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For an industry that sells more than one billion units a year,
no one really talks about denim. For a society consumed
with news and data, the denim industry is underserved.
The denim community is rich with personalities and stories.
Some stories that want to be told, some that should be told
and many that are intended to never be repeated.
Rivet Magazine is going to be the platform to share all
these stories.
Unlike our web properties, which are formatted like most
traditional news sites, Rivet, published both digitally and in
print, reflects the creativity and appreciation for detail that
the denim community craves. Just as a great pair of jeans
requires an artistic eye, this publication will be packaged
and designed with that spirit in mind.
Today we process our news as headlines: read on the way
to work, in the elevator and while we stand in line to pay for
lunch. However, not all content is meant to be consumed
this way. Some stories need to be longer; some deserve
amazing photos and illustrations; some should have a shelf
life of more than a few hours.
Rivet is a collection of the hard work, innovation, data,
trends and also the failures and triumphs that make up our
industry. Enjoy it.
Thank You,
Edward Hertzman
From
The
Publisher
EDWARD HERTZMAN
Publisher
ANGELA VELASQUEZ
Editorial Director
CLEO LEVIN
Assistant Editor
MATT VITONE
Contributing Editor
TONYA SCHWOCHERT
Contributing Editor
SIDDIQUE ISLAM
Contributing Editor
TIMOTHY CHAN
Designer
CELENA TANG
Designer
MARCIA SONDEIJKER
Contributing Photographer
JOEL FERTEL
Associate Publisher
MICHAEL CARAVAGLIA
COO, Director of Operations
ERIC HERTZMAN
Director of Business Development
TO CONTACT HMG:
212.967.3065
On the cover: White Oak selvedge, vacation patches by 3x1

JUST DESSERTS
Rihanna and Manolo Blahnik are redefining what it means
to dress as a “rhinestone cowboy” with a six piece
collection of opulent denim heels and boots available
beginning May 5. The Denim Desserts collection includes
the “Dancehall Cowgirl” bootie with crystal designs
inspired by Rihanna’s hand tattoos, an embellished
strappy stiletto and a pointed toe stiletto coated with
iridescent, denim-hued sequins. The showpiece is a
thigh-high stiletto boot retailing for $3,995.
BADGE OF HONOR
Customization has become the new frontier in denim.
Scott Morrison’s 3×1 has led the charge with its
bespoke services, and now the brand is offering a less
expensive way to add some special sauce to jeans
with a line of patches. The limited edition patches come in
themes suited for four personality types: the
rebel, the sarcastic, the optimistic and a vacation pack for
the escapist (as seen on our cover). Patches are
sold in sets of three and are available at 3×1’s New York
store, online and at select retailers for $30.
BLUE BEAUTY
With the help of Instagram and Pinterest, denim-inspired
hair color and “denim smokey eye” have become a
trend for spring. Topshop is adding nails to the mix with
a line of nail polish inspired by six of its most popular
washes. The collection spans summer-friendly staples
like white and pale blue, to a trendy shade of ’70s blue,
to deep indigo.
T H E D I S PAT C H
R I V E T A N D J E A N S . C O M / M A Y 2 0 1 6

Lenzing and Jeanologia
Challenge Conservative
Denim Design
Innovation and creativity go hand in hand in Lenzing’s
and Jeanologia’s new 4S Denim capsule collection.
Based on the core four—softness, stretch, science
and sustainability—the men’s and women’s line was
developed to stir creativity in the industry by presenting
new ways stretch denim can appeal to both the premium
and eco-conscious consumer.
The collection uses denim from Advance Denim,
Atlantic Mills, Blue Diamond, Orta Anadolu and Toray
International.
“We are trying to employ modern fabrics and modern
laundry techniques to innovate and create new ideas,”
said Michael Kininmonth, project manager at Lenzing. “In
the market today you will see indigo styles and non-indigo
styles in stretch constructions, but a lot of the finishing is
quite conservative. We have tried to challenge that via the
themes that run through this collection."
For the collection, Jeanologia Designer Carme Santacruz
used different washes to show how each fabric performs,
both in terms of aesthetics and performance. For
example, Santacruz said, “Three or four years ago,
nobody could have imagined creating men’s fabrics with
30, 40 or 50 percent stretch.” She added, “We’ve created
our men’s styles to look like a traditional vintage jean, but
in terms of touch and how they wear, this line is totally
different.”
The collection in split into three concepts that tap into
ongoing and future trends in the market: Dude
Ranchers, Tech Artisans and Deconstructing Denim.
In Dude Ranchers, Jeanologia and Lenzing revisited
the American West with a blend of subtle fading,
crosshatch and neppy effects created with a laser. In
Tech Artisans, the goal was to create handcrafted looks
culled from textile history with modern technology and
new digital denim tools. For Deconstructed Denim,
Jeanologia examined 20th century artistic movements by
applying Cubism-like laser treatments to women’s skinny
jeans and playing with shading on high-waisted pencil
skirts and matching jackets. –Angela Velasquez
T H E D I S PAT C H

01No.
Bangladesh Denim Expo, the two-day denim trade
show in Dhaka, concluded April 26 with high
hopes to attract more global buyers, particularly
from the United States and Europe, using the latest
sustainable technologies and fashions.
Organizers, exhibitors and buyers expressed their
satisfaction with the expo and how it will help
Bangladesh make its denim business more sustainable
through reducing environmental risks.
“The aim of Bangladesh Denim Expo is to improve the
country’s reputation as a reliable denim manufacturer.
The expo has been successfully doing this and it has
already become a much awaited event in the international
denim calendar,” said Mostafiz Uddin, the show’s
founder and CEO.
Tonello Managing Director Flavio Tonello said Bangladesh
should continue to explore ways to use less water, recycle
water and use safer and cleaner chemicals to facilitate the
overall development of the sector. “It will help Bangladesh
boost its denim exports in the global market,” he
explained. “Producers use less water for better products.
Washing our garment with safer chemicals is important for
the denim business.”
Echoing Tonello, Berke Ayaemir, production development
manager of Orta Anadolu, said there is no alternative
other than to establish a greener denim industry.
Ayaemir said entrepreneurs will have to establish
sustainable practices in order to grow their business.
In recent years, Uddin said more state-of-the-art
“green” denim mills and factories have joined the industry
with outstanding capabilities to meet present and future
market demand.
However, competitive pricing has also contributed to the
growth of Bangladeshi denim exports in the global market
in the recent years. “The exports of Bangladeshi denim
products have increased significantly in the global market
recently due mainly to lower prices offered by the local
producers,” explained Amy Leverton, designer, denim
trend analyst and author of Denim Dudes.
She said Bangladesh is becoming more important
sourcing to the global brands and retailers particularly
from the United States and Europe because a good
number of denim units have already been set up in the
South Asian country.
Attendees also lauded the show’s focus on trend analysis,
saying that it has helped guide them in their designs and
orders. A specially designed trend zone was set up at
the expo to present the latest evolutions and fashion that
will rule the denim world for the next seasons. Leverton
added, “Local denim makers should focus on latest style
to grab greater market share in the Western world.” •
Bangladesh Denim Expo
TALKS SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH
BY SIDDIQUE ISLAM
T H E D I S PAT C H

