 10 years ago this past April. We’ve clapped our hands enough about our lucky and interesting past. It’s time to talk about change. Here, I share my vision for the future of the denim industry—and hopefully what I write will sound prescient 20 years from now.
Problem: Everyone knows indigo dye needs to be replaced for a bunch of reasons—both environmental and geo-political. From a sustainability perspective, it uses too much water because indigo dye has no afinity to cellulose and needs to be dyed repeatedly, and it uses too much energy, obviously.
Solution: Over the years various people have come up with possible bio-engineered solutions but those have been rejected due to cost. There are still options for using other chemicals or dyes to replicate indigo but so far none have been adopted in a large scale. YET.
Future: The industry has so far selected to ignore the obvious, but indigo will not be used 20 years from now. Sooner or later a wild anti-indigo campaign will explode out of nowhere and force change.
Problem: Check out the World Bank’s country by country list of cubic freshwater per person*. There you will see that the countries where we make most of our jeans—Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan—have the least water or, in some cases, virtually no water at all!
Just as climate change has afected everyone through floods, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes and droughts, water shortage will be very real soon,
* https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.H2O.INTR.PC?locations=US
impacting people’s lives in unimaginable ways.
Solution: Governments will need to invest heavily in cleaning and reusing their waste water. Recently I heard the World Bank gave $100 million to a factory in Bangladesh to make more jeans and more denim fabric. Bad Idea. In our industry, the World Bank should only invest in water treatment. There is no need to “buy” water if you take waste and make it new again and again and again.
The second solution is water harvesting.
Future: Brands are unlikely to pay their suppliers to do this. And this problem is so large and expensive that it cannot be resolved on a company-bycompany basis. Clearly if only recycled water is used in our industry we have virtually no water issues. Governments must commit to provide their citizens water forever otherwise water poor nations will sufer severely. I’m not sure if I believe this will occur but how can a nation exist without water?
Problem: Currently 80 percent of the world’s energy comes from oil, gas or coal. In my estimation, that percentage is much higher in our industry. This has huge negative impacts on our carbon footprint and leads us, as we are all aware, to all sorts of political problems, fights and uncomfortable partnerships because we need oil or petroleum products.
Solution: Of course there should be change towards renewable energy. Seven countries now generate all of their energy from renewable sources, according to figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). More than 99.7 percent of electricity in Albania, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Iceland, Nepal, Paraguay and the Democratic Republic of Congo comes from geothermal, hydro, solar or wind power. In the
USA, there are entire cities that run exclusively on renewables, including Burlington, VT, Georgetown, TX, Greensburg, KS, Columbia MD, Aspen CO. A couple of years ago, the entire state of California ran for 30 consecutive days only on renewable energy! The solution is clear. And there is enormous work going on to develop industrial batteries that can store vast amounts of energy, and I mean big amounts—enough to run an airport or a denim mill.
Future: In the next 20 years, a huge portion of our world will run on renewables. What a great outlook.
Problem: The saddest change in my career has been the price degradation of our industry. Product prices continually face pressure to decrease while marketers take great profit from brainwashing consumers into believing jeans can be cheaper than they ever imagined—so cheap they can buy them anytime.
All of this comes from too much supply and too much demand by retailers and brands to grow. A modest 3 percent growth desire exponentially over 20 years is 80 percent more.
Solutions: Make less. Brands and retailers should make more money but not through lowering costs endlessly and making suppliers lose. Make laws that force full transparency so low-end products that cheat the systems (CSR or environmental) are denied entry into Europe and USA etc. Further, governments need to force brands and retailers to pay living wages to all workers rather than minimum wages.
Future: With a little legislative help, great things can come.
By Andrew Olah Founder, Kingpins
Ayesha Barenblat, founder & CEO of Remake, shares how the Instagram generation is galvanizing social change IRL.
Remake is founded on the idea of ‘radical disruption.’
The organization leverages everything from social media to public policy to make equitable business practices and mindful consumption a reality. In addition to partnerships with the Clean Clothes Campaign, the International Labor Organization and other likeminded NGOs, Remake’s community organizing eforts have provoked more than 2,000 young people around the globe to join in the fight for human rights and climate justice.
“The real way to really get citizens to care is to build that local organizing machinery the same way as unions do it. That’s what we need. We need sort of union machinery for citizens, and that’s what we’re out here to do,” said Ayesha Barenblat, founder & CEO of Remake.
Here, Barenblat and Kingpins founder Andrew Olah discuss what makes the organization’s results-driven, multi-stakeholder strategy successful and why fashion is a feminist issue.
AO: On your website, you have the saying, ‘Wear Your Values.’ How do we make consumers aware that they can connect a purchase with values?
AB: When I founded Remake, it was with this idea of remaking connections with the often-hidden underbelly of the fashion supply chain. You don’t see garment workers. Who is she? I say she because of the 70 million people who make our clothes, it’s mostly women, mostly black and brown women that look like me. And I really believe that to get citizens to care, first you can’t shame people. It’s hard to build a movement around rage and shame. And so, the idea with ‘Wear Your Values’ was really an invitation. What I like to say is, ‘If you care about and believe that women should be paid fairly, if you care about the climate crisis, if you care about sustainability, if you care about dignity of work, then our movement is for you.’ And so rather than telling citizens what they should care about, it’s more an invitation into what is your value system. Because if you say you’re a feminist and then you’re buying Shein and workers are making three cents for the product, then what does that say about you? If you say you care deeply about the
climate crisis, but most of what’s sitting in your closet is polyester fossil fuel, then are you really shopping your values?
AO: Your organization says it is based on uniting unlikely allies across the fashion ecosystem, from influencers, creatives and brand executives to unions, legislators and garment workers locking arms to fight for change. Please share an example of how that works.
AB: The issues of the fashion industry are wicked problems, and it’s not as if one thoughtful brand, one thoughtful labor organization, can do it alone. So, to give you a very specific example, in Los Angeles— right here in my home state of California, home to where we have most domestic production left in the United States—until 2022, most workers were making piece rate, making a few cents per seam and taking home very little money. We locked arms with a lot of very unlikely allies. Front out the gate was the Garment Worker Center, who was organizing workers. But then we brought on lots of thoughtful small businesses like Reformation and Christy Dawn, who said we can’t compete with the predatory behavior of brands like Forever 21 and so we endorsed this bill. We also had a lot of young people write to Governor Newsom, take to canvassing to really ensure that our bill, the Garment Worker Protection Act, was in the media and was getting the social media attention that it needed. And so all said and done, we built this very unlikely coalition of small brand executives, union leaders, thoughtful legislators in the California Senate and House, as well as garment workers, and I’m happy to share in 2022, we passed the Garment Worker Protection Act, which is the first of its kind, that has up chain accountability for brands and retailers, holding them legally liable for wage theft.
AO: Why aren’t brands judged by whether they have a company policy to have living wages for all their products? I don’t understand it.
AB: All roads lead back to living wages and the fact that we are simply not paying people enough to make our clothes today. Thinking about Bangladesh— and we were heavily involved with our Bangladesh garment worker partners—the ask back in the fall was very simple. Workers were up against skyrocketing inflation and currency devaluation, and the prices
brands paid had remained relatively flat, even though Bangladesh is such an important production hub. The Asia Floor Wage Alliance did a study that even if you had two family members, a husband and wife, working in the garment sector, workers were reporting not enough to have a su ficient caloric diet, that they were skipping meals to meet expenses. All they were asking for was something like $208 a month. I think it’s very telling that for 30 years of voluntary corporate responsibility, CSR programs and codes of conduct, we have not really made a dent when it comes to living wages.
AO: But the discussion of Bangladesh, to me on the outside, seemed like it was with the government and the labor unions. It seemed to me to be odd, because I don’t think the garment factories have any problem raising the prices if the brands will accept it.
AB: Exactly right. We wrote to all the top producing brands in Bangladesh at the time of the crisis, to say, ‘can you support, can you lend your voice?’ And outside of Patagonia, you couldn’t get any brand to do it. And really, Patagonia has such a small footprint in the country. So, all that to say, brands then tend to hide behind this idea of this is between the labor movement and the government and the national sovereignty of Bangladesh, and we don’t want to interfere. But again, the prices they pay are directly correlated with why we keep seeing minimum wages not going up. So, it’s a little bit of a tongue in cheek really. I don’t think any brand should talk about being a sustainable leader unless they’re willing to talk about wages.
AO: The laws all seem very complex, very convoluted, very unreal. What is really going on and what really will actually happen in let’s say the next year or two?
