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Dec 18, 2023

What’s next in denim was on display at Kingpins Amsterdam last week. Mills’ Fall/Winter 2024-2025 fabric collections were filled with visual interest, stretch solutions and concepts with one foot planted in the outdoor market.

Interest in dressier fabrics is growing, especially as more consumers wear denim to work.

US Group showed fabrics with plainer surfaces than the marbled looks that have trended lately. It also showed fabrics with more visible slubs, as well as 2×1 chambray fabrics for tops and bottoms, as well as herringbone and dobby weaves.

While selvedge denim, including hemp-blended versions, targets brands that appeal to denim head culture, the Pakistani mill also delivered on performance-stretch fabrics. The Flexdomme collection featured fabrics with 50 percent stretch, while others were bi-stretch fabrics or made with Lycra Adaptiv for a full range of mobility.

While Arvind presented a collection of authentic denims with comfort stretch and salt-and-pepper looks, it also showed premium dark-wash denim with stretch, quilted denim with a brushed hand feel, comfy knit denim and indigo corduroy that can be washed down like denim.

Jacquard denim, fabrics with woven rainbow stripes and hemp/cotton fabrics with neppy textures were among Crescent Bahuman Limited’s assortment of special fabrics. The mill also presented yarn-dyed fabrics dyed with Archroma’s EarthColors derived from natural sources. Up next, the vertically integrated Pakistani denim company is partnering with FibreTrace on a regenerative cotton pilot, a rep said.

Naveena Denim Mill presented an expansive family of stretch fabrics. The Pakistani mill’s Duramax fabrics feature Lycra Lasting Fit 2.0 technology, providing lasting recovery and a cottonized hand feel. The fabrics can achieve authentic vintage looks and are resistant to heavy wash recipes. With Flex-Ease, the mill offers a wider fit window. The high-stretch fabric boasts excellent recovery and growth, reduces puckering and has a smooth appearance in rip and repair areas.

Naveena Denim Mills also set out to address market interest in thermal regulation. Its Lush fabric range keeps the wearer warm and comfortable all day with a cashmere feel, while Edges offers a soft touch for sport and athleisure styles. The mill’s Coolwaste fabrics use 100 percent textile waste to create cooling performance fibers. Compared with conventional polyester production, Naveena reports that the technology uses 25 percent less CO2 than virgin counterparts.

New linen and wool blends were part of the collection as well. Naveena’s Lino+ concept is made with recycled linen. The GRS-certified fabric provides breathability and moisture-wicking benefits. Lanamax is a wool blend that keeps the wearer warm in winter and cool in summer. The naturally breathable fabric is also wrinkle and stain resistant.

“Real denim” was the focal point for Artistic Milliners, which revisited 100-year-old constructions. The Pakistani vertical denim manufacturer updated classic denim fabrics with sustainable dyeing, fibers and some with 20-25 percent stretch. Special spinning techniques added softness and mechanical stretch properties to other fabrics. The Nippon range culled inspiration from Japanese fabrics, offering loose and comfortable constructions.

The company’s EarthCore collection highlighted biodegradable fabrics made with Tencel, linen, hemp, cotton and Roica V550 by Asahi Kasei, a Cradle to Cradle certified stretch yarn with a Material Health Gold Level certificate.

Fibers in focus

The biodegradable stretch yarn’s presence is growing in the denim industry. At Kingpins, Asahi Kasei presented whole collections made with Roica V550 by Artistic Milliners, Prosperity and Candiani Denim—an early adopter of Roica V550—to underscore how the degradable alternative is being used at scale versus one-off fabrics.

Lenzing focused on smarter applications for existing fibers, especially ways to meet the market’s ever-changing visual and sustainability trends.

Working with mill partners Canatiba, Santanderina and Artistic Milliners to recycle Tencel from their production is one approach. Using Tencel as an alternative to virgin cotton is another. The lyocell fiber producer presented Zero Cotton and Zero Virgin Cotton fabrics from 15 global mills. While zero cotton denim was a niche concept a few years ago, Tuncay Kılıçkan, Lenzing’s head of global business development, denim, said it should be scalable and accessible.

Fiber blends provide a range of possibilities.

ADM is among the mills experimenting with zero-virgin-cotton fabrics made with recycled cotton and Tencel or 100 percent Tencel. Recover branded recycled cotton, produced at its plant, is a fixture in most of its fabrics, however. On average, the Pakistani mill uses 20 percent Recover fiber in its fabrics.

The company also flexed its expertise in garments with a collection that spanned a denim raincoat treated for water repellency to cargo jeans and wide-leg jeans with seam interest and cutouts.