KATO: A JAPANESE ORIGINAL
MADE IN THE USA
T H E L A B E L

A
part from traditional clothing like the
kimono, perhaps no piece of clothing is
more closely associated with Japan than
a pair of jeans. Denim artisans can work
for years just to perfect the craft of cutting,
sewing, and dying, working with the finest
fabrics to produce something that is elevated to the status
of art. Keeping this tradition in mind, Kato, the namesake
brand of the legendary designer Hiroshi Kato, is bringing
these traditions to American fans, and this year will
expand its U.S. efforts with new innovations in comfort
selvedge denim.
Rivet recently caught up with company representative Yu
Fukushima to chat about the brand’s history, and what
Kato has planned for 2016.
RIVET: Tell us a little bit about Kato for those who
might not be familiar.
Fukushima: Our designer, Hiroshi Kato, launched the
brand in 1999 in Kyoto, Japan. His expertise is in fabric
and wash development, working with the likes of Ralph
Lauren and other well-respected designers and mills
all around the world. This is reflected in our collection,
as we utilize the best and most innovative Japanese
fabrics with soft hand and comfort in mind to create our
garments every season. “Factory Direct” is our concept
with an emphasis on quality and craftsmanship. Kato is
our interpretation of classic, closet staples in modern
silhouettes with vintage inspired design details.
RIVET: Can you give us some insight on how the
jeans are made? What makes them unique?
Fukushima: We make and wash all of our denim in-house
in our factory in Gardena, Calif. Every piece from cutting
and sewing to wash, is done by hand by experienced
“artisans” who are the best at their trade. Our distinctive
fabrics and washes, combined with our attention to
details, from the signature orange accent thread from
Japan, to small design and fabrication details that one
might not notice at a glance, make our garments unique.
RIVET: Why do you think more and more Westerners
are discovering Japanese denim?
Fukushima: I think Japanese denim has been trending
for a long time now in the U.S. It is not really a surprise, as
Japanese denim is synonymous with quality and attention
to detail. Combined with simple and traditional designs,
I think the Western world is discovering Japanese
denim and really falling in love with how jeans should
really be made.
RIVET: There are several respected denim brands
coming out of Kyoto/Kansai region. What is it
about that area in particular that has such a
history with denim? How does Kyoto play a part in
Kato’s designs?
Fukushima: The Kyoto/Kansai region is the historic home
of many Japanese fabric mills and dye houses, especially
indigo. There is a long, rich history and culture of denim
in this region. We merchandise our collection specifically
for the Western market, but we keep Kyoto in the back of
our minds every season. Kyoto is the “old, historic capital”
of Japan and this is from where we draw our inspiration.
Through our collection, we strive for “beauty in simplicity”
that is synonymous with Kyoto, and our goal is to
showcase the wonderful and special quality of Japanese
fabrics to the Western world.
RIVET: Your product is “designed in Japan, made in
the USA.” Is there a difference between Japanese
denim and American (or European) denim? If so,
could you explain?
Fukushima: The major difference between Japanese
denim and American or European denim is fit, as
Westerners and Japanese have different body types.
The interesting thing is, depending on the fabric, a
certain fit may feel and look like a different fit. So our
conclusion was to make fits for the American and
European customer, making minute adjustments based on
fabric. We own our own factory in L.A., so we are always
experimenting with new fabrics, washes and fabrications.
All of our denim, and for that matter all of our fabrics, are
sourced in Japan. Our inspiration, traditional and simple
aesthetic, and our attention to details and quality come
from Japan, and we arrange the wash and fits according
to the U.S. and European market.
RIVET: Finally, can you tell us what’s new for Kato
in 2016?
Fukushima: For 2016, we developed and introduced
a brand new 4-way stretch Kaihara selvedge that
is exclusive to us and made in the USA at a more
competitive price point than anything else in the market.
Aesthetically, it is a traditional selvedge jean, however
the 360-degree stretch makes it an “every day jean” that
can be worn for any occasion. According to our research,
the slim and skinny fits are the most popular now, but
many consumers have some preconceived notions that
they are difficult and uncomfortable to wear. We found
out through numerous fittings and questionnaires that
there was a significant demand for a jean that looked
“traditional/vintage” on the outside but comfortable to
wear. Therefore, we decided to release this 4-way stretch
Kaihara selvege. •
By Matt Vitone