AB: I’d say first and foremost, not all laws are good laws, and not all policy is a good thing. When you look at the rash of transparency and reporting bills, what we haven’t seen is any kind of real impact in terms of more humane conditions for workers and even a dent when it comes to emissions and the climate crisis. It’s really important that any laws, any bills, are really centering the communities that they profess to serve and that worker partners have a seat at the table. [But] the fact that lawmakers in Europe, in
the UK, in the U.S., are finally paying attention, I think it’s hopeful. In the U.S., there’s bipartisan support for closing the de minimis loophole. If we’re saying Shein workers are producing something like 35,000 to 100,000 items daily. Today, they’re 1/5 of the global fast fashion market, and then they’re able to, through a loophole of $800 shipments, not pay custom tax, that’s problematic. And that’s where we have that sort of down market, ultra-fast fashion pushing on wages and why we see conditions across the fashion supply chain be so problematic.
AO: Can you talk about your Pay Up campaign?
AB: We are going to be a decade old this year. And I would say in all my years of doing this work, probably I am proudest of the Pay Up campaign. To sort of take you back to March 2020 when U.S. apparel consumption dropped within that very first month by 89 percent. What fashion brands across the board did was cancel orders using the force majeure clause, which is perfectly legal, but what that meant is that workers around the world were not going to get paid. These are not people with savings so much to fall back on.
We welcomed labor groups, but also manufacturers, campaigners, into closed door meetings, and the Pay Up campaign was born. We were sharing information. We had Labour Behind the Label, Clean Clothes Campaign, Extinction Rebellion. All said and done, the Pay Up campaign was able to get more than 20 brands to reverse that decision of canceling orders, over $20 billion of contracts were reinstated, which meant millions of people at the height of the pandemic were paid.
At a time when we couldn’t be out on the streets protesting. Instagram became so important. There were so many influencers, young people. Some brands later behind the scenes told me, ‘How did this become [so] viral in public consciousness that there were people holding up signs saying, pay up, pay up, pay up?’ And it became untenable for brands to take that position. And that’s the kind of reputation damage that renders results.
Listen to Andrew’s full conversation with Ayesha and other denim industry insiders in the Kingpins podcast, Denim Talks
Investment will transform the facility into a state-of-the-art denim factory serving SFI’s growing nearshoring network within AM’s global ecosystem.
Artistic Milliners is celebrating the latest milestone in the strategic expansion of its nearshoring operations in the Western Hemisphere with the purchase of VF’s Dickies de Parras S. de RL de CV facility in Parras, Mexico.
The Artistic Milliners portfolio of companies is a vertical ecosystem that strives for excellence in every facet of its operation. The investment means the company can immediately begin upgrading the denim factory in Mexico on an expedited timeline and can soon ofer even more services to retailers and brands looking to manufacture closer to the United States.
Artistic Milliners Mexico joins the company’s existing nearshoring operations that includes the
SFI Los Angeles design center and laundry, as well as SFI’s Central America operations and strategic partnerships in Mexico and Guatemala.
The Parras facility, which first opened in 1996, is a vast complex spread over 10 acres consisting of two buildings. Plans call for a rapid build out of Artistic Milliners Mexico operations over the next six months to modernize the Parras facility, creating Mexico’s next denim factory of the future.
The acquisition of the VF factory complements AM’s growing network of factories in Guatemala and Mexico. The company recently opened an SFI ofice in Guatemala City and forged strategic partnerships with sourcing facilities in Guatemala, Mexico and the United States. At the hub of this
growing nearshoring network is SFI-Los Angeles, the design center and denim laundry Artistic Milliners acquired in 2020.
Artistic Milliners’ global footprint is designed to serve the needs of its international customer base of retailers and brands. The company’s network of strategic partnerships as well as wholly owned facilities provides seamless integration of design, laundry, and global sourcing solutions.
Becoming a System Partner Creates a Powerful Moment of Change Across a Complete
The recent announcements of leading brands, Dondup in Italy and Madewell from the USA, becoming bluesign system partners started a pivotal shift in the fashion industry. These partnerships exemplify the “echo efect” as bluesign’s clean chemistry and clean production practices permeate a global supply chain. This efect transcends individual brands, manufacturers, materials, and suppliers, triggering a chain reaction that promotes the widespread adoption of environmental and social responsibility.
Renowned for its commitment to premium Italian-made fashion, Dondup has consistently emphasized craftsmanship and attention to detail. Now, by aligning with the bluesign system, Dondup is advancing its mission to minimize environmental impact, connect with a new generation of conscious consumers, and
uphold the highest chemical safety standards throughout its supply chain.
The ripple effect of these partnerships extends well beyond Dondup and Madewell. As bluesign’s clean chemistry and clean production practices are implemented in the brand supply chain, mills, laundries, and even raw material providers are encouraged to adopt similar standards. With Dondup and Madewell’s participation, their suppliers are now in the process of becoming bluesign partners as well. Manufacturers with no critical nonconformities after the bluesign on-site facility assessment can advance to system partnership and begin implementing the bluesign System. This cascading effect ensures that every aspect of the production process—from chemical suppliers to material manufacturers—aligns with
The Pakistan-based firm’s latest innovation leverages cotton for superior comfort
“Designers, brands, and fashion lovers all prioritize a soft hand feel when it comes to fabric,” commented Rashid Iqbal, executive director for Naveena Denim – NDL. The Pakistan-based firm’s latest collection tackles the challenges of denim’s hand feel and sustainability with a groundbreaking approach. “We have achieved an unparalleled level of softness and breathability by integrating a unique technology, Aero-Soft, into our new fabric collection,” he said.
This unique spinning technique creates a plush and airy fabric that achieves incredible softness, comfort and breathability. While many denim producers rely on man-made fibers for softness, we have chosen to harness the natural properties of cotton,” the exec explained. By utilizing cotton, a high standard of softness and luxury is maintained without needing
alternative materials. With Pakistan as the world’s fifth largest cotton producer, Naveena Denim – NDL has direct access to high-quality, locally grown cotton, ensuring a reliable and consistent supply. This proximity helps minimize environmental impact and supports a commitment to sustainability.
While traditional denim often uses chemical treatments to achieve softness, sustainability is compromised. Aero-Soft technology eliminates the need for these chemicals.
Aero-Soft denim technology also enhances the fabric’s bulkiness, improving moisture absorbency and air permeability. Iqbal maintains “the fabric looks heavy but is actually light and airy, giving you a plush feel that is soft on your skin and breathable.” Unlike
the stringent environmental and social criteria set by bluesign.
With mega brands like Madewell and Dondup leading the charge, the fashion industry is undergoing a transformative moment. This movement not only fosters a safer, more sustainable fashion ecosystem but also sets a precedent for how industries can collaboratively drive change, ensuring that ethical and environmental considerations are prioritized at every level of the supply chain.
traditional denim, fabric becomes progressively softer with each wash, with improved moisture management and breathability.
This combination of reduced chemical use, increased comfort and superior durability presents a high-performance solution for modern denim needs. “This breakthrough not only redefines the feel of denim but also aligns with our commitment to sustainability, ofering a luxurious yet eco-friendly alternative in the market,” according to Iqbal.
Consumers have very specific thoughts on both how they want to look and how they want to feel in their clothes. And it’s no surprise that denim continues to play a pivotal role in how consumers express their personal style. Jeans in particular continue to be a beloved wardrobe staple—with more than a third of shoppers reaching for them over other choices*. Performance technologies promise to continue to drive the demand for denim by ofering value to both consumers and brands.
Cotton Incorporated is driving this evolution with innovations that enhance the wearability and durability of these beloved garments. Already, shoppers overwhelmingly (more than 70 percent) prefer jeans made of cotton or cotton blend.* Through these performance treatments, Cotton Incorporated is delivering even more ways for consumers to enjoy cotton denim garments in their active, busy lifestyles.
“We work very closely with our partner brands to extract key takeaways which highlight the features, attributes, and benefits of our performance technologies,” said Jennifer Lukowiak, Cotton Incorporated’s director of supply chain marketing.
The focus for the innovations are comfort, fit and quality, which happen to be the top purchase drivers when shoppers are looking for new jeans.* To address these concerns, Cotton Incorporated has developed performance technologies to further enhance the look, feel and wear of garments made from cotton fibers. From working out to going out, and of-road adventures and in-ofice meetings, these technologies are designed to provide value through the use of clean chemistry.
For consumers who opt to put their denim to the test in the elements, STORM COTTONTM technology outperforms typical durable water repellent treatments in terms of both breathability and durability. The finish repels liquids while still allowing moisture vapor to pass through the fabric, keeping the wearer comfortable and dry. Moreover, it’s designed to last the lifetime of the garment. The STORM COTTONTM technology finish is primarily applied in garment form after any decorative finishes, dyes, and laser treatments.
