Over the last decade, innovations in denim were dominated by washes and finishes that gave unique look and feel to the fabric and also to the final product. Of late, mills are now experimenting more and more with various fibres like wool, silk, linen, banana fibre and khadi to meet demand for novel denim creations, besides giving denim differential coatings for a fresh look and added comfort. Denim companies are also working towards greener production alternatives to attract high-end buyers and better prices. These different directions in innovations are at the centre of displays by denim mills from around the world at the third edition of Denim & Jeans show, being held in Dhaka on March 1 & 2 at Hotel Radisson Blu.
At the event, participants from Pakistan, India, China, Brazil and other countries besides Bangladesh are exhibiting their Fall/Winter 2015 and Spring/Summer 2016 collections, as also showcasing their sustainable development initiatives. An interesting feature at the event is Fashionim, a fashion show held on the first day of the event for a select audience where products by a few exhibitors are being displayed. Presentations by international denim experts Adriano Goldschmied and Piero Turk are other attractions for the visitors.
After the success of the previous two editions of the show, its promoter Sandeep Agarwal feels that Denim & Jeans show has become even more relevant to the Bangladesh market given the country’s large scale denim production, innovations and value additions in the fabric. “Recognizing the importance of Bangladesh for denim production, we felt that we could facilitate the denim industry by bringing a platform where key players in the supply chain could come together to share their knowledge and experience, and network with the industry’s stakeholders,” he says.
Key Creations by Exhibitors
Arvind Ltd.-India showcasing Neo & Knit Denims
Arvind Ltd. is known for its innovative product developments such as multi-fibre fabrics that add strength, fashion and comfort. Its latest offering, Neo Denim has a saturated dark blue shade that washes down gradually, giving great contrast at every level and a rich look to the jeans. “The Neo Denim deploys a new way of dyeing, which is more sustainable as it does not waste any water in the dyeing process and maintains a deep dyed look,” shares Anil Kumar, Country Manager-Bangladesh, Arvind Ltd. According to him, sustainability is very important at Arvind and the company is constantly working on reducing its carbon footprint. “We are into organic and BCI cotton cultivation along with other non-fibre/process-related sustainability initiatives such as Neo and Advance Denim. Our comprehensive sustainability initiatives are published in the Higg’s Index,” he adds.
Another interesting development to watch for is the company’s Knit Denim, which moulds to fit body shapes and adds comfort. The fabric combines two methods of construction to give a ‘denim effect’ using knit structures. Cord Denim is yet another captivating new product by the company; it fades more and more over the time and washes down with every wash. It comes in forest shades and blues and behaves like denim during its industrial washes. Other developments include a highly stretchable fabric with extra softness and volume and a high shape retention property. Through incorporation of special fibres and treatments that impart extra suppleness and stretch, this fabric for skinny jeans makes for a highly fashionable product. With a production capacity of 112 million metres per annum, Arvind is investing heavily in developing new and value-added products in the near future rather than increasing its current production capacity.
Soorty Textiles-Pakistan flaunts its Star Product ‘Hipster’
Producing around 43.2 million metres/annum of fabric and 2.2 million garments per month, Soorty is one of the key denim fabric companies of Pakistan. Amongst its many developments is its star product ‘Hipster’, which is a collection of fabrics made using Dual-FX technology. The company is also introducing new developments in cross hatches targeted at the pure denim enthusiasts. “We have some dazzling new hues of indigo like Mediterranean blue and marine blue, and a new black with a deeper, darker shade, which we are exhibiting at the show,” informs Umer Tahir Rana, Manager, Design & Development.
Soorty is taking necessary measures to ensure that its denim is more sustainable. “For the past three years, we have been making fabric collections that include a range of recycled and sustainable fabrics. We have significantly reduced consumption of water at all our plants and have been rewarded for our efforts with certifications like GOTS, GRE, etc. We are taking sustainable development very seriously as it would be a matter of survival for all of us in the coming years,” adds Umer. With the commissioning of its upcoming new unit by mid of 2015, the company claims that it would be the biggest denim fabric producer in Pakistan.