B
ased in Stockholm and launched in 2004,
Cheap Monday has been making cool, well-
fitting skinny jeans for men and women since
back when guys thought it was still cool to
wear oversized denim hanging off your butt.
To be certain, changing trends have helped the Swedish
brand break the U.S. market like never before (sales were
up 60 percent over the last year), but for Selina Vargas,
Cheap Monday’s head of U.S. sales, the focus is still
very much on crafting quality garments for prices most
consumers can actually afford.
RIVET: Cheap Monday is famous for its ‘Tight’ style.
Tell us about it.
Vargas: The first jean Cheap Monday ever designed was
the ‘Tight’ jean, which was made to be kind of rebellious
against the whole premium denim market happening
when we first launched – jeans being sold in the $200
to $300 price point. The founders were against that and
wanted to create a premium product at a lower price
point. So that’s really where the Cheap Monday brand
came from – offering quality fashion denim but at an
affordable price for the average consumer.
RIVET: Most of your styles retail around $100 or less.
How do you make this possible?
Vargas: The [design team] sources the best possible
quality fabric for the price, and try to be very minimal
when it comes to the treatment and the washing, to bring
down the pricing. They have a very conscious approach
to the denim, because the washing and the treatment of
the denim is actually really harmful. All of our fabrics are
made to be comfort stretch, so we do not offer any type of
raw, or non-stretch denim.
RIVET: Skinny jeans have come back in a big way
lately, especially for men. Has this been a good time
for the brand?
Vargas: Absolutely. The brand right now is [having] a
resurgence. The company initially launched in the U.S.
around the end of 2006, beginning of 2007. I was hired
a year ago to help open up their first U.S. office, and for
the past year the focus has been Cheap Monday having
an office here and being able to manage and control the
distribution [domestically] to be sure we’re placing it in
the quality of stores we feel represent the brand properly.
And it’s been great, because Cheap Monday hasn’t been
as present here in the U.S. in the last few years, so we’ve
definitely seen a pick-up now. Due to just the savviness
of the consumer, and them wanting to get the most bang
for their buck, I think that Cheap Monday has created sort
of a niche for itself, [offering] that quality product, but not
needing to pay over $100.
RIVET: You guys have been around for over a decade
now. How has denim changed in that time and how
has Cheap Monday been a part of that?
Vargas: Denim has made many different changes in
the marketplace. I have to say, what Cheap Monday has
actually done is not necessarily change who they are–they
always want to offer a quality product at a price that’s
affordable to the average consumer–but we don’t try to
chase every single trend that’s in the market place. If
you talk about the collection, of course, that’s different,
because that’s always evolving and always changing,
but I think Cheap Monday is just that cool, classic pair of
jeans. For us it’s about what we believe and what kind of
product we’re putting out there as a brand. Our consumer
is creative, and a part of pop culture, and we want to bring
them quality products without overcharging them.
RIVET: You mention Cheap Monday’s conscious
approach to denim. Is the brand doing anything else
to reduce its environmental footprint?
Vargas: One of the things Cheap Monday is doing
now, and this goes back to the brand’s roots, is being
conscious of our impact on the environment. And so we’re
offering organic denim. About 50 percent of our denim
for Fall ’16 will be organic. It’s one of the new initiatives
we’re working on, and by 2017, 50 percent of the entire
collection will be in organic cotton.
RIVET: What’s new for Cheap Monday in 2016?
Vargas: For 2016 one of the things we want to focus on
is what we’re good at. And as a collection, sometimes
it’s really difficult, because I think a lot of collections try
to be good at everything, and you get really lost when
you’re unable to focus on what you’re good at. And what
we know that we’re good at is obviously denim, so that’s
a given, but we’re also fantastic at outerwear and we’re
fantastic at knitwear, so we’ve really focused the design
team on offering quality, well-designed jackets and
knitwear. I think those are two of the biggest categories
that will stick out when you see the collection this year.
It’s a very Scandinavian approach when it comes to the
collection. Very classic in silhouette, but we’re always
trying to offer that edgy detail or trim. That small, minor
detail gives it that Cheap Monday feel. •
By Matt Vitone
WHAT'S DRIVING CHEAP MONDAY'S
RESURGENCE IN THE U.S.?

laire Lampert and Stacy Daily,
founders of online vintage shop Where I Was From, have
a taste for cool denim. On the site, you can find classic
pieces with creative wear-and-tear that makes them all
the more enviable—torn pocket 501s, hand-stitched
patchwork Wranglers and a pair of 519s worn to shreds.
The site is a combination store and creative studio, and
the two functions come together as each item is shot for a
lookbook or as part of an editorial.
Where I Was From’s latest brand is called B Sides: clean
and minimal patchwork jeans made from repurposed
vintage styles. Since going to market this spring, the
brand has developed close collaborations with three New
York boutiques: Assembly, No.6 and Oroboro. B Sides will
soon launch internationally with 15 retailers. Rivet asked
Lampert and Daily a few questions about making and
selling their vintage denim duds.
RIVET: Where do your buyers go to look for
vintage denim?
Lampert: The Southwest regularly, and occasionally
in other parts of the country. Once we came across an
amazing collection in Minnesota, of '50s and '60s Levi’s
an old hippie had stashed away. We believe the story
starts with the sourcing, an attribute you can really feel
in the jeans.
RIVET: What are the difficulties of selling vintage
clothing online?
Lampert: Once it’s sold, it’s sold—difficulty is in
the inventory.
Daily: And in addition to having edited inventory, the
biggest hurdle is with our sell-through versus the speed
By: CLEO LE
C
VINTAGE
T H E R E TA I L E R

EVIN
we can bring pieces to market. We invest in each piece
that we collect, style and shoot, and turn through
inventory relatively quickly. We tend to have a ‘sold-
through’ perception for our clients which is both
exciting and frustrating.
And then there is the difficulty of letting go. Claire and
I have a few pieces that will stay with the studio. A
handwoven Grecian gilet that is best worn inside out
to expose the vertical trapunto; an ancient comb our
photographer brought back from Ecuador that sits with
tiles we collect on our travels; and a few of the original
jeans we collected on our first run to the Southwest,
some black flags, shredders and overdyed violet gams.
RIVET: Who does the handwork on the
B Sides jeans?
Daily: The vintage denim is collected in the Southwest
and hand-worked in our New York studio. We carefully
consider the silhouette and provenance of the original
jean and make every effort to not disrupt them in our
design. It’s a lo-fi approach, which is more interesting to
us than chasing trends. We do the handwork and fretwork
ourselves in the studio and work with a group of artists
and local sewers to re-construct the jean.
Lampert: The beautifully worn denim is approached
with a keen vision on construction–resulting in a modern
interpretation of traditional patchwork.
Daily: The mark of the brand is made in our studio from
a piece of repurposed leather vachetta strapping, shop
scraps from friends in The Springs on Long Island
who are apron and bag makers. Each piece is hand-
tooled and hand-stitched into the back waistband with
natural cotton yarn. •
MINERS
By: Cleo Levin

ITAL
TO
BY:ANGELAVELASQUEZ
T H E M I L L

March, Italian denim mill Candiani celebrated the grand opening of its
Los Angeles Design Center. The facility, located on South Hope Street
in downtown Los Angeles, houses a small laundry and a development
area where Candiani will research and create new innovations in fabric
and washing for the premium denim community. As one of the world’s
most sustainable denim mills, Candiani aims to set a new standard
in sustainable practices in the denim city. The laundry will consume less water than any
standard dry cleaner in the L.A. area.
About 37 percent of Candiani’s overall business takes place in the U.S. With new
opportunities to work with local designers and brands, Candiani Global Manager Alberto
Candiani expects the mill’s U.S. segment to grow, saying, “The Design Center will help
to make our fabrics more present and more used in our customers’ lines. Furthermore
[a strong U.S. dollar] is finally allowing us to be more competitive.” Rivet caught up with
Alberto Candiani and found out how the Design Center further cements Candiani as a
go-to partner for premium denim brands and what the mill hopes to achieve at its new
California home.
CANDIANI PLANTS ROOTS IN CALIFORNIA
LY
O
IN
L.A.