Lukowiak said STORM COTTONTM technology is just one example of how performance technologies can help brands diferentiate themselves in the market.
“Shoppers look for value, an understanding of what they are paying for,” she said. “When we have the opportunity to provide brands with cotton apparel that not only performs but is made more durable with an applied finish that is versatile, breathable, and utilizes clean chemistry— that really resonates with the end user.”
With the variety of fashion trends on the market, ranging from skinny to barrel, fit is more important than ever. For those shoppers opting for close-fitting styles, NATURAL STRETCH technology ofers a mechanical stretch designed for 100 percent cotton-woven fabrics. NATURAL STRETCH technology maintains its
elasticity without relying on chemistry, elastomeric yarns, or synthetic yarns, which is a major bonus as the industry continues to push toward circularity.
Nothing says value more than a garment shoppers can keep in regular rotation over the long haul. With that in mind, TOUGH COTTONTM technology protects the look of garments, through extended wear and multiple laundry cycles. This treatment keeps cotton fibers strong, ensuring a combination of abrasion resistance, strength and colorfastness that ensures wearers look great season after season.
Breathability is one key reason consumers seek out cotton in their wardrobes. And TransDRY® technology ups the comfort ante with moisture management that moves sweat from the inside to the outside of the garment away from the body, keeping wearers cooler and drier than synthetic options.
It’s not just trends that are influencing the consumers’ style preferences either. With environmental changes bringing more unpredictable and more uncomfortable weather, researchers at Cotton Incorporated are also working to make cotton fabrics meet the needs of the consumer. “We are working diligently to enhance the performance of cotton while highlighting its natural attributes,” said Mary Ankeny, vice president of product development and implementation operations at Cotton Incorporated. “The products we use in technology development are thoughtfully chosen based on chemical content and are designed for performance. Breathability, softness, and durability not only makes cotton the fabric of tomorrow, but also the fabric of now.”
Cotton Incorporated continues to expand its portfolio of performance technologies to allow consumers to get more of what they love from their cotton denim pieces, and ultimately, those positive experiences promise repeat purchases. “These technologies can absolutely boost consumer loyalty—cotton clothing that performs while remaining durable and breathable is a benefit to the consumer,” Lukowiak said.
To learn more about denim innovations, please visit CottonWorks.com.
*Denim Jeans Outlook – Supply Chain Insights 2024
20/10
In 2024, Kingpins celebrates two decades in New York, 10 years in Amsterdam, and the bright future of the denim industry.
As much as Kingpins has evolved over the years, the basic DNA of the brand has stayed the same.
BY VIVIAN WANG KINGPINS SHOW MANAGING DIRECTOR & GLOBAL SALES MANAGER
Kingpins’ 20th anniversary year has us reminiscing about this grand adventure that has taken us around the world.
When Andrew Olah f irst came up with the idea for the show, it was meant to be a small event that was more like a party than a traditional trade show. In many ways, it still is. That feeling of camaraderie is one of the many things that makes Kingpins successful. When people are at the show, they are working. But we are all also learning and meeting new people and spending time with longtime friends and colleagues.
That first show was intended to be a small, intimate
party, but once denim industry colleagues got involved, it became something larger. That is also a hallmark of a Kingpins show. We love working with our friends in the denim community. If we think trying something new will make for a better show, we’re not afraid to take risks and experiment.
I designed the logo and invitation for that f irst Kingpins show in New York, but I of f icially joined the team when Andrew decided to branch out to Los Angeles and he asked me to organize the new show. I had been working as a graphic designer for several denim brands, but I’d never produced a trade show. Andrew told me to think of it as throwing a party for family and friends—and
to create a space where everyone would be so comfortable they’d want to stick around a while. That was great advice. The Kingpins team continues to work hard to build a welcoming environment. We take care to design installations that inspire, organize discussions that educate and host workshops that give attendees a chance to f lex their creative muscles together.
The show continued to expand to new cities. Eventually, we were producing about a dozen shows around the world. It seemed like we were always jetting off somewhere: From New York to Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Shanghai to Delhi to Bangalore to Mumbai. We were about to add an eighth city—Dhaka—to the lineup when we stopped and reconsidered whether this expansion was sustainable. Did we want to be taking everyone on this wild, worldwide ride year after year? Or did we want to focus on creating a must-attend show just a few times a year in a few cities? The next year, we hosted our f irst show in Amsterdam, alongside shows in New York and China.
We pivoted again when the pandemic forced us to cancel our shows, f irst Amsterdam, then New York, then China. Again, we experimented, taking the show online to create Kingpins24. And again, our community rose to the challenge, helping us organize a 24-hour live show, plus ondemand educational content.
When we f inally met in person again, we returned f irst to New York and Amsterdam. It took some time to return to mainland China, which we did this year in Hangzhou. In the meantime, we went back to our roots with smaller, more-intimate events, f irst in Colombia, then Hong Kong.
In many ways, Kingpins has remained consistent over the years. Our shows tend to be in interesting venues, with a
convivial atmosphere and a good balance of work, education, inspiration and community.
But the show, like the denim industry, has changed and evolved. Andrew has always been an advocate for sustainability—perhaps even before many of our denim colleagues. As the greater community became as passionate about creating a cleaner, safer, smarter denim industry, sustainability and the idea of responsible denim took an even greater role in our programing.
Since the beginning, the denim community has been the heart of Kingpins. More than a party or a trade show, Kingpins is also a platform where people can meet their friends—old and new— and it’s a venue where people can talk freely about their passion for denim. It’s also a place where people can feel comfortable discussing their challenges, and it’s a forum where they can f ind solutions together. That is what makes Kingpins so special and so unique. It’s not just an event, it’s an experience, and it’s an attitude.
A look back and ahead at the denim industry past, present and future proves the only constant is change.
BY ANDREW OLAH
As we all know our industry has changed enormously over the years. The biggest change
is in sourcing. Once denim was only produced in the United States and basically every jean sold in America was made in America. By the time I started my career in the mid 1970’s, denim was being produced throughout Europe and Japan to support those markets. In the USA the greater majority of jeans consumed were still made in the United States. By the early 80’s production of jeans moved to the “Three Tigers” (Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea), and denim textile mills were built to support the American and European demand. Their prices were inexpensive and their ability to produce fashion garments were critical to the demand they created.
But eventually, the U.S. government placed quotas on the number of jeans allowed in from Hong Kong. And similar quotas followed for goods made in Taiwan, then Indonesia, then others like
China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. By 1979, China was shipping lots of jeans to the USA, and the demand for domestic jeans had almost completely disappeared. The best example was Levi Strauss. In the 1980’s Levi’s had 634 factories. Today, no Levi’s factories remain in the United States or in the EU. I remember going to a meeting at Levi’s in the mid 90’s and being told that the company was redefining itself from a manufacturing company to a marketing company, leaving the manufacturing to its suppliers.
If we look at the jeans industry today, our best guess is that 2 million jeans are made in the United States, a country where more than 700 million are consumed. All the rest (with a few exceptions) come from (in no specific order), Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Tunisia and Africa.
The European story is much the same, although Turkey has played a key role in the supply to the EU and had a much more diverse production history than Mexico had to the USA. While Mexico has always played a role supplying basic jeans, Turkey could and did produce any style and was always flexible on quantity.
We are basically a transient industry, where factories can move around, have and will continue to do so. Even laundries have been known to disappear on a weekend and move to another more profitable location.
How we got here
So, what facilitated 98 percent of American jean production being taken away? I think this occurred for three reasons.
Machinery: The indigo dyeing machine companies that supplied American denim mills their equipment or those that sold to European mills sold the same machinery to others throughout the world making hardware universal. To this day Morrison Textile Machinery Company remains one of the most important indigo dye machine companies in America and sells and exists by selling their machines throughout the world. Without Morrison machines in denim plants in Bangladesh, China, Pakistan and Turkey, it would have been much more
IF WE LOOK AT THE JEANS INDUSTRY TODAY, OUR BEST GUESS IS THAT 2 MILLION JEANS ARE MADE IN THE UNITED STATES, A COUNTRY WHERE MORE THAN 700 MILLION ARE CONSUMED.
dificult for foreign mills to supply reliable quality and satisfy American denim brands.
Labor: Garment making is labor intensive and the cost of sewing a garment was and still is wildly diferent in what was once called developing nations in the 1970’s versus costs in America or Europe. Low labor costs led the Global North to essentially give up manufacturing in the 1980’s.
Knowhow: The top denim professionals in our industry developed their skills in the USA originally, then Europe and Japan experts eventually ended up finding work outside of their homelands. Americans helped the denim industry develop skills in Europe, then Hong Kong and so on and Europeans helped Turkey and Pakistan build their denim industries.