“Recognizing the importance of Bangladesh for denim production, we felt that we could facilitate the denim industry by bringing a platform where key players in the supply chain could come together to share their knowledge and experience, and network with the industry’s stakeholders.” – Sandeep Agarwal
Ha-meem-Bangladesh displaying its entire denim range
Ha-meem, which produces 48 million metres/annum, is exhibiting its entire range of developments from 4.5 oz to 14.5 oz with all varieties of denim such as regular indigo, black, blue black, black blue denim, poly cotton denim, poly cotton stretch denim, cotton stretch denim, ring, slub, ring slub, cross hatch denim, coated and over dyed denim, and flat finish and over dyed denim. “In coloured denim, we are showcasing Reactive Dyeing and Sulpher (yellow, olive, etc). We will go for further expansion in the near future if everything goes well,” informs Shamsul Haque (Babul)-Head of Marketing.
Oswal Denims-India highlighting Knit Denims
Oswal Denim produces both basic and fancy denim like printed denim, soft and silky denim, and organic denim. Amongst its new developments, the highlight at the show is Knit Denim, which is actually woven, but has the look and feel of knitted denim, and offers great comfort due to its stretchability. “We are continuously working on new developments; in fact, sample development is very fast in the industry as now it is survival of the fittest in the denim fabric industry where speed of innovation and development grants success to a company,” says P.G Niyogi, CEO, Oswal Denims. He informs that the company will be installing around 39 looms this year, which would add another 5 million metres per annum to its total production capacity of 50 million metres per annum.
Artistic Mills-Pakistan exhibiting ‘Action Fabrics’ and more
Artistic Mills is launching innovative weaves, constructions and compositions, and a new range of fabrics with remarkable stretch and recovery as part of its activewear line called ‘Action Fabrics’. The range also consists of fibres such as Tencel, Modal, Viscose and Rayon. “Our sustainable line will be a part of the growing green concept. We are following different dimensions and working on green concepts from spinning and processing to garmenting, and we will soon be offering a wide range in the sustainable products category. In the novelty range, which we are displaying at the show, there are some unique concepts, of which, visitors will get a sneak peek,” shares Imran Aftab, Marketing Manager.
The company’s display at the show comprises mainly of their latest Spring/Summer 2015-16 range along with some Fall/Winter 2015 products as well. One of their innovative products is rigid and stretch denim, whose softer feel has been achieved by using certain spinning techniques and not through any expensive fibres, informs Imran. Artistic has a total capacity of 48 million metres per year and garmenting capacity of 22 million garments per year; it is planning to add another 6 to 8 million metres to its fabric production capacity in the next two years.
Ginni International-India unveiling its interesting S/S ’15-16 collection
Showing its S/S ’15/16 collection, Ginni’s highlight product is its Over Dyed Denim Peach Fabric in deep colours achieved with saturated indigos and sulphurs, with a velvety feel. “Another interesting product which we are showcasing is our multi-colour Neppy Denim, which is basically coloured sprinkle denim in rigid and stretch variants,” shares Yogesh Bhatt, Vice President-Marketing. Besides these two key developments, the company is also exhibiting its knit look yarn dyed denim, which is actually woven but has the feel of knits.
Ginni develops close to 100 products a month using different yarns, shades and weaves. It has a dedicated product development cell which works closely with consultants around the globe to come up with innovative products. With a present capacity of 21 million yards/annum, the company is looking at adding another 8 million yards/annum this year.
Mafatlal Denim-India offering eco-friendly ‘Fashion Forward’ denims
Producer of value-added, differentiated and innovative denim fabrics for mid and upper segment international brands like Jack & Jones, Wrangler, Lee, and C&A, and for Indian domestic brands like Killer, Mufti, Spykar and Allen Solly, the company offers over 200 types of denim fabric. Claiming to be a company for ‘fashion forward’ denims, the company is showcasing its 100% cotton, cotton lycra, woven knits and shirting weights in rigid and stretch. Shares Srigopal Jhawar, President & Business Head, Mafatlal Industries Ltd., “Our product development focus is in the use of special fibres and yarns, tightly constructed weaves, satin weaves, and a range of yarn colours, which give a variety of garment washes. At this show, we are not focusing on any particular season, but are showcasing our universal (round the year) collection. Our highlight products are woven knits, a category which is seeing growing demand across markets. Also, Mafatlal will in the future become stronger in the womenswear category.” He informs that the company is making focussed efforts towards producing more eco-friendly and sustainable products for which they are working closely with BCI and using organic cotton. It also has plans for adding 5 million metres to its current capacity of 30 million metres/annum, by the end of 2015-16.