RIVET: Why was it important for Candiani to open a
center in the U.S.?
Candiani: For many years now L.A.-based brands have
represented over 30 percent of our business. L.A. brands
are generally more excited about fabric innovation than
the rest of the world. Our Design Center will be the perfect
place where brands can explore our latest innovations in
the most sustainable way. Over 15 years ago, Candiani
played a big role in the emergence of the L.A. premium
denim industry. It all started with our fabrics, and we
intend to maintain our position and identity as the best
high-end denim supplier.
RIVET: In terms of innovation and design, what is
L.A. lacking?
Candiani: L.A. is lacking technological and sustainable
evolution. Some steps have been taken lately, but the
whole industry is going to move much more in this
direction in the future. Of course it takes big efforts and
investments, but L.A. is still one of the denim capitals of
the world, and has to lead it.
If we are able to give this push toward more sustainable
practices in L.A., we will raise the bar of global premium
denim—big time.
v a r i a n t 2

RIVET: What are some of the design
center’s capabilities?
Candiani: We wanted to differentiate our offering in
such a small and competitive market as L.A. Ideally we
would make exclusive fabrics all the time for all of our
customers, but unfortunately that is not always possible.
However, at the Design Center we will be able to work on
exclusive interpretations and custom-made looks.
The design Center is where fabric meets wash, or
better, it’s where the "magic" happens, and the designer
becomes the “wizard.” Together with the designers we can
guarantee exclusivity and diversification.
The truth is that we know our product better than anybody
else, and our Design Center is there to share with the
customers the best and most environmentally-friendly way
to use these fabrics. Each workshop result will be kept
secret with the customers, and we will share with them all
the details and information about the developments we
made together, so that they can replicate the process and
achieve the same effect at their own facility.
RIVET: Is the L.A. center the same as your
center in Italy?
Candiani: After we saw the success of our Design
Center in Italy we decided to create a fully
“interconnectable” twin structure in L.A. because the
U.S. market represents an important share of our
business. The facility in L.A. reflects Candiani’s core
values: made in Italy, innovation and sustainability.
And like the one in Milan, it is the perfect place to
work on exclusive and custom developments with
our clients, starting from a deep knowledge of the
fabric and all its potential once it gets washed and
transformed into a pair of jeans.
RIVET: Water is a big concern for California.
How are you addressing water conservation at
the center?
Candiani: Absolutely, this is also one of our biggest
concerns at the mill, especially when it comes to
indigo dyeing. Of course we won’t have this issue at
the Design Center in L.A. since we’re not producing
fabric there, but as we will be washing there. All the
laundry machines are from Tonello and Jeanologia,
which are the most advanced in saving water. We
are proud to say that if everything at the Design
Center is working at full capacity, the amount of
water consumption of the facility will be less than 50
percent of a standard downtown dry cleaner.
RIVET: In terms of design, what do you hope to
achieve at the L.A. design center?
Candiani: Having such a strong partnership with
our main suppliers Tonello and Jeanologia we will
always have the latest technology and laundry
techniques at the Design Center. We will also teach
our “less is more” concept, taking full advantage of
every single fabric to achieve many different looks in
the cleanest way possible.
Also, we will have some of the Italian technicians
coming over regularly in order to bring and share
inspiration, know-how and manual technique to the
L.A. facility. The goal is to diversify and differentiate
our customers image, supplying everything they
need from fabric to treatments in order to strengthen
their product and to reinforce their identity.
RIVET: How are your U.S.-based customers
different from your European customers?
Candiani: The U.S. brands are more receptive
when it comes to innovation and fashion trends,
the Europeans are more into sustainability and
treatments. Now that these two things are coming
together I see a massive opportunity to link them up,
and think that Candiani is perfectly placed to be a
significant part of this. •

Jonathan Cheung, Levi’s head of design, talks Cone Mills
one and Levi’s are the bread and
butter of American denim. The
partnership began with the “Golden
Handshake” in 1915 when Levi’s
obtained the exclusive rights to Cone’s Shrink-to-Fit denim
for the production of its 501s.
The 501 has since become a cultural icon that’s been
worn by everyone from rock stars to cowboys.
Cone now works regularly with the brand on developing
new fabrics and recreating past designs for Levi’s
Vintage Clothing.
Rivet spoke with Jonathan Cheung, Levi’s head of design,
about Made in America, denim’s influence on high fashion
and the future of jeans.
RIVET: What qualities does Cone represent to you and
how do these qualities enrich Levi’s products?
Cheung: Authenticity. Levi’s and Cone. It’s the source, the
mother dough. A partnership that’s been in place for over
100 years. Built on trust, built on quality.
RIVET: In what ways are Cone and Levi’s cut from
the same cloth? How do the two entities complement
one another?
Cheung: Haha… they are literally cut from the same cloth
aren’t they?
They are both great American companies who have
defined the most iconic piece of clothing in human
history—the denim jean. But let me tell you a little story
about a conversation I had with Brad Johnson [group
manager at International Textile Group, Cone Denim
Division] the last time I was down at White Oak. He’s
someone I hold in great respect. One evening, after
work, I asked him what was it about Cone that meant the
most to him.
By: Cleo Levin

