TENCEL™ Denim Highlights of the Season
TENCEL™ Lyocell offers practically endless options for denim textile design. From stretchy skinny jeans to rigid straight fits, TENCEL™ lyocell is an ideal blending partner to create a variety of looks.
To highlight the fibers’ versatility, the TENCEL™ denim team has curated a collection of garments from brand partners. For the seasonal Denim Retail Collection, the eight garments chosen range in price point and style—from casual to chic. While TENCEL™ lyocell often considered for it’s softness, it can also enhance other fibers as a blending partner.
Representing the possibilities with 100 percent TENCEL™ lyocell is a chambray button-down shirt from Bella Dahl. This fully TENCEL™ lyocell composition is also used by brands like Esprit, Masai and Veronica Beard for chambray apparel, since the TENCEL™ provides a unique look for any style.
The chambray look can also be achieved with a blend of TENCEL™ lyocell and other fibers. Another garment in the capsule is a chambray blend shirt from Rails, which mixes TENCEL™ lyocell with linen and ramie. Other brands like Alice + Olivia, Gap and Levi’s use materials like cotton and polyester to make chambray blends.
Despite the cries that skinny jeans are fading out, the form-fitting look is still very popular. For stretch skinnies—such as DL1961’s pair included in the box—TENCEL™ lyocell can help make fabrics comfortable, smooth and soft. DL1961 and brands like Good American, Marks & Spencer, and Liu Jo are making “supersoft skinny jeans” by mixing TENCEL™ lyocell, cotton and stretch yarns.
TENCEL™ denim isn’t just for the ladies. Highlighting the design potential for men’s jeans is a dark wash pair from Banana Republic. By using TENCEL™ lyocell in men’s denim, brands like G-Star Raw, Lucky Brand and Next Man are able to similarly market softness and comfort along with sustainability—traits that appeal across the gender spectrum.
For brands that value sustainability, TENCEL™ lyocell plays well with other preferred fibers like organic or Better Cotton Initiative cotton, adding to the eco-friendly garment story. A Levi’s skinny jean is featured in the box to showcase this benefit, but other examples at retail can be found at Zara, All Saints and Esprit.
The denim industry is prioritizing circularity, but one of the challenges is scaling recycled content without losing quality. The chemically recycled TENCEL™ with REFIBRA™ technology fibers use cotton scraps as a portion of inputs, but they are virtually identical to lyocell made with virgin wood. When paired with recycled cotton—like in Boyish’s Unfaithfully Yours jeans—REFIBRA™ technology enhances the circular story. REFIBRA™ can also give a circular boost to virgin cotton jeans.
As brands make carbon cutting goals, our carbon-zero TENCEL™ fibers enable them to reduce the footprint tied to their raw materials. These fibers are identical to conventional TENCEL™ lyocell, but they come with the added bonus of elevated environmental action. Jack & Jones has begun using carbon-zero TENCEL™ lyocell in its jeans and carries the message through their digital marketing.
We’re always interested to see what new fiber, wash and finishing innovations mills and brands will come up with. Madewell’s skinny jeans in the capsule are comprised of post-consumer recycled cotton, Repreve(R) recycled polyester, elastane and TENCEL™ lyocell.
Thinking outside the denim box, TENCEL™ lyocell can also be used for garment dye and printing applications. The collection includes Zara joggers in TENCEL™ lyocell, cotton and linen. These garments meet consumer demand for casual attire.
While these are just some of the applications and innovations happening with TENCEL™ denim, we hope this collection provides inspiration for storytelling and product development. The possibilities are endless.