Denim is a Work of Art

“To produce is to take care” – that´s the mantra the ISKO family surrounding CEO Fatih Konukoğlu follows each day. In one of his rare interviews, we spoke to him about the clean and transparent future of the denim industry.

With a wide range of cutting-edge textile solutions, ISKO is a pioneer of responsible innovation, determined to constantly provide a sustainable denim production. “I am proud of what we have created together,” Fatih Konukoğlu says – with good reason.

Mr Konukoğlu, what makes denim iconic?

Denim, more than any other piece of clothing, lives with people. It adapts and transforms itself, according to every style and occasion. This is why at ISKO we are committed to making denim happen everywhere, for everyone, making it better and turning it into people’s second skin. For us, denim is so much more than just an indigo fabric: it is a work of art and denim intelligence.

Is this way of respect and understanding for the fabric ISKO’s recipe to become the world’s leading denim manufacturer?

Well, we combine competence, creativity and citizenship. These are the key ingredients of our approach. We like to think of ourselves as a full-power denim force from the ground up: the creative services, the mentors, the trend researchers, the fabric engineers, the laundry experts, the designers and the network of excellence. Our strategy is further shaped by our ‘think tanks’, which are dedicated to service innovation. But when it comes to creating denim, people are our focus: we strive to understand and predict what people want.

You once said, “the world is wearing denim, so we know with our choices we can make a difference.” How does ISKO live up to the ever-evolving high standards of sustainable production? We believe it is our responsibility as industry leader to set new standards and lead the way towards a better future, being an active example for both customers and partners. We want to be accountable for all of our business operations. So in order to fully understand the environmental footprint of our denim fabrics, and where we can make even better choices, we’ve obtained Life-Cycle assessments (LCA) for all 25,000+ denim products. Independently verified environmental product Declarations (EPD®) have been produced to ensure the validity and replicability of these LCAs, making ISKO the first denim manufacturer globally to obtain pre-certified EPD®s for all our products. This allows us to monitor and follow up the supply chain efficiency of all our products.

What is your most state-of-the-art sustainable product so far? ISKO Earth Fit™ is our lowest-impact denim collection yet and the only one worldwide to have achieved both the EU ecolabel and Nordic Swan ecolabel. The collection, which now includes 46 fabrics, uses innovative and responsible fibres including organic cotton, recycled pre-consumer cotton, and post-consumer recycled polyester from peT bottles. We also have an environmental management system in place, certified to an international standard, to ensure we manage the environmental impact at our production facilities. Under this system we manage energy, water, waste chemicals and emissions.

Where does your deep commitment to responsibility and sustainability come from? responsibility is not a trend for us, it’s part of our DNA. It goes beyond just using low impact materials and extends to our culture and systems. We like to understand the needs and buying habits of consumers. Our focus is not only on denim garment buyers but also on followers of all industries, to help them choose safe products without compromising on being chic, fashionable and innovative.

Is the industry doing enough in terms of going green?

This is an ongoing process and the industry should never stand still: we always need to improve.

For sure, a truly responsible approach does need to look at the whole picture, and this includes all steps of the production chain. We also want to encourage people to save water and only wash their jeans when necessary. The performance and shape retention properties of our jeans innovations mean that they don’t get baggy with daily wear and so they don’t need to be washed as often to be in perfect shape.

Transparency is a big part of sustainability. Do you think a standard grading system, controlled by a higher authority for everybody, can help to guide consumers when buying a pair of jeans?

Yes, the identification of standardised parameters would be ideal. That’s the future. Everybody not only needs to know what they are buying and what they are using but they have the right to do so. The consumer should understand what they are wearing and using and how it has been made. ISKO is the first denim mill in the world to have obtained precertified EPD®s for all of its products. That’s an achievement that is not limited to the company itself. It is a result that will be used to create the independently devised product Category rules (PCRs) for future denim industry EPD®s. This will help to provide a common language across the industry and therefore increase transparency of environmental impact, enhance consumer awareness and drive environmental improvement.

Where is ISKO headed in the future? We are continuously exploring new paths. In terms of activities, we are going to be part of remode, the premiere event for disruptive and sustainable fashion, which will take place in Los Angeles in November. We’ll also be at Titas, in Taiwan, and at performance Days in Munich, with our Arquas™ platform, keeping a strong focus on the athleisure market and performance wear. We’ll be in Tokyo too, at the fifth Wearable expo. Earlier this year we shared two exciting new concepts. The first of these is ISKOmove™, developed to transmit physical movement data to a remote device using secure wireless technologies. Secondly ISKOTouch™, a fabric with the ability to recognise movements and pressure from fingertips. But all in all we will continue to share knowledge, know-how and innovative ideas with our international customers at our Italian Creative Room. We also plan to inspire the market with the launch of a new exclusive capsule collection made in partnership with François Girbaud. And last but not least, we will celebrate the tenth anniversary of our Jeggings™ with an exclusive event in Amsterdam. So stay tuned …

The ISKO production process – 1,700 looms for a capacity of 250 million metres of fabric each year

ISKO R&D houses a dedicated product development unit of specialists and an advanced testing laboratory

Interview PIERRE D’AVETA

Text CHERYLL MÜHLEN

Photography BERND WICHMANN