Textile Insight

textileinsight.com IN THE MARKET | DENIM An Active Approach Denim Gets a Leg Up in Versatility & Durability with Textile Tech. all it performance denim, technical denim or smart denim, but the fact of the matter is that textile technologies are infusing the latest styles with new and improved functionality without sacrificing the look or feel of that favorite pair of jeans. Material suppliers see the category as a growth area, particularly with interest in performance features like durability, year-round wear- ability and comfort high on consumers' must-have list for lifestyle apparel. Thermo-regulation, moisture manage- ment, strength with stretch, abrasion resistance, and water repellence are properties increasingly found in the latest denim developments as active/outdoor and athleisure/ fashion crossover. Textile specialists lending performance innovation to denim include Nilit, Cordura, Invista, Schoeller, Dyneema, Unifi, Sorona, Lenzing and PrimaLoft among others. All report making strides in the category. Nilit, for example, is launching its latest yarn innovation to the denim market. Sensil is a new premium Nylon 6.6 brand that pairs well with cotton and lends wicking and odor-resistance performance features as well as drape and softness. "Consumers are raising their expectations for denim just as they are for everything else that they buy," says Pierluigi Berardi, Nilit global marketing director. Another example of denim's versatilty comes from Schoeller's Winter 2018/19 fabric collection with a focus on lifestyle. The new denim incorporates reflective yarn, which looks elegant during the day but, according to the company, "reveals its true color in the dark, creating a safety feature on the roads for the evening or morning commute." Sustainability is another key trend in denim this season. This is evident in the outdoor space with brands like Toad&Co and Patagonia forging ahead with organic cotton denim blends. Similarly mainstream brands like Levi's are carving out an environmentally-responsibility identity with promotions around waterless dyeing technology. Retailers, too, see the value in eco efforts. A prime example is Madewell's recently launched "Blue Jeans Go Green" take back program. This fall, select Madewell stores will have recycling stations where consumers can turn in old jeans to be used for housing insulation for communities in need. The buzz surrounding denim is spurring inspiration on the footwear front, too. Saucony, for instance, has a Denim Collection debuting for Spring '18. Company creative director Chris Mahoney explains the thinking behind the Collection: "From a running perspective, mate- rials are typically technical and performance driven, but recent material improvements have allowed designers to incorporate more trend and lifestyle looks into these silhouettes, without sacrificing performance. Inspired by a classic material like denim, our collection combines iconic visual elements with our technical running background. We utilized some of the different saturated tones found in denim fabrics along with the metallic copper accents found on rivets, stitching, and zippers to capture the look and feel of classic denim products." He adds, "From a trend perspective, we've been following the improvements in denim through the past few seasons. The incorporation of different performance features into the fabric, like cooling and stretch, were intriguing to us, but, even with all the improvements, the material still wasn't as runnable as we needed it to be. However, it definitely sparked our curiosity to try and capture its look and vibe in our products. Of course, denim will have its peak trend moments, but even if it's not the foremost trend of the season, it never really goes away. Denim's been described as the fabric that built America and it'll always have a home in our daily lives. This collection is just a fun way to pay homage to the look, to the heritage, and do it in a fashionable/functional way." O September / October 2017 ~ Textile Insight • 23 The men's Freedom ISO from Saucony's S18 Denim Collection. MSRP $160. Schoeller incorporates denim with reflective yarn, which looks impressive as elegant jeans during the day but reveals its true color in the dark creating a significant safety feature on the roads for the evening or morning commute. Madewell's Blue Jeans Go Green take back program has a goal of collecting 200,000 pieces of denim by the end of 2017. The used jeans will be recycled for use as housing insulation.

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