(continued) After taking a pause, he replied, “You know,
it’s about people. It’s about the people.” I think that says
everything about the company, and Cone’s history and
culture.
A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed some design
students of different nationalities and asked them what
their perception of Levi’s was. They all replied that they
believed that Levi’s is intrinsically a company that ‘does
the right thing.’ They spoke about Levi’s record on
equality, workers’ wellbeing and sustainability. You can
draw the parallels with Cone right there.
RIVET: What does Made in America mean to Levi’s
today when apparel manufacturing is increasingly
moving overseas?
Cheung: It’s a living, unbroken link to our heritage. When
you watch those Draper looms shimmy on the wooden
floors at White Oak and watch them throw those shuttles
back and forth to create the special XX denim for the 501,
it’s magical and incredibly special.
RIVET: What have been some notable product
collaborations with Cone in Levi’s history?
Cheung: We work together every season to develop
special fabrics together. Levi’s Vintage Clothing (LVC)
develops historical reproductions of our denim at White
Oak. There’s a gorgeous, lightweight loomstate denim out
this spring that was specially developed for LVC. Then this
fall, we’re launching something historic in our Shrink-to-
Fit denim with Cone. Something that’s never been done
before on Shrink-to-Fit. As it’s coming out this fall, I’ll hold
off from speaking about it too much, but I’ll tell you this
much, it’s beautiful.
RIVET: Apart from its history, what makes White Oak
selvedge a special product to design with?
Cheung: It’s just a beautiful fabric. It wears really well
and looks better with time. I’ve not seen a White Oak
denim that wasn’t gorgeous. And selvedge is just such
a practical, common sense, utilitarian design. It’s just
wide enough to make a pair of jeans with. Nothing more.
Beautiful in its simplicity of thought.
RIVET: In what ways do you think Cone and Levi’s
have inspired other brands and designers?
Cheung: You can see the influence trotting down the
catwalks this year. Designers like Demna Gvasalia
for Vetements and Virgil Abloh’s Off-White are literally
using old Levi’s in their collections. I think the 501 is the
designer’s jean. All the fashion designers I know hold it in
THE 501 HAS SINCE
BECOME A CULTURAL
ICON THAT’S BEEN
WORN BY EVERYONE
FROM ROCK STARS TO
COWBOYS.

the utmost respect. It’s the ultimate, affordable design
classic. And if you look at other brands that sell jeans—
well, you can see the 501’s DNA right there. Levi’s and
good old red-cast XX denim from Cone.
RIVET: How knowledgeable is the Levi’s customer
about denim and its origins? Do you think that the
Levi’s customer is conscious of the fabric used in his
jeans? Is this a growing trend?
Cheung: The customer is pretty knowledgeable and
growing in knowledge all the time. It’s definitely a growing
trend to know the background of the products that you
buy. Whether that’s coffee or your jeans. In a world of
almost unlimited choices, the choices you make are more
important. People increasingly place value on companies
that share their values.
RIVET: What has made denim an ongoing important
part of American style?
Cheung: I’d like to look at it from a slightly different angle
and say that denim jeans, and by that I’m talking about
the Levi’s 501, is America’s greatest contribution to style.
Full stop. Period. I can’t think of anything in the history of
clothing that’s been so influential. Why did that happen?
It’s partly to do with timing—jeans exploded in popularity
postwar, just when the USA emerged as a cultural
superpower.
So jeans were adopted by rock stars and actors and
represented freedom of expression, counterculture and
cool. That cultural connection is still going strong—if
anything there’s been quite a resurgence.
RIVET: Denim is closely tied to history and nostalgia,
but how do you see the next generation changing or
influencing denim for the better?
Cheung: The future belongs to the young. I have every
confidence that the next generation will make denim
better. They will introduce new technologies, new
innovations and make the production of denim more
sustainable than ever. They’ll shake things up,
and they should.
RIVET: What is your favorite Cone item you own?
Cheung: That’s a tough one. I wear 501s made with
Cone denim most days. There’s a pair that I have that
are around 20 years old—these Cone denim, Made in
the USA 501s became my wife’s jeans when she was
pregnant with our first child. I still wear them. I reckon we
can do another 20 years together. •

D e n i m m i l l s a n d b r a n d s p u l l e d b a c k t h e c u r t a i n a t B l u e p r i n t ,
t h e t w o - d a y B - t o - C d e n i m f e s t i v a l a n d m a i n e v e n t o f A m s t e r d a m
D e n i m D a y s , A p r i l 11-17. O r g a n i z e d b y t h e H o u s e o f D e n i m i n
c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h M o d e f a b r i e k , K i n g p i n s , H T N K F a s h i o n a n d
t h e c i t y o f A m s t e r d a m , B l u e p r i n t p r o v i d e d a n o p p o r t u n i t y f o r
c o n s u m e r s t o d i s c o v e r d e n i m i n n o v a t i o n s a n d c r a f t m a n s h i p a n d
m i n g l e w i t h t h e i n d u s t r y. — A n g e l a Ve l a s q u e z

No.
HelloAmsterdam
The Good
“Everyone is saying the glory days for denim are over, but we just have to
focus on creating solutions for the end user and pull them back to denim,”
said Ebru Ozaydin, Calik head of sales and marketing.
Invista reported that 78 percent of consumers surveyed expressed interest
in purchasing a winter jean that could help keep them warm. At Kingpins
Amsterdam, the company debuted two new technologies aimed to fill that
demand, Thermolite Infared and Thermolite Dual Layer.
Thermolite Infared technology is solar-activated by the sun or artificial light
using Near Infrared (NIR) yarns. The yarns absorb the NIR rays to raise the
temperature of the garment, keeping the wearer warmed by two degrees
Celsius. Thermolite Infared is also designed to reduce drying time.
Theromolite Dual Layer is based on a patent fabric construction that creates
open spaces within the fabric, trapping air to help keep the wearer warm. The
fabrication is slightly thicker, but it is lightweight and offers insulation close to
fleece-level warmth.
Calik, much like the rest of the denim industry, is in the midst of a renaissance.
The mill split its A/W 2017-18 collection into 13 lines that fall under six umbrellas
of product, or solutions: performance, true denim, aesthetic, functionality,
sustainability and touch and feel.
Four-way stretch has become a ticket for denim to enter the activewear
scene, but mills are discovering that more innovation is needed to perfect the
fabrication. Last season, Calik rolled out Elastech, a fabrication developed to
eliminate the headaches and limitations of stretch denim, including puckering
By Angela Velasquez
The third edition of Amsterdam Denim Days (April 11-17) began with Kingpins Transformers,
the conference series devised by Kingpins Show Founder Andrew Olah to draw attention
and bring solutions to the denim industry’s environmental and social challenges. The
conference’s theme, “Garbage: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” examined ways to reduce
waste, yet it also served as a metaphor for the remainder of the week as mills unveiled their
Autumn-Winter 2017-2018 collections at Kingpins Amsterdam (April 13-14). There was plenty
of “good,” from Tonello’s collaboration with Candiani to make chemical-free Safe Garments,
to Berto’s beautiful “Indigo Gentleman” collection, yet it remained clear that there was plenty
of “bad” on the sustainability front that mills need to suss out as experts revealed the “ugly”
side of the denim industry.