The status of today’s industry is the natural and continual development of this old tired model. Buyers seek lower prices, factories seek margin and workers who supply the highest value earn the least. One day made in America, one day made in Hong Kong, one day China and one day Bangladesh. Nothing changes but the sourcing country.
One has to accept that today’s industry lies in the hands of Bangladesh, Pakistan and countries with super low wages where free trade exists and there is easy access to the EU and U.S. like Egypt, which to me is a huge production opportunity reminding me of Bangladesh in the mid 1990’s. I would also suggest that low labor cost and low access to unionization are critical elements to production sourcing. With all respect to the countries I mentioned above, one has to also include amazing producing nations like China or Vietnam, neither of which share the same mission of democracy that exists in Sweden, Holland or Canada—or even Costa Rica.
Our industry has too many denim mills, too many garment factories and too many industrialists investing (often using other entities’ money) to capture too few orders. This reality cannot exist for long, and I see a huge consolidation in the
future. By consolidation, I mean mills will either own a factory in each global sourcing region or partner with their former competitors from these regions. In this way there will be only ONE group of products, chemicals, etc that buy as one unit taking advantages of scale.
It’s only logical that if suppliers want to earn more in a sustainable commercial manner, their service needs to be upgraded and the only way to do that is to take sourcing away from their customers altogether with those customers only focusing on design (maybe even that eventually becomes a supplier service) and marketing to consumers.
And on that note, we might come to a day where suppliers will have the wherewithal to say no to lower prices. As suppliers are noticing what Shein has done and asking themselves, “why can’t we do that?”, the answer is “you can!” It’s likely that suppliers will make e forts in the future to transact directly with consumers and strategize how to skip over their current buyers or just keep the customers that suit them.
Kingpins has a long-term place in the market as an industry event putting buyers and sellers together. Perhaps by our next anniversary, the show will blend consumers into its mix. If I had to bet, I’d totally bet on that.
Lastly, if we let our minds go free and insert a vision based on technology, we might see a future of robotic production in both textiles and apparel. The future might have domestic factories if there are no people involved or those people are imported. One might imagine a day where all fibers used in mass apparel sales are man-made, including cellulose, and dyes are all bio-engineered. I’m not sure all this can happen in a difused industry that on the supply side can’t consistently make profits and runs through a tired boring paradigm. Not sure where major investment would come from, but I’m not that worried. Blockbuster never thought Net flix was an idea worthy of their investment. The jean industry has Blockbusters on every corner. A Net flix will arrive one day and the old paradigm will be gone the way the transistor radio left our world.
As
the Kingpins brand pushes forward, we take a moment to reflect on all of the moments both big and small that have gone into shaping the shows into an influential platform for the denim industry.
BY DOROTHY CROUCH
As Kingpins celebrates a double anniversary this year, members of the community it helped create reflect on how the shows—in both NYC and Amsterdam—have shaped their businesses, the industry and the ways in which they work to improve the category.
Kerry Bannigan Managing Director and President of the Board of PVBLIC Foundation United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network Co-founder Kingpins Events: 8
My best experience with Kingpins was when the show announced its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, which led to Kingpins being a member of our United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network. Playing an active role in this was inspiring, as it underscored Kingpins’ dedication to promoting sustainability and transparency in the denim industry globally. Discussions and initiatives from sector leaders that emerged from this commitment highlighted collective action to drive positive change, making me proud to be part of an industry aiming to prioritize environmental and social responsibility.
Kingpins significantly transformed the denim industry by fostering innovation and collaboration among key stakeholders, with a strong emphasis on sustainability. The trade show’s commitment to
advocacy for transparency, cleaner denim and responsible practices propelled the integration and showcase of sustainable technologies and materials. It provides exposure to a global network of likeminded professionals to foster collaborations and knowledge sharing, and maintains high standards for sustainable advancements.
Alberto de Conti Head of Hub1922
RUDOLF
Kingpins started very modestly as a bit more than just a party, but today the event brings together all the key players in the denim supply chain and encourages collaboration and networking. It currently facilitates the sharing of best practices across the industry. This is the main reason Kingpins plays such an important role in promoting the denim industry as it focuses on sustainability, innovation and global networking.
Rudolf HUB1922 was founded in 2018 as a newcomer to the denim industry. Participation in Kingpins has greatly accelerated Rudolf HUB1922’s visibility in the industry. Attending Kingpins opened up new business opportunities. The show provided a venue to efectively demonstrate our technological advancements and helped us position ourselves as a leader in conscious chemical innovation in the denim industry.
Attending Kingpins is a sign of prestige and that a company plays an important role in the industry. In other words, you need to exhibit at Kingpins if you want to be seen as an industry leader.
Adriana Galijasevic Founder and CEO
COCIRCULAR LAB
Kingpins Events: 22
The first Kingpins Amsterdam was magical because, for one, it was actually happening.
We might not even be fully aware of Kingpins’ magnitude. For two decades, Kingpins has brought the denim community together. Imagine all those countless conversations leading to exciting collaborations, new business ventures and pushes
ROLE IN
for responsible practices worldwide. Its full impact is still unfolding.
On one hand, Kingpins is a place for learning, and, on the other, it is a venue for sharing various innovations and collaborations I have worked on. Most importantly, it is where I reconnect with my mentors who have given me invaluable advice whenever I am in doubt. It is also where I have formed some of my closest friendships and alliances. Every Kingpins event feels like a family reunion, for which I am very grateful. It is a melting pot of denim enthusiasts who are passionate about evolving and revolutionizing the industry.
Adriano Goldschmied Founder and Designer GENIOUS GROUP
Kingpins Events: Every New York and Amsterdam show
Our industry couldn’t be the same without Kingpins. Since the first event, it gave a new sense to fabric shows and our industry by creating a denim community, bringing creativity and innovation, and putting the mills in competition to reach the goals from the show. The show set up a sense of responsibility for the community, starting from sustainability, circularity and transparency but also ethical matters, fair trade and respect and wellness of people. The show gave a soul to our industry. Since Kingpins started, it has given another life to my design business! I find the cream of the cream of our industry in one place such as the best and new fabrics, technical innovators, fibers and best sustainable processes—but more important the best
BORN, WHERE THE NEW GOALS ARE ESTABLISHED AND WHERE PEOPLE GET TOGETHER TO DESIGN THE FUTURE.
people together to share experiences and ideas. This allows us to do a better job.
Kingpins is not a show; it is the show! You cannot miss it if you operate in the industry. It is the place where the new trends are born, where the new goals are established and where people get together to design the future.
Hasan Javed Executive Director AGI DENIM
My first time attending Kingpins New York was way back in the summer of 2010. It was still the early days for me in the industry and I was intrigued by what seemed like a pretty unique trade show, held at an art gallery. It was intimate and one could see the organizers went the extra mile to add a personalized touch.
Kingpins created a platform that promotes innovation, collaboration and sustainability. Its emphasis on transparency and eco-friendly practices has pushed companies to adopt more responsible methods. Kingpins plays a key role in bridging the gap between brands, manufacturers and consumers, fostering a sense of community.
Kingpins has allowed us to showcase our latest innovations and connect with key industry players. The feedback and insights gained from the event
have also helped us refine our products and stay ahead of industry trends.
Besim Ozek Director of Strategy and Business Development BOSSA
Having been in the textile industry since 1996, my previous career involved working for formalwear textile companies and attending formalwear events. Attending the f irst Kingpins Amsterdam was transformative. It stood out with its high energy and unique atmosphere; completely di ferent from the classical events I was used to. The vibrant and dynamic environment of Kingpins inspired me immensely and left a lasting impression.
Its in fluence extends beyond being a trade show; it has fostered a community where innovation, collaboration and the latest trends in denim come together. This convergence of ideas and people has signi f icantly shaped and propelled the industry forward.
Kingpins provides the perfect platform to showcase new collections and share the latest sustainable stories. It’s where we meet with our customers, discuss the future of the industry and learn about new innovations and developments through various panels and discussions. Kingpins has truly become a cornerstone event for our business strategy and growth.
Kevin Reardon Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy CONE DENIM
Kingpins Events: 50+
With each edition, the denim community gets closer. The first Amsterdam exhibition after COVID is a wonderful memory. The denim community was so distant for so long—it was a special time for everyone to be together and reconnect after a hard few years! I also very fondly remember Cone Denim’s sponsorship of the mechanical bull at Kingpins China—a once-in-a-lifetime fun day surrounded by friends.
Kingpins truly brings the denim community together.
It’s a unique, casual atmosphere that cannot be recreated. Each show develops its own personality and it’s fun to experience it.
