There was a palpable vibe of enthusiasm and positivity at the recently concluded 3rd edition of Denims and Jeans show held in Dhaka. There were 28 manufacturers from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Turkey and Brazil showcasing their latest collections, each confident that they had the right mix of offerings to attract customers and also stand out among the best denim manufacturers in the world. Today, denim has far exceeded its traditional roots as a commodity product for ‘rough and tough’ usage to become a versatile celebrity-backed fashion icon. And manufacturers too have changed their mindset to continuously innovate and keep the fabric relevant and a preferred fabric for every category need, the latest being sportswear.
The organisers were bang on target in selecting the theme of the event – Denim Playground – as almost every manufacturer had on offer denim fabric that was suitable to the active wear category. “There is a very strong athleisure trend which is bringing active wear into the focus with consumers seeking an active and healthy lifestyle. In this scenario, denim which was losing out to other ‘comfort’ clothing has made a strong comeback with fabrics that allows it to be used in categories like yoga wear and jogging pants, previously unheard of… So we wanted to draw the attention of buyers on a whole new area that is being explored in denim to meet this growing lifestyle,” said Sandeep Agarwal, the man behind the well-appreciated show and Founder of denimsandjeans.com.
Conceived and executed as a boutique show with handpicked exhibitors and visitors by invite, the show was well laid out like a running track with props that created the illusion of being on a sports field. The exhibitors were happy with the quality of the visitors, most of who were satisfied with the fabrics that they could see. “Why should I display at European shows when the business is here,” argued Subir Mukherji, Business Head of Bhaskar, India. His company claims to be among the first companies in India to focus on ladies denim, which by default means stretch denim. Subir stressed that ‘innovation and speed to market’ are the key drivers for Bhaskar which produces 40 million metres of denim annually from 2.5 oz to 16 oz in different weaves, textures, blends and colours.
Subir’s views on the importance of being in the Bangladesh market was shared by many of the exhibitors; even Deberoah Turner, Marketing and Product Development Manager, Vicunha Textil Europe with mills in Brazil and claiming to be among the largest and most R&Ddriven denim player in the world observed, “No player in denim can ignore Bangladesh today as it has cemented its position as the jeans manufacturing capital of the world, particularly to Europe.” Today Bangladesh holds 22.88% share in EU and 11.35% in USA denim markets, and since FY 2009-14 denim exports have seen 11.16% growth. Industry watchers expect the country’s denim apparel export to reach US $ 7 billion by 2021. “Denim programs are mostly coming to Bangladesh now, and with the biggest brands in the category buying final products from the country, even smaller value-driven business is slowly taking shape,” reasoned Kamruzzaman Shajol, Merchandising Manager, OBS, the buying arm of the Groppo Coin group of brands.
The buyers who visited the event were happy to note that denim had opened a whole new area of opportunities with knitted denim and woven denim with high recovery properties suitable for active wear. “Denim has become a core product from Bangladesh and even today a majority of the fabric, despite some very good mills coming up in the country, is imported. So as buyers it is imperative for us to keep abreast with what new is available in fabrics worldwide to create new collections for manufacturing in the country and at the event we saw some very good innovations,” said Md. Al-Amin, Fabric Merchandiser-Product Design and Development, Tom Tailor Sourcing Ltd., Bangladesh liaison office. At present, there are 25 factories producing 360 million yards of denim fabrics against its demand of 720 million per annum in Bangladesh. The global demand for denim fabric is about 6.5 billion yards.
Artistic Fabric Mills (AFM), Pakistan which claims to be a leader in stretch denims, was showcasing stretch with high compression technology to offer shape recovery by 3 per cent for active wear denim which offers the freedom of super stretch while retaining a denim soul. “We have designers stationed in New York to give us feedback and new ideas and today active wear is the fastest growing category, so it is a major focus area for us,” said Abid Saboor, Marketing Manager, AFM. Vicunha Europe was also focusing on athletic denim range, offering new technological advancements, creativity and authenticity. The range of stretch denims on display offered improved performance, greater comfort and durability to the wearer. A design-oriented company that brings out trend books three times a year, Vicunha shared that coated looks continue to be strong with various leather effects to offer a cleaner, more urban look. “One can also spot the return to ‘authentic denims’ with raw aspect, and denim with retro-vintage look,” said Deberoah Turner from Vicunha Europe.
Besides stretch and comfort fabrics, the second most sought-after category was ‘sustainable’ denim. “We are promoting ethical clothing in a big way and it was heartening to see so many companies focusing in this area, both in their processes and products,” said Leslie Durairaja, Senior HUB Manager-Sustainable Supply Chain for Bangladesh and Pakistan, C&A Sourcing International. While Vicunha, Mexico has a commitment to work 100% in BCI Cotton, recognising sustainability as the future, KG Denim is also walking the sustainable route as the way forward. “We are taking denim sustainability to the next level and working on what we have termed as ‘advance denim’, which means less water in washing denim, besides using BCI Cotton and organic cotton. We are also approved by C&A for our sustainable efforts,” shared P. K. Ravi Kumar, Marketing Manager, Exports, KG Denim, India.