No.
and shrinkage. The Turkish denim mill is following up that
solution with Curve, an innovation for women’s skinny cuts
that works like a makeup concealer hiding the wearer’s
flaws.
Curve technology blocks extreme stretch-out along
the weft while creating a push-up effect for the bottom
without sacrificing comfort. The innovation also eliminates
unflattering creases along the back and puckering
lengthwise along the inseam.
Candiani is famous for its refined and authentic denim, but
the Italian mill has placed an emphasis on creating “new
dimensions of stretch” with a trio of elastic constructions:
Warper, Sling 360º and Shaper-X for A/W 2017-18. With
Warper, Candiani changed the conventional direction of
elasticity from weft to warp, focusing on the stress points
of a jean, like the knee, waist and back area. The elastic
warp allows the fabric to follow the body’s movement,
offering the wearer greater freedom of movement and
offering designers more elasticity to explore a whole
new realm of designs and fits. The rigid weft, meanwhile,
facilitates distress treatments to guarantee an authentic
vintage denim look.
The mill applied its premium stretch technology, Sling, to
both the weft and warp in its range of Sling 360º denim
designed to ease mobility. The fabric’s 4-way elasticity
is finished with a treatment that creates control of the
elasticity and low growth. Meanwhile, the mill is offering its
most flexible yet stable stretch denim fabrication
Vintage blue by ADM, eco-friendly trims by YKK and refined
details by Berto tell a dynamic A/W 17-18 story. , quis nostrum
exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam,

No.
A m s t e r d a m Kingpins
with Shaper-X, which guarantees overall shrinkage
below five percent.
“Stretch needs to perform. It can’t bag out,” confirmed
Jack Mathews, Artistic Denim Mills (ADM) director of
sales and marketing. Over 95 percent of ADM’s collection
is stretch denim. The mill has stopped showing separate
men’s and women’s collections because there is so
much crossover.
Mathews says the demand for stretch fabric and denim
with a “peach skin hand” continues to come from the
premium end of the denim spectrum, however, he says
there’s interest in 100 percent cotton, spurred on by the
Generation Y-led trend for marble-looking denim and
vintage weights.
Not enough can be said about consumers’ demand
for comfort, stretch and variety. Part of Berto’s three-
part collection for the season included denim for
the workplace—a concept that presented refined,
professional indigo attire with an emphasis on yarns
like Lycra Dual FX. “People get bored,” added Berto
Marketing Manager Arianna Morimando. The mill also
presented denim in a Pitti-perfect collection with
dandy-inspired styling and a collection that revisited
denim’s roots with heavier weights.
Cone continues to see interest in nostalgic
fabrications, including denim with ’70s and ’80s
mid-tones, reported Kara Nicholas, Cone Denim
vice president of product development and
marketing. To offer the best of both the vintage
and athleisure worlds, the mill is adding stretch to
the throwback fabrication, but in a way that ensures
the maintenance of its authentic look. The mill also
expanded its Natural Indigo Collection featuring
indigo produced in Tennessee by Stony Creek
Colors to include wide-width fabrics, Tencel blends
and higher stretch denim for A/W 2017-18. The
collection maintains the original true indigo shade
from the initial selvedge collection, but with added
comfort.
For the athleisure-minded consumer, Calik debuted
Knitrogene, a knitted fabrication with a traditional
denim surface including twill lines but with a plush-
like interior feeling. For the consumer in search of
true denim, the mill launched D’Enovated, a line of
rigid and comfort stretch denim with vertical slubs,
subtle cross-hatch and salt and pepper effects.
The line offers the orange peel look some
Millennials and Generation Y consumers are
discovering for the first time.
Denim designer Roy Slaper and Artistic Fabric and
Garment Industries (AFGI) presented an exclusive
collection made at AFGI’s factory in Karachi,
Pakistan. The Roy x AFGI Collection was designed
and created to showcase the mill’s new fabric
developments and garment-making capabilities. For
the line, Slaper focused on authentic American fits
and washes with details like back knee whiskers.
AFGI Director Hasan Javed said the line is more
American than the rest of the mill’s collection, which
tends to skew European. Javed added that it was
important for AFGI to have someone like Slaper help
show the rest of the industry what its fully-vertical
facilities can achieve.
Retro and Americana color stories were rampant
at the show. Prosperity introduced Sweet Indigo,
a purple retro tone derived from sugar. ADM calls
its vintage shade Parliament Blue, a color that

No.
Mathews said ties back to the ’70s look comprised of
wide flare legs and frayed jeans. The shade is bright with
limited yarn character.
Mills reported that black is coming on strong for A/W
2017-18, as well as shades of gray. Prosperity debuted
a new gunmetal, a darker option than what was trending
for S/S 2017 for the winter season. Cone also introduced
black back selvedge.
Green was top of mind for companies like Tonello, which,
in partnership with Candiani, presented a new sustainable
collection called Safe Garment. The chemical-free
collection just uses some pigment for effect and water
brush for added brightness. “When you start with a good
base like Candiani denim, you can do great things,” said
Alice Tonello, the garment finishing company’s marketing
and R&D manager.
At Kingpins, Archroma, Garmon, Lenzing and Royo
presented a project to produce denim garments based
on the most efficient possible use of resources. Archoma
quoted a study that declared that 1.8 trillion liters of water
are consumed monthly in the production of jeans. In order
to try and save the most water and energy and reduce
waste, Archroma used its Advanced Denim technology.
The process requires only one impregnation of the yarn in
the dyebath, using only a small volume of coloring liquor.
The process also fixes 100 percent of the applied dye
on the fiber, eliminating the need to consume more water
washing off the unfixed dye.
Advanced Denim allows water saving of approximately 90
percent compared to standard indigo dyeing applications.
Miguel Sanchez, Archroma head global business
development, segment denim and casualwear, explained
that the issue with the consumption of water is not only
the waste, but also the pollution from the effluents that
may contain different chemical species that might even be
hazardous and require special water treatments.
YKK set out to remind attendees that they are a source
for more than “just zippers” with a new line of rivets
customized with eco finishing. The line is the perfect
punctuation to collections focused on sustainability. The
chemical-free trims are made with standard materials, but
their appearance is altered by applying different levels
of water, heat and salt to the finishing process. Others are
baked for a longer period of time for a darker appearance.
“Even the smallest part of a jean can be eco-friendly,”
pointed out Simone Herbig, YKK account manager. “We’re
a big manufacturer, so we should pay attention to the
environment.”
Diamond patterns, neppy effects, glitter,
paint splatter, rip and repair and traditional
tie-dye are among the themes for A/W 17-18.