The contacts made through the Kingpins exhibitions have been invaluable. It amazes me most when we meet a brand or retailer that is unknown to us. Another pivotal memory is when a large retailer actually placed a 50,000-yard commitment—simply from looking at our garment sample! I will never forget that moment. You never know what can happen at a Kingpins show!
Jefrey Silberman
Past Chairperson of Textile Development and Marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Board of Directors Hudson Valley Textile Project I first met Andrew Olah around 2006. Over dinner, I asked him if he would help me put together a capstone course for my graduating seniors that would be unique in experiential teaching and learning, and would mentor the students through industry advisors to create collections of jeans from idea through commercially ready factory prototypes. As busy as he was, he agreed. Together we built that course, and taught it together, along with other guest advisors, for 15 years.
Kingpins became the unoficial meeting place for the project.
When Andrew launched his first Kingpins event in Amsterdam 10 years ago, I was there, and for every year after that until I retired. Andrew facilitated a collaboration between FIT and The Jean School, where Dutch students came to New York for a week, and the FIT students returned with them to Amsterdam for a second week.
And so, my best memories of Kingpins? The people I met who became friends and the good times. The most gratifying memories? Seeing my former students helping out at the booths, beginning as interns or at entry level, then growing 10 ft. tall into denim decision-makers, where many are today.
Carmen Silla Global Marketing Director
JEANOLOGIA
There have been countless experiences with Kingpins over these 20 years, but two significant moments brought something new, innovative and creative.
Firstly, the inspiring TRUTH & LIGHT exhibition in 2008 in New York showcased authentic vintage garments under the TRUTH garments and their replicas made with LASER-LIGHT technology.
We demonstrated how laser technology allows the denim industry to produce ethically and sustainably while maintaining an authentic look. It was the beginning of laser adoption by brands and designers.
Secondly, in 2012, I made my debut with both Kingpins and Jeanologia. For the first time in the history of fabric fairs, a laser machine was brought in. We united creatives, designers and weavers for a unique experience. The weavers could see how their fabrics reacted to the laser and prestigious designers experimented with the technology, resulting in unique pieces.
From the start, Jeanologia and Kingpins have been dedicated to bridging the gap between technocrats and fashionistas. Today, Jeanologia celebrates the 25th anniversary of laser technology. Kingpins is undoubtedly a part of our evolution and success.
FROM THE START, JEANOLOGIA AND KINGPINS HAVE BEEN DEDICATED TO BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN TECHNOCRATS AND FASHIONISTAS.
Adam Taubenfligel Co-founder, Creative Director and Responsibility Lead TRIARCHY
Kingpins Events: 8 Kingpins has forged itself to be the destination of gathering for our community of passionate bluebloods. There is no other event that unites our industry in this way. Kingpins ofers a platform for us to connect, make new—and rekindle old— relationships, and continually learn from and motivate one another.
I have created so many incredible friendships through shared values at Kingpins and I look forward to making many more in the years ahead.
Thank you, Andrew and team!
Alice Tonello Marketing, Research and Development TONELLO
My best memory of Kingpins Amsterdam was my first visit 10 years ago. I met Piero Turk, marking the start of a long and creative collaboration, filled with innovative, out-of-the-box projects. Andrew and Vivian, both visionary and forward-thinking individuals, warmly welcomed me. The Denim Gallery was a beautiful project by Tonello that brought together the brilliant ideas of young designers with Tonello’s team and technologies.
Other signi f icant experiences were workshops with Tonello machines, particularly experimenting with wake dyes made from raw organic materials and creative applications with the laser machine. The astonished faces of the audience were always unforgettable.
Kingpins spotlights best practices, emphasizing resource optimization, recycling and low-impact solutions. It pushes forward the conversation on garment finishing and sustainable options but also fosters a true denim community by empowering connections and collaborations.
Kingpins has been a big part of helping us stay ahead and always brings new ideas and fresh perspectives to our company.
Menno van Meurs Founder of TENUE
CEO of TENUE DE NÎMES
Kingpins Events: 20
My very best experience was in New York City. We met the Cone Denim team for the first time and made one of our first batches for Tenue with the last yards of White Oak fabric. We were so excited!
The first edition of Kingpins Amsterdam was our favorite. The idea that all these incredible mills found a home in Amsterdam was hard to believe. Kingpins made Amsterdam the European capital of denim. It turned the city blue. It made us proud!
It taught us about quality fabrics. In the years that followed, it took the stage in terms of defining the sustainable future of the denim. Andrew and his team have been lightyears ahead of the industry. That’s true entrepreneurship!
Kingpins is also where we established our long-time partnership with our friends at Orta, for which I am genuinely grateful.
Who would not want to play in the Champions League of denim?
Viresh Verma Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
ARVIND
DENIM LAB
My best Kingpins memories are the Kingpins shows at Amsterdam Westergasfabriek, and collaborations with the Denim School and Amsterdam government for canal tours across Amsterdam.
Kingpins has really helped bring the denim industry to a common platform for bringing up issues to be addressed and also getting everyone together in a fun and wonderful way. Kingpins has helped us reach a lot of new customers, bringing our innovation and sustainability impact stories to the forefront of the industry.
Calik Denim is returning with a fresh take on fashion in its Spring-Summer ‘26 Collection, ENVISIONAGE . This season, the brand proudly unveils four innovative concepts: Maxymove, Blue Voyager, Airy Luxe, and Gleam Weave. With these new ideas, along with established concepts like RE/J, Denique, Rawtech, Denovated, Fix-Fit , and B210, Calik Denim continues to make a significant impact in the denim and fashion industry.
Envisionage has a global vision focused on future goals, which translates into responsible choices for the environment and global wellbeing.
This vision is key for the upcoming era of innovation: collective values grounded in strong corporate principles that align with external demands. This cohesion drives both internal and external movement toward new consumer needs and heightened environmental responsibility.
Embracing this dynamic vision and aesthetic, the CALIK DENIM Spring/Summer 2026 collection redefines denim by merging elasticity, authenticity and comfort. With an innovative design, the collection introduces transformative fabrics that emphasize sustainability and versatility. The collection ofers an evergreen wardrobe with a multitasking attitude.
The demand for durability and comfort in the indigo sector provides new opportunities to create innovative designs.
The introduction of new black tones and distinctive indigo hues adds a fresh and impactful touch. It goes beyond traditional vintage looks to ofer the same utility with a contemporary flair.
CALIK DENIM’s commitment to conscious circularity in
fabric production reflects a responsible, forward-thinking approach. Step into the future with confidence, knowing this collection builds collective wellness through symbiosis with the environment.
by Calik Denim
Our Maxymove collection showcases cutting-edge hyper-stretch technology, designed to provide unparalleled flexibility and comfort for the modern lifestyle. This innovative denim is meticulously crafted with authentic construction techniques, ensuring exceptional performance that meets the demands of everyday wear. The result is a revolutionary blend of activewear comfort and genuine denim aesthetics, ofering both ease of movement and a stylish appearance. This unique combination creates the perfect harmony between functionality and style, allowing you to transition seamlessly from casual outings to more active pursuits without compromising on fashion. Embrace a new level of versatility with our thoughtfully designed pieces that redefine what denim can be.
you in a gentle embrace that lasts all day long. These designs are thoughtfully created to enrich your everyday wardrobe, ensuring that you have versatile options that blend seamlessly with your lifestyle. With a newfound sense of freshness, relaxation, and ease, you can navigate your day with confidence, moving efortlessly from casual outings to more refined occasions. Elevate your wardrobe with pieces that prioritize both comfort and style, allowing you to express yourself while feeling your best.
Our Blue Voyager collection is meticulously designed for the modern traveler, catering to those who seek both style and functionality on their journeys. This innovative line features a combination of advanced fibers and technologies, including Graphene and COOLMAX®, which work together to enhance performance. The special finishing techniques employed in the fabric ensure exceptional durability while providing temperature regulation, allowing you to adapt seamlessly to any adventure, whether you’re exploring a bustling city or trekking through the great outdoors. With these thoughtfully crafted pieces, you can travel with confidence, knowing that you’re equipped for any challenge while maintaining a polished look.
The Airy Luxe collection is all about delivering extreme comfort and a cozy feeling that transforms your everyday experience. Crafted with premium cellulosic fibers, each piece strikes the perfect balance between softness and comfort, enveloping
The latest addition to our new concepts, Gleam Weave, features a luxurious glam denim that captivates with its shimmering aspects, elevating the traditional denim experience to new heights. Each piece showcases sophisticated and fancy constructions, expertly crafted to provide a sense of refinement and elegance. Designed with couture enthusiasts in mind, this collection ofers an elegant development that seamlessly blends high fashion with everyday wear. The result is a luxurious and contemporary appeal that resonates with the fashionista within, allowing you to make a bold statement while enjoying the comfort and versatility of denim. Embrace the allure of this exquisite collection and redefine your wardrobe with pieces that embody both glamour and sophistication. Discover this new collection on our website.
