Recent Developments in the Denim World

'Denim' originated as a contraction of the French phrase serge de Nimes. Denim initially gained popularity in 1873, but still, it is one of the preferred fabrics irrespective of the buyer's gender. Though this is the era of innovation, and denim has seen a lot of

technological advancements recently. This report highlights a few recent advances regarding denim fabric around the globe and in Pakistan.

Jeans of Tomorrow collection has recently been launched by Adriano Goldschmied (AG). The new collection is 100% biodegradable made of organic cotton, Tencel, and Hemp. All garments in the collection are stitched with sustainable thread made from Tencel, and all use corozo buttons derived from nuts, which are known for their scratch- and fade-resistant properties.

Hemp is all over the denim industry. Kontoor Brands Inc., with a brand portfolio led by Lee and Wrangler, announced an expansion of its collaboration with Dallas-based Panda Biotech, an emerging leader in the industrial hemp fiber industry.

AGI Denim, Pakistan, announced its latest hemp-based innovation, and it has the accolades to back it up. The company announced its new HempX material received a Cradle to Cradle Gold certification. HempX features a blend of organic cotton, Hemp, and elastane made from recycled components. Its material health and water stewardship assessments showed significant water savings: AGI recycles 300,000 gallons of water each day and can save 4.4 million gallons of water each month. Its material reuse assessment showed that thanks to its DoubleZero dyeing and finishing technology, it can use just half a liter of water per meter of material and save 85 percent more fresh water than conventional methods. HempX material is made with 50 percent renewable energy, which helped it earn accolades in its energy and carbon management assessment. AGI has helped provide medical care to more than 90,000 people in the community and ensures employees receive fair wages and personal and professional development opportunities in the social fairness category.

Lenzing's new Bast Recast collection features a Tencel lyocell hemp blend and environmentally friendly solutions from leaders throughout the denim supply chain that underscore Hemp's sustainable properties.

Covid-19 drives the development in denim: The

Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the demand for technological advancements. During Kingpins24, held in April 2021, a panel of industry experts shared how the global crisis placed a newfound pressure to adapt to digital platforms. More than 650 organizations such as PVH, VF Corporation, and Columbia Sportswear use Browzwear's 3D solutions. Pakistan-based denim mill Artistic Milliners recently partnered with the company in the hopes that more customers will join. Already, the mill has experienced more efficiency in fit development and sample approval processes, and is working with Browzwear's e-learning platform, Browzwear University, to internally scale the technology. Artistic Milliners recently introduced Cordura Denim made with French-sourced Hemp in two key blue stretch denim qualities – 11oz and 12oz – with soft comfort handles and a natural slub character. Invista is this year marking the tenth anniversary of the Cordura Denim brand with new fabrics featuring Hemp.

Technology company Jeanologia has also digitally enhanced its services with Handman, a finishing system equipped with two robots and eight lasers. The process renders 10,000 finished jeans in 24 hours with zero waste. The technology also improves collaboration, as brands can communicate their digital designs directly to Handman. Jeanologia joined forces with Cone Denim to launch Mission Zero Goal. The Mission Zero challenge is 100% eliminating waste and pollution in a single pair of jeans by 2025.

Devan, a leader in sustainable and functional textile finishes, has been working together with Jeanologia to reduce further water consumption during the application of Devan's awarded BI-OME® antimicrobial and R-Vital® skincare range. The technology uses micronization and nebulization to substitute traditional abrasion processes and deliver performance chemistry using nano-bubbles instead of water. It reduces the cost of application, saves the amount of water used, and ensures that the correct amount of chemistry stays in the garment and not in the water. e-Flow is the perfect fit for every industrial washing machine. This allows mills and brands to apply Devan's technologies more sustainable than traditional application equipment, even for smaller production runs and direct garments.

Recently, ISKO has proudly announced the launch of bluesign® APPROVED fabrics. With this, ISKO becomes the only denim company in Europe with bluesing® APPROVED fabrics. This hard-won honor is only awarded to those that meet the strict safety and environmental requirements of the bluesign® CRITERIA. This latest development is part of ISKO ™'s central sustainability strategy, including a plan to certify additional bluesign® APPROVED articles in ISKO™'s collection.

Byron Bay-born label Spell and sustainable B-Corp Outland Denim have partnered to launch a limited-edition capsule denim collection. The partnership marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between the labels, with Outland Denim set to produce different denim designs for Spell. The new collection has been made in Outland Denim's stand-alone production and finishing facilities in Cambodia, employing young women who have experienced exploitation and manufactures denim in innovative and sustainable ways.

Advance Denim is introducing its newest dyeing innovation, BioBlue Indigo. After recently signing an exclusive agreement with BioBlue's chemical supplier, Advance Denim is now the only denim mill that uses this technology. The traditional indigo

dyeing process has considerable room for improvement, especially given how manufacturers often use substantial amounts of chemicals, water, and energy to infuse yarns with the pigment. Some of the chemicals used in the process, like sodium hydrosulfite, are harmful to the environment and hazardous to health. BioBlue is a groundbreaking indigo dye method that puts indigo into reduction—a process that changes the indigo dyes from powder form to liquid form makes the dyestuff soluble in water, and improves the surface appearance of the indigo-dyed yarn—without the use of sodium hydrosulfite. BioBlue uses proprietary FDA-approved chemistry that reduces harmful chemical values of wastewater after dyeing.

Prada launches organic denim for Pre-Fall 2021 on 5th May 2021, and the collection is the debut of the brand in the denim world. The collection uses certified 100% Global Organic Textile Standard cotton that has been harvested from an organic farm that minimizes its impact on the environment by avoiding fertilizers and pesticides. The brand then uses an "Acquasave" process to dye the denim that requires a below-average amount of water, saving 10 liters per meter of fabric. The collection is made exclusively from natural materials—a trait that reduces water waste and washing time and improves the brand's EIM (environmental impact measurement).

The recent developments show that there has been a lot of innovation in denim, and the future is promising, with a lot more to come. Stay tuned for further developments.