Apparel Online India Magazine April 2nd Issue 2018 | Page 37

FASHION BUSINESS
Thanks to the influx of technology into denim,
designers are experimenting with performance
blends for properties like moisture wicking,
stain free finishes, extra stretch – to rival with
sportswear brands.
are developing clothes with added
properties that go beyond style and
trends to create ‘technical’ denim.
The younger generations, which
grew up in joggers and sweatpants,
are discovering the ubiquitous jeans
with a whole new identity, and the
ones who wore denims in their youth
have come to expect both nostalgia
and a much-needed update from the
garment. There is no better material
than denim to quench the thirst of
both comfort and utility seekers in the
same garment.
Performance
is our saviour
Performancewear is an unmissable
theme in the world of fashion
right now. The trend will serve as
denim’s crutches in its return to
everyone’s closet. From luxury
players like Ermenegildo Zegna,
who is working on Japanese
materials and construction that
rivals formal trousers, to Patagonia
and Wrangler working on migrating
the most favoured properties of
performancewear like moisture
wicking, stain free finishes, extra
stretch, everyone is investing in the
premium denim category. ESSENTIALS and environment friendliness in
production.
Arvind Ltd., the Indian leader in
textiles, recently unveiled its new
denim collection in the Capital that
was no short of futuristic denim
innovations. Aamir Akhtar, CEO,
Denims, Arvind walked us through
the collection that showed new
ways of dyeing as well as products
like their Boomerang 360 Denim,
which offer extreme stretch and
high-recovery capabilities that rival
with jeggings and the infamous yoga
pants. The entire
perception of
femininity is
changing. The
notion that body-
hugging jeans
are for women,
and men prefer
loose fits, is
getting reversed.
Even embroidery,
which is often
considered a
more women’s
value addition is
making its way
stalwartly into
menswear. The biggest issue being the amount
of sweet water wasted to produce a
pair of simple jeans. Nevertheless,
denim’s future focuses on production
technologies that help reduce this
significantly. People are working on
solutions such as dry ice cleaning and
ozone washing, among several other
future facing machinery.
The performancewear induction in
denim will see manufacturers working
on functional properties that will
compete directly with the growing
sportswear market.
Sustainability
cannot be ignored
Denim goes through a great deal
to get to the point where it looks
and feels like what we have come
to love. But along with denim, the
environment also undergoes a lot;
the denim industry has one of the
worst images when it comes to ethical
At Arvind, the teams are innovating
with sustainable dyeing and washing
solutions like ikat, ozone wash and
indigo to come up with processes
that are eco-conscious and also
create innovative finished products
at the same time. Sustainability is no
more a fancy concept or copywriting
tactic but an actual issue that
manufacturers will have to deal with
head on.
Gender defying
silhouettes
In terms of silhouettes, the
denim jeans has not seen very
many changes, but new demand
skews towards the changing
perception of genders themselves.
www.apparelresources.com | APRIL 16-30, 2018 | Apparel Online India
37