No.
Trash Talking
If there is any doubt that the waste produced by the
global fashion industry is having a real effect on the
ecosystem, Terry Townsend, a consultant on cotton-
related commodity issues, had this fun fact to share at
Kingpins Transformers: Polyester has existed for just 60
years, but scientists have discovered bacteria that eats it.
“Nature has evolved to digest something that didn’t exist
that long ago. If it eats polyester, what else does it eat?
Life-forms have evolved to feed on this food source.”
Garbage was the hot—and gross, steaming, stinking—
topic of conversation at Kingpins Transformers in
Amsterdam, the conference series devised by Kingpins
Show Founder Andrew Olah to draw attention and bring
solutions to the environmental and social challenges the
denim industry encounters. The conference’s theme,
“Garbage: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” examined
ways the industry can reduce waste and confirmed
what many influential people in the industry have been
alluding to in recent seasons: the need for an industry-
wide association that acts as a political unit to tackle
sustainable issues.
At the seminar, Olah broke it down in a very cut-and-dry
manner, asking attendees, do you use paper towels or
the electric hand dryer? “If we don’t know how to dry our
hands, how are we going to solve problems in the denim
industry?” he asked.
“Sustainability is contra to fashion’s agenda,” said Haysun
Hahn, New York City-based trend forecaster and the
keynote speaker at the event.
In her presentation, Hahn said it is a natural tendency
for humans to want new and innovative things—that’s
evolution—and up until now it’s been up to the fashion
A m s t e r d a m Kingpins

No.
industry to help fuel that addiction. However, Hahn says
designers are losing their grip on reality by pandering to
celebrities and producing $3,000 sweatshirts. “We don’t
care what designers are doing because it doesn’t apply
to us,” Hahn explained.
As fashion designers lost their influence over consumers,
fast fashion swooped in. Hahn reported that from 1999
to 2009, the volume of textile trash rose by 40 percent,
partly due to the rise of inexpensive fashion.
Now, fashion is moving toward vintage, upcycling, and
classic styles—a sign of a weak fashion cycle, possibly—
but it is also an opportunity to reconsider the true
meaning of garbage. “I believe in garbage because it will
be the thing that helps us produce more wisely,” Hahn
said. “People want more. They want and need more stuff.
We have to be there to help circulate that stuff.”
Bossa General Manager Sedef Uncu Aki agreed, saying,
“Don’t think of waste as an unwanted burden, look at it
as a resource.” As the population grows and the middle
class expands, Uncu Aki reported that the world will
encounter even greater waste generation. “Steps need
to be taken to make our linear economy, that
takes, makes and disposes, into one that is more
circular,” she said.
“Reuse always needs to come before recycling,”
said Paul Dietzsch Doertenbach, head of
marketing and sales for I:Collect, a retail take-
back system for unwanted clothing and footwear.
The company is pushing for closed loop recycling,
like the procedure it has in place with H&M. The
retailer incentivizes consumers to bring unwanted
denim products to their stores, I:Collect sorts
items manually based on over 300 points of
criteria and then sells remnants back to spinners
for H&M.
Doertenbach reported that just 15 percent of
unwanted textiles in the U.S. are collected. In
comparison, 75 percent of unwanted textiles are
collected in Germany. Part of the struggle, he
says, is logistic costs. “When we started in 2010,
Orange peel,
vintage washes,
stripes, batik,
contrast stitching
and opulent
patchwork
adds visual
interest.

No.
"If we don’t change the way we dye denim, my
grandchildren will be wearing something else."
our services were available to all stores, small or large,
but logistic prices are volatile and go up and down. When
we had contracts with small stores, we had to increase
logistic costs and pay more, and it broke down our whole
business model,” Doertenbach explained.
Today, I:Collect works with small-scale stores on a
country-by-country basis. Germany is possible, but
France is still too expensive. “That’s just one of the
challenges we need to get our heads around. We’re
always talking to UPS and DHL to get them to share our
mindset,” he continued.
Cost is the crick in most sustainable efforts. Brent
Crossland, Bayer CropScience head of fiber development
for cotton and seeds, considers sustainability to be a
byproduct of the extreme pressures cotton farmers are
under to stay in business—not a priority.
“For me, it’s more about survival than sustainability…
Cotton farmers can’t control their price, but they can
control their input costs, and they are adopting new
technologies to create a whole lot out of a little. Our
farmers don’t recreationally spray with pesticides, they
manage their input costs to the penny, so by definition
they are becoming more sustainable, and those who are
not are going out of business,” Crossland explained.
Discussions about reducing garbage naturally led to talk
about transparency and the discrepancies between what
one mill to the next considers to be sustainable practices.
Alberto De Conti, Garmon chief marketing officer,
summed it up best when he said that when it comes to
sustainability in the denim industry, the sector doesn’t
have a dominate point of view. He quipped, “We just
have a lot of points of view.”
Last year Garmon placed a major emphasis on the launch
of new responsible chemicals created for the denim
market. One year in, De Conti says sales are not even in
the double-digits compared to the rest of its chemicals.
“As a chemical company, we can’t follow every brand’s
sustainable approach. Everyone has their own approach
that they promote and believe to be the best,” he
explained.
Miguel Sanchez, Archroma’s global head of business for
denim and casualwear, said the use of non-hazardous
chemicals and the adaptation of better application

