Denim will take center stage at the upcoming Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics show, March 14-16 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, China.
The show’s Beyond Denim zone will spotlight more than 110 exhibitors from China, Japan, Pakistan, Turkey and more, with an emphasis on advancing denim’s performance, quality and sustainable attributes.
The show will address this changing denim market with an Invista-sponsored panel titled, “Denim’s Next Move – New Opportunities to Keep Growing Sales of Jeans and Casualwear at Retail.” The discussion will examine what consumers really want in jeans, look at the return of chinos, plus the new fabric technologies that are reviving the casualwear sector.
Inside Fashion director and head of market development, Jane Singer, will moderate the panel. Panelists will include representatives from Advance Denim, Guangzhou Conshing Clothing Group, Prosperity Textile and Texhong. Each company will share its latest innovations that will help brands and retailers drive sales and profits.
Kipas Denim is among the mills that will bring multi-faceted collections to the Beyond Denim area of the show floor. There, the Turkish mill will promote its sustainability initiatives, including fabrics made with recycled waste yarn from the production process and fabrics made with waste cotton yarn and Repreve blends.
Kipas addresses the environmental impact of its dyeing process with Conservablue technology, a process that eliminates the use of rinsing overflow boxes before and after the indigo dye process. It also ensures 100 percent of applied dyestuff remains on the yarn in the rinsing bath.
Turkish mill Orta will present a natural solution to odor control. The mill’s new Bioware denim is enriched with mineralized volcanic ash to create an odor absorbing effect. The technology captures and absorbs odor compounds that would normally pass through the fabric, neutralizing bad bacteria while retaining the helpful bacteria that common deodorizers, which typically contain harsh substances. The result, according to Orta, is more environmentally friendly product that is better for the wearer’s skin.
Bioware complements Orta’s range of wellness fabrics, including Biocharge, a fabric that is medically proven to refresh muscles, relieve muscle tension and improve body balance.
Heading stateside, US Denim Mills is set to blend the old with the new at the trade show. The mill will offer SelvedgeX, a bi-stretch product made using the company’s legacy selvedge looms. It experiments with blends of natural yarns and high-tech fiber blends in its HeritEdge+ range, while adding new options to its lines of recycled and natural GreenEgo denims.