Connect with Calik Denim marketing@calikdenim.com www.calikdenim.com
How the denim industry is learning to make the tradeofs associated with diversifying apparel sourcing work in its favor.
BY CALETHA CRAWFORD
f it’s not one thing, it’s another.
From pirate attacks and deadly strikes to military conflicts and modern-day slavery, supply chain operations are constantly at risk. Creating a decentralized sourcing matrix was supposed to mitigate threats but with so many hotspots all over the globe, diversification has become its own challenge.
Prompted by the tari f s on goods made in China and accelerated by the need to avoid forced labor concerns, fashion has been steadily adding to its slate of production destinations. While this strategy insulates operations from some types of disruption, a broader supplier base brings its own set of sourcing, production and logistics challenges. This new level of complexity calls for the denim industry to f ind ways to ensure the bene f its outweigh the drawbacks. It’s a tall order, one that means the industry can no longer rely on business as usual.
“Being in the buyers’ market, we tend to import a lot of other countries’ problems,” said Bob Antoshak, partner of Gherzi Textil Organisation. “The more you diversify, the more you’re increasing the possibility of disruptions—it could be economic things, it could be political things, it could be things that have nothing to do with the producing countries—and it affects all of us.”
In its 2024 benchmarking survey, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) found that 70 percent of large companies are sourcing from 10 or more countries, up from 45 to 50 percent in the past few years. Even small to mid-size f irms are sourcing from six or more countries. If not done thoughtfully, more partner countries equal more problems.
Eda Dikmen, senior marketing & communications manager for Soorty, said diversification can be a positive assuming the industry learned from the Covid pandemic and is prioritizing resilience above the cheapest needle.
“I believe that pursuing the cheapest option is a shortterm strategy with long-term consequences,” she said. “Stability, reliability, and the ability to innovate are equally crucial, particularly in an industry that is becoming increasingly conscious of its impact.”
David Birnbaum, managing director of the Third Horizon Limited consultancy, agrees that cost should not be the deciding factor when determining where to place production, particularly when he estimates the factories’ contribution to the retail
price is only about 1 percent given that most retailers are deciding on the fabric vendors and designating trim suppliers.
“99 percent is out of the factory’s hands but the sourcing people think [the 1 percent they control] is the most important thing in the world,” he said. “Sourcing executives should go to the factories that are the best factories, the factories that can produce the right style, that have the QA. They should go to the ones that supply the services and the people who have speed to market.”
But it’s not enough to have best in class factories all over the globe. Maximizing the bene f its of diversi f ication means having multiple partners capable of creating the same garments, according to McKinsey & Company’s “Risk, resilience, and rebalancing in global value chains” report. “One
of the most important steps is building more redundancy into supplier networks. Relying on a single source for critical components or raw materials can be a vulnerability,” the consulting f irm said.
Edward Hertzman, founder & managing partner of Hertzman Global Ventures, agrees, adding in addition to having contingencies, companies must continuously play out these alternative scenarios. “I do think people are running these exercises,” he said, adding some more than others. “I think this is why the bigger companies are getting bigger, and a lot of the smaller brands are struggling because they don’t have the infrastructure and the ability to invest in sourcing, costing and sampling exercises. It’s a lot of work.”
The f inal piece of the puzzle is technology.
“The ability to reroute components and f lex production dynamically across sites can keep production going in the wake of a shock. This requires robust digital systems as well as the analytics muscle to run scenarios based on different responses,” McKinsey noted.
Part of why the industry is struggling is it has yet to digitize, and analog systems can’t handle the complexity of today’s supply chain, according to Edwin Keh, CEO of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel.
“What we need to do in times of turbulence and change is to be able to manage and look at our
entire supply chain and make quick, optimum decisions,” Keh said. “You start there, and once you have that as your backbone, then let’s talk about diversi f ication. But if you’re diversifying and you have very weak informational visibility, all you’re doing is muddying the water even more.”
He said the pandemic illustrated that point. With most of fashion still working from spreadsheets, most companies didn’t know the status and location of their raw materials and work in progress, which meant they couldn’t respond in real time or maximize their opportunities. The only options most had were to either cancel orders or f ly goods in—both of which were expensive extremes.
Keh said the apparel industry has fallen way
behind in digitization, and it’s particularly detrimental to product like jeans that has an array of waist sizes and inseam lengths.
“The best thing to do is to not only digitize the supply chain, but take the human decision maker out of the formula,” Keh said. “There is limited value in going through layers of approvals for things to change. The faster you are, the more nimble you are, the better you are at responding to market opportunities.”
That’s not to say people don’t matter. Keh advocates for meaningful partnerships as a way to execute on the data these systems provide.
It’s a message that resonates with Dikmen as well. “The procurement strategies should be about more than just spreading risk but also about forming close business partnerships that are beyond a simple buyer-supplier relationship. When companies understand each other’s needs, goals, and capabilities, they can innovate together,” she said.
Hertzman added that while fashion f irms are all jockeying for the same top tier production facilities, they have to remember to also be good partners as well. “I think [brands and retailers] are trying to be more meaningful to particular partners in those countries. It’s having projections, keeping the lines busy and having open communication around payment,” Hertzman said, adding buyers need to understand what their suppliers are up against. For instance, expecting 120-day terms while interest rates are steadily increasing leaves facilities with no cash f low, he said.
Antoshak said everyone also has to be realistic and recognize that the seamless operations Chinese factories were able to offer came from decades of experience. The same can’t be expected from production partners in newto-you countries. “In earnest, we’ve only been doing this for two years,” he said, referring to the post-pandemic diversi f ication push. “Everybody wants it to go like that. It doesn’t work that way. It just takes time.”
In order to facilitate seamless operations in the future, Antoshak said brands and retailers have to put in the legwork today. “In the past, people f lew to Hong Kong, people f lew to wherever and spent the time, and they built the relationships, and that’s how you got to where you got. But that was a process that took back then 10 years or longer,” he said. “They’re going to have to make the investment. This is the business model the industry adopted. You can’t phone it in. It isn’t something you can just do across the Internet and expect it to be successful. It’s going to require a human touch.”
Many plus China?
Though USFIA found that 43 percent of respondents sourced less than 10 percent of their apparel products from China and 80 percent plan further reductions, the country remains a critical part of the global supply chain.
“One of the reasons that China is not going away is that China still, at the end of the day, is very reliable, very ef f icient, the needle is great, and it takes a lot less work to get the goods out the door,” Hertzman said.
This relative ease of working in China is one reason why you can’t count the country out. “Not everybody’s running for the hills because it’s hard and it’s slow,” said Antoshak. “I think a lot of countries right now are coming to realize that it’s not that easy to say, ‘Hey, we can make your products. Here it is.’ There has to be some infrastructure around that.”
He also noted another big factor: costs. “Import prices have been kind of falling steadily out of China. It appears as though the supply chain or government subsidies, or whatever it is, ate the tariffs, and prices have continued to fall, and they’ve really fallen a lot this year. And I think that, in part, is contributing to China maintaining its market share,” Antoshak said.
In the meantime, India is gaining steam, according to USFIA. The survey found that nearly 60 percent of respondents plan to expand apparel sourcing there over the next two years. For Hertzman, the
I THINK A LOT OF COUNTRIES RIGHT NOW ARE COMING TO REALIZE THAT IT’S NOT THAT EASY TO SAY, ‘HEY, WE CAN MAKE YOUR PRODUCTS. HERE IT IS.’
reason is clear. “They have the labor, they have the skills, they have the raw materials and they have the capacity. They have the ability to do a diversi f ied product set,” he said, adding the country’s stable economy and government are additional bene f its.
Canada and Mexico are also seeing renewed interest due to USMCA, USFIA said. The trade agreement pushed Mexico into the top 10 nations along with Guatemala and Egypt, the only two other non-Asian countries. Meanwhile, the survey showed that CAFTA-DR countries are stagnating due to the lack of access to raw materials.
With risk at an all-time high, it’s clear the industry needs to lean into diversi f ication, while also adopting new tools and practices to make the strategy effective. Hertzman said the ones that do so will be the winners.
“The ability to create and deliver the product is now becoming the competitive advantage,” he noted. “Inventory management, the ability to replenish quickly, the ability to have less stock outs—all of these things are actually more of what differentiates a company than having the right blue jeans, because everyone has that.”