01No.
For example, Townsend quoted a figure from a 2015 CSR
Asia article that read, “65 million tons of cotton fiber fills
landfills per year.” Townsend said, “That’s impossible, we
don’t create that much cotton to begin with.”
On the flip side, Antoshak said the cotton industry needs
to be more focused and aggressive with its message to
consumers, and it hasn’t in the last 20 to 25 years. “This
generation doesn’t have a nasty perspective like we do
on synthetics, and that is all the more reason for cotton
to remind them of its history and how sustainable it can
be, especially for small brands to distinguish themselves
in a crowded market,” he explained.
Olah said very few companies in the denim industry
are interested in being transparent. However, Artistic
Milliners Director of Sales and R&D Omer Ahmed said
Millennial consumers are asking for more information. He
expects brands will be forced to pull back the curtain.
“In the next 10 to 15 years I feel that all brands will be
required to show their carbon footprint on their websites.
Eventually you will have a carbon score for every
garment that’s made,” he said.
The industry can’t move forward without investment.
Olah pointed out there are two groups of people, “Those
who adopt a technology that they like and tie their
wagon onto it, and companies that truly transform the
way things are done.” He said it’s that second group of
companies that are crucial and are the ones the industry
cannot live without.
Lenzing has tried to use byproducts in a positive way,
despite the initial costs to set up such programs. For
example, the beech tree wood that Lenzing uses in its
production process contains a natural product called
xylose which it sells to Danisco, a food ingredients
division of DuPont. The product is converted into xylitol,
a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener for chewing gum
and toothpaste.
“These are nice little profits for the company, but it takes
a lot of investment. In the ’80s and ’90s, there were
question marks about whether they should invest,” said
Michael Kininmonth, Lenzing project manager.
For the future, Kininmonth says Lenzing has a broader
vision for how it might reuse waste. “We currently use
cellulose from trees but in theory we can use any
cellulose material. There’s a huge amount of cellulose
product available,” he said.
One idea is to spin fibers from waste cotton. Kininmonth
continued, “Ideally, this is a business model for when the
brand/retailer is the supplier, and we convert their waste
into new fiber and then it cycles back into their supply
chain. That’s the vision, it is just stepping stones, but
we’re starting.” •
processes like lasers are solutions the industry
collectively needs to agree upon. “If we don’t change
the way we dye denim, my grandchildren will be wearing
something else,” he warned. “And I want them to be
wearing denim.”
Some might consider Greenpeace’s Detox campaign to
be the dominant voice, but Sanchez pointed out that too
many brands don’t have total control of what they are
manufacturing. “They don’t know what their suppliers are
doing. First you should have to prove that you can trace
back. You can only sign something like this once you
have true transparency,” he said.
Prym General Director Marco Corti said the trims
company was approached by an Italian company that
was in talks with Greenpeace, “So we went through
the list of chemical restrictions, and we realized the
‘roadmap to zero’ approach extended to all materials…
Its completely illogical.”
He continued, “Dominate in this case means pressure
because Greenpeace can raise funds based on the
amount of media attention they receive, but it isn’t
consistent in [developing] an ethical and sustainable
business approach.”
“I think there’s a gap between what brands are doing
and what end consumers know. No one on the brand
side has been telling them what it takes to produce
garments—brands want a clean face. They have
their documents and papers, but for whatever reason
they don’t want to pass that information along to their
consumers,” Sanchez added.
Robert Antoshak, Olah Inc. managing director and
supervisor of the company’s global cotton and marketing
program, says the lack of education of consumers has
worked to the advantage of some retailers, and others
have promoted synthetics at the expense of cotton for
economic reasons.

What They Wore
The best in blue was on parade during the third edition of Amsterdam Denim Days, April 11-17. From drawings and patchwork to
vintage gems and handcrafted garments, denimheads stamped their jeanswear with personality and pride.
Photography by Marcia Sondeijker

01No.
It's a question people have been asking since the
rise of the skinny jean in the mid-2000s: Is the
skinny jean dead? And if it isn't yet, then when
exactly is it going away?
This might be a reasonable question about a silhouette
that has dominated the last decade in denim—and
perhaps even the last decade in fashion. It’s been
coming from consumers who once loved the style but
are now tired of it, and from others who found the style
uncomfortable or unflattering to begin with. It’s also
been coming from brands that are keen to introduce new
silhouettes, but haven’t yet seen them catch on outside of
a small segment of fashion-forward consumers.
So where exactly does the skinny jean stand in Spring
2016?
Globally, the style has indeed been losing market share.
Katie Smith, senior fashion and retail market analyst at
trend forecasting firm Edited, said, “According to our
data, in the last three months, skinny jeans have lost
market share to other styles. Looking at new arrivals in
womenswear globally, 32.6 percent were skinny jeans.
The same period one year ago, 57.1 percent were skinny.”
Dhruva Tripathi of U.K.’s F-Trend agreed, saying, “In the
U.K., [we’ve seen] about a 12 to 18 percent drop in sales
of skinny jeans.”
U.S. sources also report a dip in sales, although the
decrease seems to be plateauing. Sidney Morgan-Petro
of WGSN said, “While we do see a slight decline in sales
as other styles gain market share, the skinny remains a
very commercially viable, successful style at retail. Sales
have been steady for the past few seasons, although the
percentage of skinny styles stocked has decreased.”
However, this worldwide decrease doesn’t mean we
should be writing the skinny jean’s obituary quite yet. As
Morgan-Petro explained, “The skinny is no longer the
fashion story; it has become the core basic denim option.”
Essentially, the skinny has become a wardrobe staple
that every woman has in her closet. Like the T-shirt or the
sneaker, it’s a timeless, essential piece that is not due to
disappear anytime soon. There will always be a market
for it, even if that market is not quite as rabid as it used
to be. “The skinny silhouette will remain a beloved staple
by many,” said Rebecca Brown, denim editor at New York
City-based Fashion Snoops, “[but] you can only have so
many skinny jeans in your wardrobe.”
So now that the skinny has been demoted to everyday
basic, what is the next new thing in denim?
Athleisure-Inspired Jeans
As it becomes socially acceptable for women to wear
athletic clothes outside of the gym, denim brands
are adjusting to appeal to a customer who has grown
accustomed to more comfort. “Athleisure has redefined
what it means to combine style with comfort,” said Brown.
“Joggers remain popular, as do overalls and jumpsuits
with a baggier fit.”
Brown also pointed out that skinny jeans do have a place
within this trend, if they are designed with comfort stretch.
However, Smith said it’s time for denim retailers to shift
away from stretch skinnies to differentiate their offerings
from athleisure. “Brands are making efforts to increase the
comfort, stretch and shaping in denim, aligning them more
closely with yoga pants. But it might be more advisable
[for them] to latch onto the trend for wider leg shapes,
defining denim’s difference and moving the consumer
away from the skinny leg altogether,” she explained.
Looser Silhouettes
Runways and fashion blogs have lately been
dominated by flares, culottes, wide-leg jeans and
looser, ’90s-inspired denim, but these potentially more
challenging styles haven’t yet trickled down to the mass-
market consumer.
“It will take a while for the average consumer’s eye to
adjust to different silhouettes,” said Morgan-Petro, “but
we do feel that it is a change that is soon to come. It may
take a few more seasons, though, to really take hold on a
commercial level.”
Denim Clothing
In coming seasons, this might be a particularly bright spot
for denim brands, which are starting to move beyond the
traditional 5-pocket jean to create denim dresses, skirts,
shirts and jackets. According to Smith, “There was a 40
percent increase in the number of non-jean denim arrivals
online in the last three months compared to a year ago.”
Good news for denim-loving consumers: after the long
reign of the skinny, the range of denim offered is now
wider than ever. •
Is the Skinny Jean Really Dead?
TREND FORECASTERS WEIGH IN
BY TONYA SCHWOCHERT
L A S T C A L L

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