#Denim

2019-12-13

Monforts ‘Denimized’ customers take the lead in London

A complete Monforts ‘Denimized’ finishing range. (c) 2019 Monforts

Of the twelve participating denim mills who took part in Habitat 21 – a special Smart Creation showcase at the recent Denim Première Vision exhibition in London – no less than eleven were valued Monforts ‘Denimized’ finishing technology users.

The aim of Habitat 21 was to highlight those companies taking an eco-responsible approach to denim manufacturing via the use of recycled, organic and bio-based fibres, in combination with resource-saving dyeing and finishing technologies.

Monforts customers involved in the project were Advance Denim, Berto, Bossa, Calik, Evlox/Tavex, Kilim, Naveena, Orta Anadalou, Rajby Industries, Raymond Uco and Soorty.

Their innovations were detailed in a major presentation on trends for the Spring/Summer 2021 season by Manon Mangin of the Première Vision Fashion Team, based on three key themes – Sensation, Hybridisation and Expansion.

Habitat 21 – the special Smart Creation showcase at Denim PV. (c) 2019 Monforts

Water savings

There was plenty of sustainable innovation on show from Turkey, with Bossa, for example, unveiling the latest creations from its ongoing Reset programme – first introduced in 2006 and constantly evolving its eco-friendly options – and Calik exhibiting a denim collection made with its D-clear process, via which water is reduced by 40% in indigo dyeing and by 83% in the subsequent finishing.

Kilim is meanwhile intending to reduce water by 93% as a result of its current Cactus project, which will have a significant impact on the footprint of the 12 million metres of denim it makes annually, and in addition to resource-saving processes, Orta Anadalou is committing to complete traceability, with each of its garments now labelled with a unique QR code.

Hemp

Among innovations from Pakistan’s leading mills, Naveena made a splash with the introduction of its ‘cottonised’ hemp denim, developed in a collaboration with Kingdom Holdings – one of the largest manufacturers of hemp in China – in order to reduce the company’s reliance on cotton.

There are many challenges involved in working with hemp, Naveena says, but vertically-integrated spinning operations have enabled it to create blended yarns of cotton, hemp and Tencel containing only 49% cotton.

Both Rajby Industries and Soorty have now achieved Cradle to Cradle Gold certification for denim fabrics in their collections, as a globally recognised measure of safer, more sustainable products made for the circular economy.

To receive this certification, products are assessed for environmental and social performance across five critical sustainability categories – material health, material reuse, renewable energy

and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness. The standard encourages continuous improvement over time by awarding certification on the basis of ascending levels of achievement and requiring certification renewal every two years.

Aniline free

Advance Denim has meanwhile become the first denim mill in China to launch a collection made with aniline-free indigo.

As a result of its toxicity, analine is now starting to feature on the restricted substance lists (RSL) of some of the major clothing brands and retailers.

During traditional indigo dyeing process, some aniline stays locked into the indigo pigment and is difficult to wash off the fabric, while the remainder is discharged with the wastewater. The new process being employed by Advance Denim is based on an aniline-free indigo formulation from Switzerland’s Archroma.

Italy’s Berto also introduced pre-reduced indigo dyeing in an expanded range of denims based on GOTS-certified fabrics made with organic cotton and regenerated yarns.

“Our latest collection was inspired by young people – the Z Generation that is free spirited but at the same time involved in the fight against climate change,” said Berto’s marketing manager Francesco Polato. “We are seeking to meet their needs with an extroverted collection characterised by special colours and looks, but always with a 360-degree attention to sustainability.”

Manon Mangin of the Première Vision Fashion Team outlines the<br />
trends for the Spring/Summer 2021 season at the London show. (c) 2019 Monforts — Manon Mangin of the Première Vision Fashion Team outlines the trends for the Spring/Summer 2021 season at the London show. (c) 2019 Monforts

To complete the Smart Creation showcase, India’s Raymond Uco introduced a coloured denim range comprising fabrics that are both yarn dyed and made from sustainable dyestuffs, to significantly reduce the use of chemicals, while Evlox/Tavex announced plans to introduce post-consumer recycled denim to its collections, with complete traceability of all the materials used.