Saitex showed a zero virgin cotton story made with recycled cotton and Refibra, as well as comfort stretch variations that incorporate Roica V550. The Max Recycled collection is where the Vietnam-based mill pushes the amount of recycled content in fabrics (up to 40 percent post-industrial waste cotton) while keeping them cotton based.

Salt and pepper fabrics already shrunk to fit, crosshatch surfaces, left-hand twills and clear coatings added variety to the mill’s F/W 24-25 collection.

Cone Denim’s 100 percent recycled fabric, Bonsai, was well-received. It is the mill’s first post-industrial waste cotton fabric that is GRS certified. The mill also saw interest in light wash denim with a Tencel fill and crosshatch, nodding to a return of early 2000s style denim.

Recover recycled cotton and hemp sourced from Belgium are part of Beximco’s collection. The Bangladeshi mill uses patented technology to cottonize the hemp to achieve a wearable yet natural hand feel. Beximco’s ability to take garments from brands’ and turn them into recycled cotton that can be used for new collections is especially appealing. A rep said clients like M&S and Jack and Jones are considering it as another circular tool in their box.

Brazilian mill Vicunha announced it adding regenerative cotton into its production. The mill is teaming with Scheffer, the first cotton producer in Brazil to receive the Regenagri certification from global certifier Control Union, a group that monitors regenerative agriculture practices.

In addition to regenerative cotton, Vicunha aims to reduce its use of virgin raw materials. The F/W 24-25 Less Cotton combines recycled pre-consumer cotton with Tencel. The mill is also using blends made with recycled and recovered fibers from its production. Vicunha reports that its closed-loop recycled yarn system has recovered and recycled 7,000 tons of cotton every year for the past three decades.

Some products are made from recycled yarn that require no dyeing, resulting in up to a 90 percent reduction in water consumption and chemical usage. The fabrics have a distinctive appearance with nep effects and subtle irregularities, giving a rustically stylish finish to the garments, without the need for industrial washing.

Post-consumer recycled cotton and post-industrial recycled cotton make up Siddiqsons’ Good Natured collection. The Pakistani mill also introduced a range of workwear fabrics that incorporate Dyneema, a fiber known for being 15 times stronger than steel, and created full looks (jeans, shirts and jackets) to spotlight its capabilities as a one-stop shop.

Authentic-looking denim remains the mill’s bread and butter, however. While marble effects have saturated the market, Siddiqsons anticipates that the next big thing will be fabrics with little marbling and noticeable slub character. Additionally, the mill presented Daily Denim, a product range that offers good value for an affordable price.

SM Denim utilizes BCI cotton, recycled cotton, recycled polyester, Tencel, hemp and modal in its F/W 24-25 collection as well as a dye process that uses less water than conventional processes. The mill also infused some fabrics with aloe for antibacterial, comfort and cooling properties.

In addition to 100 percent PFD cotton fabrics, Y2K-inspired pearl coatings, ripstop fabrications, Bossa highlighted recycled linen and recycled cotton blends made with post-consumer waste collected by brands. The Turkish mill presented a cotton and elastane jacket blended with 11 percent recycled linen.

Outside the box

The popularity of trousers, cargo pants and other outdoor-inspired bottoms was evident at the show as many denim mills added non-denim fabrics.

Saitex introduced its first PFD twills and PFD sateen fabrics for bottoms and shirting. The mill showcased the fabrics in a color palette inspired by diverse skin tones. Ecru and PFD canvas are also part of the collection.

The Crossroads Collection, a year-long collaboration between The Lycra Company and Sapphire Finishing Mills, culled inspiration from gorpcore trends. The performance wovens feature several of Lycra’s fiber technologies including Adaptiv, DualFX, Dual Comfort, ToughMax, XFit and Coolmax Ecomade made with 100 percent textile waste.

The resulting collection, spanning trendy ripstop to peached jegging fabrics, caters to a variety of lifestyle, outdoor and performance apparel brands seeking ways to add utility and function to everyday garments. Sapphire showcased the fabrics’ versatility in a garment collection that included a bomber jacket, pull-on leggings, cargo pants, shackets, wide-leg trousers lined with flannel fabric and more.

The Great Outdoors also served as the inspiration behind Cone’s capsule denim collection called Wander. The mill teamed with Maria Gunnarsson, founder of Amsterdam-based AMK Atelier, to develop the camping-friendly range. Garments made with Cone Community Mental Health Awareness cotton selvedge—identifiable by its neon green ID—highlight the mental health benefits of being immersed in nature.

The 13-piece collection spans utility vests, jackets, oversized cargo jeans and a padded vest dubbed “the human warmer.”

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