Under the sustainability concept, LNJ Denim was proudly displaying recycled denim for which the company has been certified by GRS (Global Recycle Standard). “Right from the start we have a vision to be in the high-end niche market and R&D is our core strength. With sustainability the buzz today, we have invested in recycling plant, and brands like H&M are showing great interest,” said Prabir Bandhyopadhyay, CEO, LNJ Denim Business, India. From the RSWM Group, the division founded in 2007 has an installed capacity of 20 million metres per annum and is very upbeat of its wide product range which also includes Athleisure Denims.
Taking recycling to another level Siddiqsons Limited, Pakistan was displaying a complete line of recycled options made from recycled fibre called Crailar yarn. “We are using this bi-product of man-made fibre to create a very distinctive range which is unique to our company and attracting a lot of enquiries,” said Muhammad Ahsan Zia, Senior Manager-Marketing, Siddiqsons Limited. The company believes that servicing the market is an important ingredient to success and most customers ask for sample quantities and technical support as each fabric reacts differently during garmenting and washing process…, for this the company has its own technical team stationed in Dhaka to ensure best client servicing.
Supporting the denim mills around the world with patented chemicals for sustainable production, MKS Devo Chemicals from Turkey, a country that is acknowledged as the best washing destination in denim was promoting ‘Sultan Black’ which is an advance black sulphur dyestuff concept that are compliant to the latest environment and safety directions of the industry. Tunc Tulu Cetinkaya, GM-FT, MKS Devo Chemicals, Turkey sharing his enthusiasm of sustainability said, “Ecological sulphur dyes are catching the attention of retailers/buyers for not only better colour performance but the value they bring to the table in preserving the environment and we are happy that many brands and denim companies who have visited and are exhibiting at the fair, showed interest in understanding what we are promoting.”
Differentiation in a product which was once a commodity is very challenging, but most of the companies had something new to offer. Claiming to be among the few mills in Pakistan to have invested in an in-house waste water treatment plant, Indigo Textiles, Pakistan had on display a very unique weave, which intrigued many visitors. “Many visitors took photos but no one has really understood what we have done and that is where our edge is,” said Shiraz Masood, Director Marketing, Indigo Textiles, Pakistan. With capacity of 1.5 million metres, the focus of the company is on premium denim production from ball warping to finished fabric. Another Pakistani Mill Naveena Denim Ltd. (NDL) was promoting its huge range of denim from the strongest to the softest with 0 to 360 degree super stretch quality. “We have invested in spinning and weaving technologies to offer highest level of creative engineering in denim manufacturing which makes a preferred choice with many jeans manufacturers. This in fact is one of the biggest reasons that we are not forward integrating into sewing, so that our customers can get value from our innovations without feeling threatened,” reasoned Luqman Bin Arif, HOD-Marketing, Naveena Denim Ltd., Pakistan.
Indeed Pakistani mills were a major attraction. Claiming to be the only Green Factory in Denim manufacturing in Pakistan currently, Artistic Milliners, a fully integrated setup, manufacturing 5.5 million metres of fabric and 2 million pieces of garments per month, sells more than a million metres to Bangladesh every month. “We have an office in many countries including Dhaka and are among the few companies from Asia to be showcasing our collections at PV Barcelona every year. Our vertical strength along with global offices in Italy, Spain, Turkey, US help us to be among the best innovative mills in the world, directly competing with Turkish mills that are known for their R&D,” said Khawaja Farrukh Abbas, ManagerMarketing, Artistic Milliners, Pakistan.
Among the pioneers in denim manufacturing in Pakistan and producing 3.5 million metres fabric per month, the Bangladesh office of Soorty was well represented. Boasting of a LEED-certified gold rated jeans manufacturing factory at Comilla-EPZ with production capacity of one million pieces per month, the company is now targeting similar facility in Pakistan. In fabric the core strength of the company is the quality of its fabric, which can withhold the most rigorous of washes and finishing techniques, both physical and chemical with perfection. “We are an integrated unit and among the biggest in Pakistan; our collections are showcased at PV and high-end fabric and garments in line with fashion, and sustainability is our driver for growth,” said Naveed Ahmed, Manager-Marketing & Public Relations (Bangladesh), Soorty, Pakistan.
India-based Ginni International also shared that quality and consistency of product was their key strength. “We are very focused on fabric constructions which allow us to bring new products into the market. We are particularly very strong on dobbies and knit look fabrics. Our development in jogg denim, yarn dyed stripe denim, structure denim, overdyed and peach finish denim, along with multi-colour Neppy Denim have attracte good attention at the event,” said Shreevats Jaipuria, Executive Director, Ginni International, India.
Another Indian company, Nandan Denim was very upbeat of its potential to service the fast growing Bangladeshi market with a wide variety of options in denim. “We are the fastest growing company in denim worldwide with 100 million metre per annum. Our USP is our wide range of fabric coming from our processing house and the ability to tailor make any finish specifically for our customers, which is increasingly becoming a must in a fast moving fashion product like denim,” said D K Jain, Director, Nandan Denim Limited, India.
The fair brought together diverse players from the industry and was a good meeting ground for passionate denim lovers, producers and industry experts. The success of the fair highlighted again the growing importance of Bangladesh in the denim category.