Jeanologia’s EIM system was once seen as a panacea for measuring a garment’s environmental impact but now new questions are arising about its efectiveness
BY ALDEN WICKER
Established in 1994 and headquartered in Valencia, Spain, Jeanologia is well respected by the denim pros as a pioneer in reducing the environmental impact of denim manufacturing.
Its success speaks for itself — as of 2021, it was reported that over a third of the estimated 5 billion jeans produced worldwide every year are touched by its technologies. Today, Enrique Silla, president of Jeanologia, said that number is now 3 billion jeans.
While it didn’t invent laser technology for denim, Jeanologia’s laser technology, plus ozone technology and other sustainable dyeing and finishing innovations have led to safer and cleaner factories around the world.
Jeanologia has claimed that using its laser and ozone machines can reduce the water needed to produce a pair of jeans to only one glass worth, as opposed to 70 liters. This impressive (and precise) claim stems from an internal software tool that Jeanologia’s Begoña Garcia created in 2009 called EIM (Environmental Impact Measurement) to measure the environmental impact of producing a pair of jeans.
Jeanologia presented EIM at Première Vision in Paris in 2010, making it available to brands and
suppliers. It has since come to dominate the denim industry. Large brands that have requested or required that their suppliers use it include Levi Strauss & Co., H&M, Tommy Hilfiger, The Gap, American Eagle and Calvin Klein.
It was a groundbreaking software tool, allowing a standard measurement of water, hazardous chemical, and energy usage across factories in a user-friendly format, and pushing brands and suppliers away from intensive processes and toward more eficient and environmentally friendly ones.
“Before this tool existed, everybody could say whatever they want,” said Wilson Avalos, vice president of the apparel division at Material Exchange.
“There was a need, but there was nothing out there to measure the environmental impact of garment f inishing,” said a longtime European denim dye and wash expert, who asked to remain anonymous. “And still, quite frankly, there are not many alternatives. It shouldn’t be surprising the brands like H&M, American Eagle all pushed it like crazy.
“But,” he continues, “nobody really considered the limitations of the system.”
Now, EIM has become more controversial, as concerns have emerged about how accurate it is, and whether it’s being used to reduce the denim industry’s impact or just as marketing for Jeanologia.
“I don’t think the industry would have changed without it,” said Neil Bell, a freelance apparel and textile advisor and former innovation lead at Levi’s. “Whether, 12 years on, it’s delivered as expected, is a good question.”
Before Jeanologia introduced its laser finishing machine, the industry standard to create wear and tear and fading on jeans was to use potassium permanganate, an extremely caustic and hazardous chemical that was often used in sloppy, dangerous ways.
“I have got a lot of respect for Jeanologia,” said Bell. “In my time at Levi’s, we were very much promoting the reduction of PP spray, and Jeanologia was a great partner to prove that the use of high-energy lasers can create those white abrasion areas that were desired within a denim jean.”
I THINK THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY WAYS TO GET TO THE GREEN FACE PLAYING WITH THE NUMBERS INSTEAD OF REALLY PLAYING WITH THE TECHNOLOGY, PLAYING WITH INNOVATION, PLAYING WITH THE RIGHT FABRIC
In 2011, Levi’s launched its Waterless denim, claiming based on Jeanologia’s measurements— that each pair of jeans only required one glass of water in production. But Bell said that was more of a marketing slogan.
“If you’re any brand, you maybe have 300 finishes per season,” he said. “Let’s say two or three of those 300 finishes can use one glass of water, but not all of them.”
In 2012, Jeanologia launched a user-friendly platform. Someone at the supplier puts in the particular “recipe” for a style of denim garment, including time, chemicals used, temperature, and other parameters, and the software spits out a score and either a red face, yellow face, or green face. That then is shared with the brand. Large denim brands started requesting all their suppliers use it. In time, EIM became the industry standard.
“There are companies that enforce it and say every development that we make, you have to measure it, and you have to publish the results,” said Avalos. “They might favor one design on top of the other if it has a better score.”
When asked why the big brands like it so much, the dye and wash expert posited two theories. “The first one is noble, which is because, still, it is the only quick and dirty way to assess environmental impact. The other answer that I can give you, which is probably less fair… is that you can manipulate it a little bit better.”
Can We Trust the Data?
Two questions loom over the quality of EIM ratings. One is whether the standards by which Jeanologia is measuring denim production are fair. The other is whether the data being put in is accurate.
“The e fectiveness of the EIM system relies on the benchmarks and on the standards that are set by Jeanologia. It’s something that a machine manufacturer came up with, and they were never really validated by anybody,” the denim dye and wash expert said. “ It cannot be a coincidence that as soon as you use Jeanologia equipment, results are all of a sudden much better.”
In 2015, Silla said, Jeanologia convened a working
group of large brands and suppliers, including American Eagle, Gap, H&M, Bestseller, PVH, Artistic Milliners in Pakistan and Taypa in Turkey, to decide EIM’s standards. Then, three years ago, Silla said Jeanologia invited a “very strict” audit of its four standards before launching EIM 2.0. And its restricted substance list aligns with ZDHC’s.
While we can all agree that using less water, less hazardous chemistry, and less energy is a good thing, Avalos has observed that Jeanologia penalizes a denim style if it uses manual labor instead of a machine. “I don’t think that there’s anything unethical in providing a worker with a way of earning their money,” he said.
But Silla says that the worker impact is not based on manual labor, but processes that impact a worker’s health. “If you are spraying a chemical of concern, then immediately the impact of the worker is red,” he said. “It is not based on the level of automation. It is based on the level of chemistry and the repetitive movement. All this has been decided not by Jeanologia but by the Valencia Polytechnic University.”
More worryingly, several experts told Kingpins Quarterly they have seen how the source data, which is manually input by a supplier employee, can be manipulated to get that coveted green face.
“I think there are way too many ways to get to the green face playing with the numbers instead of really playing with the technology, playing with innovation, playing with the right fabric,” Alberto Candiani, owner and president of Candiani denim, said. “I think it’s way too cheatable and super ficial.”
Candiani still has a good relationship with Jeanologia and has one of its laser machines. But the premium brands he works with, which have a more hands-on design process, don’t request EIM, especially since Candiani has a strong reputation for being environmentally friendly. He says it’s better for mass market brands focused on the ef f iciencies that add up when you’re manufacturing hundreds of millions of jeans.
“There is always a risk that companies might use the EIM system for greenwashing purposes and presenting an environmentally friendly image without making substantial improvement,” the denim dye and wash
expert said. “As a matter of fact, that’s what happens.” There’s no required third-party audit to verify that the numbers put into the system are accurate. “We are not controlling that you are telling the truth,” Silla a f irmed. However, Silla said if Jeanologia discovers that a supplier is inputting inaccurate data, they will be booted o f the platform inde f initely –– and that several have. And because the software is based on blockchain, after data is put in, it can’t be manipulated. Still, several brands have started to require auditing of the data.
Jeanologia’s competitor Tonello has a system called Metro, which pulls data on electricity and water usage directly from the machines. Unfortunately, it only works if you only have Tonello machines.
Recently, some brands such as Levi’s have moved away from measuring the impact of individual jeans to measuring and reducing the water, chemical, and energy usage of entire facilities, especially since many facilities have installed water recycling systems, rendering the amount of water used less relevant.
“ It’s really dificult and takes a whole team of people, an army, to check all the facts and figures per SKU,” Bell said. “If you look at Gap Inc. and Levi Strauss & Co. today in their sustainability reports, you will see that they are measuring water much more at the facility level than the actual SKU level.”
That approach is not without its drawbacks, Bell said. “Are these laundries actually saving as much water as they say they’re saving? Is a consumer more interested in water saving per garment than water saving per facility? That’s also a very big discussion that goes on.”
In the end, the questions surrounding EIM are ones that bedevil the whole fashion industry: How do we accurately measure the environmental impact of fashion and incentivize good behavior? As much as brands try, these are billion-dollar questions that can’t be answered with a marketing slogan.
BY DOROTHY CROUCH
An important, underrated textile resource has been expanding within the apparel industry—particularly the denim segment— and that secret is Egypt. This country is no stranger to the textile industry, as its long staple Egyptian cotton has historically been valued as an important commodity but many players in this region are ready for more.
“Denim is going up, especially if we talk about sophisticated denim, with new machinery and technology,” said Magdi Tolba, chairman of El Obour City, Egypt-based T&C Garments, the collaborative ofering founded in 2010 by Egypt’s Tolba Group and Turkey’s Tay Group. “We have our diamond, which is the long staple cotton. We need to have a finished product by getting the exclusive, expensive brands to produce and consume from Egypt.”