Denim Première Vision took place at the Printworks in London on December 2nd and 3rd. The next edition will be held in Milan in June 2020.

VDMA companies outline major benefits in finishing – and now dyeing too

Monforts and its partners Archroma and BW Converting are setting new standards in the resource efficient and cost-effective finishing of fabrics. During a recent webinar organised by Germany’s VDMA textile machinery association, specialists from the three companies provided details of the range of new energy-saving options that is now available to mills.

MUNICH FABRIC START: Between Attitude and Sensuality

The future begins where we reimagine it. After seasons of restraint, Spring.Summer 27 marks a conscious counter-trend: optimism, sensuality, and creative freedom are replacing pragmatism and neutrality. Physical presence and individuality are regaining importance – as a response to uncertainty, exhaustion, and algorithmic predictability. The overarching theme of PLEASURE stands for fashion as an emotional space, as an expression of attitude and cultural reflection. Colours, surfaces, and materials become vehicles for self-confidence and joie de vivre.

organIQ seek: smart alternative to potassium permanganate

CHT Group announces new technical findings within its organIQ seek platform that significantly advance the transition toward permanganate-free denim bleaching. Through extensive industrial testing and application research, CHT confirms that organIQ seek can now be used with remarkable effectiveness as a substitute for potassium permanganate in spray bleach, while remaining aligned with sustainability expectations and cost realities in the European market. At the COLOMBIATEX in Medellín as well as at the Exintex in Puebla and the Kingpins Show in Amsterdam the CHT Group will present organIQ seek as an alternative to potassium permanganate.

Jeanologia celebrates its 30th anniversary transforming how jeans are produced worldwide

Jeanologia celebrates its 30th anniversary reaffirming the mission it was born with in 1994, to transform the textile industry into a more sustainable, efficient, and human-centered sector. Three decades later, that vision has become a global reality. Today, more than 40 percent of all jeans produced worldwide are made using technologies developed by the Valencia-based company.

The Technology Hub for global denim trends: ITM 2026

The ITM 2026 International Textile Machinery Exhibition, to be held at the Tüyap Fair and Congress Center in Istanbul from June 9–13, 2026, brings together groundbreaking technologies in denim production. From smart production systems to eco-friendly raw materials, from digital washing solutions to laser effect technologies, innovations that will shape the future of denim will be showcased for the first time at ITM 2026.

PERFORMANCE DAYS: Focus topic shifts to the beginning of the value chain

Following the last Focus Topic in October 2025, which placed Textile-to-Textile Recycling at its core, PERFORMANCE DAYS continues to drive the conversation around circularity – this time with an expanded and more upstream perspective. The upcoming Focus Topic, “Textile to Textile: The Role of Collectors and Sorters,” presented during the spring edition on March 18–19, will spotlight one of the most essential yet often overlooked components of a functioning circular textile system: the efficient collection and sorting of post-consumer textiles.

Proven performance, optimised costs – the new RE 6 EL

Nowadays textile companies increasingly need to produce small production runs and respond to market changes with instantaneous pattern changes in order to operate profitably – meaning they require machines that offer maximum flexibility, reliability and cost efficiency. KARL MAYER understands the challenges of the market and is launching its new RE 6 EL. The Raschel machine offers the core strengths of the classic RSE 6 EL and essentially the same performance parameters, but has been further cost-optimised largely due to local production advantages. This makes the newcomer an efficiency champion in production, especially when it comes to frequent pattern changes.

European business associations celebrate the signature of the EU-Mercosur FTA

The 17th January marks a historic milestone with the signing of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, creating the biggest trading block in the world. European business – represented by more than 28 associations across a wide range of sectors – warmly welcomes this signature. It sends a strong and timely signal that the EU remains open and is committed to rules-based global trade. In a time of global uncertainty, this agreement is a key growth booster.