Egyptian apparel exports reached $1.55 billion from January to July 2024, a 20 percent YOY increase, according to Marie Louis Bishara, Apparel Export Council of Egypt chairwoman and president of the Readymade Garment Export Council.
“The future of Egypt is having long staple cotton, finished products and recycled material products,” noted Tolba. “If we can make a strategic plan to make use of such items, Egypt can easily reach $30 billion in the coming five years.”
Companies located in Egypt’s designated free zones are aforded special considerations such as special
taxation and exemptions to promote economic growth. Additionally, under the country’s Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ), products exported to the U.S. from Egypt remain duty free if the goods contain components from Israel.
Eroğlu Global Holding Group broke ground on its $40 million project in Egypt’s Qantara West Industrial Zone in August after signing a contract with the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) in April. Phase 1 of the factory is anticipated to open in January 2025; it will boast 62,000 square meters and add approximately 2,750 jobs to support the production of 7.2 million pairs of jeans annually.
“Transit times to the U.S. and the EU are comparable to those of other Mediterranean countries and significantly shorter for EU customers than for suppliers in the Far East, further reinforcing Egypt’s strategic advantages,” explained Sedat Sualp, sales and marketing director at DNM, the independent fabricproduction Eroğlu Global Holding subsidiary that was founded in 2011 in Damietta, Egypt.
According to Alessandro Moretti Ciacci, sales and marketing director at Sharabati Denim, the 46-year-old company whose factory is located in Sadat City, Egypt, Egypt’s government also supports apparel and denim expansion through infrastructure development.
“In four years, it’s incredible. In terms of roads, there is a diference you can see daily. Roads that were nonasphalt are now five lanes. The highway going from Cairo to Alexandria is now six lanes per direction for cars, plus three lanes per direction for trucks, so nine lanes altogether. In Cairo they are doing more public transport,” said Moretti Ciacci. “They are building a new train—freight and passenger.”
A big push from investments is coming from firms based in Turkey but Egypt is also seeing investment from major players based in India and China. SCZONE has signed agreements worth more than $100 million with firms from China in 2024. Although European suppliers are also exploring options in Egypt, they have been slower to expand there.
MIC Group [Manifattura Italiana Cucirini], the Verona, Italy-headquartered yarn maker, opened Cometex Threads in Alexandria, Egypt, in 2011. Cometex’s aptitude in creating premium yarns combined with the capabilities of other apparel suppliers supports the type of growth necessary to cultivate a potentially booming denim industry.
“The real innovation in Egypt’s denim sector is not just in the final stages of the supply chain but in creating a comprehensive sourcing cluster for denim fabric,” said Tommaso Cumerlato, chief sales oficer at MIC. “The Egyptian denim sector needs to broaden its focus toward Europe, which is currently underexploited in terms of exports compared to its potential.”
Parties that venture into the garment-making sector of Egypt’s apparel and denim segments must also be prepared to share their best practices and skills.
“What is needed is garmenting, but what we need here is somebody who comes and has the idea to bring know-how,” Moretti Ciacci said. “In some cases, you have people coming here simply to use the labor force because of the cost. The best companies are those who are coming to invest and bring knowhow so the entire country grows.”
The focus for many companies in Egypt is currently on producing basic styles with large quantities, as workers hone their craft.
“Egypt suppliers are mostly focused on brands like Levi’s, Wrangler, Gap and Old Navy from the U.S. These brands are placing huge orders of 200,000 pieces a month with a program for a year or six months,” according to Berat Sucu, key account manager with Lotus Garments Group, which was founded in 1994 and is based in Port Said, Egypt.
Although many members of the denim-industry labor force in Egypt are not as seasoned as others, this will change in time.
“As Turkish suppliers move to Egypt, the competition will be a wakeup moment for the Egyptian suppliers. The government in Egypt is lowering the value of the Egyptian pound, which will encourage more exports so costs are going down,” said Sucu. “My message to European brands regarding moving to Egypt is— don’t be late!”
The Egypt-based denim mill is expanding, while embracing responsible systems to produce a clean, green product.
Since DNM Denim began its journey in 2011 in Damietta, Egypt as an investment venture of Turkish f irm Ero ğ lu Global Holding, the f irm has experienced “increased demand thanks to unique product variety, and the quality and service it provides,” according to Sedat Sualp, sales and marketing director for DNM Denim. To further meet the needs of new and existing clients, DNM is currently increasing capacity up to a total of 3.5 million meters/month (up from 2.6 million meters/month), with full operational capacity planned for the end of 2025.
Egypt is becoming an increasingly attractive hub for textile manufacturers thanks to the Qualifying Industrial Zone (QIZ) initiative with the U.S., which exempts garments exported from zones in Egypt to the U.S. from customs duties. The country also
offers lower labor and operating costs compared to other Mediterranean countries and transit times are signi f icantly shorter than suppliers from Asia.
“These advantages have encouraged increased investment in the country’s garment sector, along with the close integration of fabric and garment manufacturers in the same region to further increase ef f iciency and offer faster turnaround times to customers,” said the exec.
Sualp explained that “since its inception, DNM Denim has been characterized by the principle of respecting nature with an environmental production approach.” Taking advantage of Egypt’s sunny climate, DNM has embraced solar and thermal energy usage. This provides greater control over energy supply by reducing
dependence on external energy sources and results in lower energy costs over time—plus contributing to a cleaner, greener environment by reducing carbon emissions. Further, facilities use a ZLD (Zero Liquid Discharge) System to prevent the discharge of industrial wastewater into the environment. “All water used in production undergoes treatment at our plant, achieving a 100% treatment rate,” he concluded.
Vertically-integrated Lotus Denim Group ofers environmentally friendly practices from fabric to finished goods
When it comes to denim, experience matters. At Lotus Denim Group, we bring over 30 years of expertise to every piece we create, ensuring that your designs not only meet your highest standards but also tell a story of quality, sustainability and innovation.
As one of Egypt’s leading denim manufacturers, Lotus Denim Group produces an impressive 1.5 million garments each month. But we don’t stop there. In 2018, we launched of our own denim mill, Lotustex Textile Co., which boasts a capacity of 1.5 million meters of fabric per month. This step toward vertical integration has enabled us to oversee every aspect of production, from the initial fabric creation to the final stitch, ensuring unmatched consistency and quality in our products.
Our strategic location also means quicker lead times and easier access to key markets in Europe and beyond, making us the ideal partner for denim buyers and designers who demand both quality and e f iciency.
At Lotus Denim Group, sustainability is woven into everything we do. We power our operations using solar energy and employ the latest technology to save and recycle water throughout our production process. Our commitment to ecofriendly practices—from using sustainable dyes to minimizing waste—ensures that our denim feels as good to make as it does to wear. Our ultimate aim is to achieve a closed water cycle, where every drop is puri f ied and reused, further reducing our environmental footprint.
Ongoing investment at T&C Garments means expansion in infrastructure, product line and sustainable initiatives
From the first day of business in 2010 as a joint venture between the Egyptian Tolba Group and Turkish Tay Group, growth for Egypt-based T&C Garments has been paramount. The firm is currently in an expansion phase to increase warehouse and laundry space. The efort is to better serve current and future customers.
“Our aim is to make our customers’ jobs and lives easier by becoming a one stop vendor for all needs,” said Erdem Korkut, sales and marketing director for T&C Garments. With a young management team who has a passion for the denim industry, “we make decisions quicker and apply them faster, which we think is valuable in today’s dynamic world,” commented the exec.
Adding new U.S. and European brands to the portfolio is not only about the production of goods, but it proves valuable for sharing knowledge and market experience, with an eye on future plans. The firm produces garments for men, women and children including skirts, shorts, truckers, jackets, shackets, cargos and chinos. Lightweight denim shirts and dresses are currently in the works.
From a sustainability perspective, T&C’s hightech laundry machines work with less water and chemicals, as well as lasers and e-flow (where nanobubbles act as a carrier to transmit chemicals into a garment with minimal water and zero discharge). A recent project recycles 80 percent of water used each day.
Our dedication to innovation is evident in our pioneering e forts, such as being the f irst denim mill to implement the Link-Matic system. This cutting-edge technology decreases yarn waste by more than 85%, setting new standards in sustainable production.
Let’s create something extraordinary together. Visit our booth at Kingpins Amsterdam.
A new solar energy project will allow the firm to produce 50 percent of its electricity locally. A fabric waste recycling initiative is also being implemented. Ninety percent of chemicals used in the facility are environmentally friendly. T&C is also an active participant in Roadmap to Zero and CleanChain, which aim to monitor and control the use of chemicals across the value chain, reducing the industry’s chemical footprint.
