TENCEL™ Denim Trends: The Latest from Mills in Asia
Since in-person trade shows are still put on hold this fall, Carved in Blue is taking an opportunity to digitally connect with its community.
Conventional denim has a significant environmental footprint, but mills are innovating to create materials with less impact. This includes switching to cotton alternatives or blends that include more eco-friendly fibers.
We caught up with denim mills in Asia to hear their thoughts on low-impact denim and how they are incorporating wood-based TENCEL™ branded fibers into their collections.
ADVANCE DENIM
China
Michael Lam, marketing director
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™ Fibers?
Michael: We are using TENCEL™ Lyocell on both Warp Loop and WaferRecycled for the next season.
Carved in Blue: How do you define the value of lower impact denim?
Michael: We believe low impact denim is going to be the key topic in the coming seasons, such as water saving, chemical saving, biodegradable, recycling and so on.
ATLANTIC MILLS
Thailand
Amrin Sachathep, director
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™?
Amrin: Organic cotton blends with TENCEL™ Lyocell is another marketing group we have started to develop on. All of our organic cotton is traceable to farms that are actually using less water through recycling systems and no pesticides. In general, these styles are cleaner and more niche.
Carved in Blue: How do you define the value of lower impact denim?
Amrin: Recycled materials, recycled water and biodegradability are the three most important characteristics of lower impact denim.
BENS MODE
Taiwan
Benjamin Liao, director
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™?
Benjamin: Our new developments with TENCEL™ Lyocell are linen blends and TENCEL™ Denim in a variety of textures. We also developed stretch warp with TENCEL™ Lyocell as piece-dyed fabrics. In order to offer less effective to circumstances, it can go back to organic production by plant dyeing procedures.
BLACK PEONY
China
Zhu Rongping, vice general manager
Grace, marketing manager (translated from Chinese into English)
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™?
Zhu: We have a wide range of fabrics with TENCEL™ Lyocell, gaining more popularity among our international partners, such as Gap, Levi’s, AEO and other brands.
Carved in Blue: How do you define the value of lower impact denim?
Zhu: Confronted with the new challenges, we will continue to strive for sustainability while paying closer attention to the fabric functionality and quality. Creating products which are eco-friendly and comfortable will be our main goal. Giving priority to research and development, Black Peony devotes to the application and innovation of various new raw materials, new processes and new technologies with regard to denim. In terms of innovative materials including REFIBRA™ Technology from Lenzing, BCI, organic cotton, recycled cotton, recycled polyester from PET bottles and nature fabrics, etc. it is made from the lowest impact to a fully integrated sustainable approach working towards new innovative technologies, functional performance, weaving special texture and eco-friendly dyeing.
BLUE DIAMOND
China
Gary You, senior technical manager at House of Gold
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™?
Gary: We are using it to blend with our new sustainable categories in Wizard, Diamond Blends, Recycled, Hemp. The first impression is the improvement on handfeel. It’s soft and luxurious. Sometimes, too much information goes over the head of the brands. Even if they understand the benefits, it’s the challenge of trying to market without feeling like they are “trying too hard.” We know there are so many benefits to TENCEL™ Lyocell, but the easiest, obvious takeaway is its handfeel. We lead with this and share its additional benefits.
Carved in Blue: How do you define the value of lower impact denim?
Gary: We are educating the brands every chance we get, but the initial reaction is to handfeel and price. We as a mill understand the value of being cottonless, but it’s still a challenge to change old ways and perceptions.
496 FABRIC LAB
Taiwan
Wayne Chiang, founder
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™?
Wayne: We have prepared TENCEL™ Lyocell jacquard fabrics for the SS21 collection to improve the handfeel. Let the images speak.
FREEDOM DENIM
China
Jason Gao, general manager marketing and merchandising
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™?
Jason: TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal cover a wide mote of product groups. The fiber is in everything from the Soft and Supple to the Vintage and Marbled group. One of the core fabrics that we have high hopes for is SS16148R-8, which contains 34.9 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell and SS15304B-(ZX) is Modal at 13.6 percent.
Carved in Blue: How do you define the value of lower impact denim?
Jason: Constantly striving to achieve a denim that we can easily give back to the earth is at the center of our thought process. We seek to not only bridge the emotional relationship between the wearer and the blue jean but to also realize our role and contribution to making a planet that our children will be proud of after we are gone.
GAMATEX
Indonesia
Eko Kurniawan, marketing and branding manager
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™?
Eko: We make denim fabrics with special patterns that are suitable for the shirt and outer market.
We also make denim for the men’s market using TENCEL™ Lyocell intimate blend with recycled cotton with a weight of 13 oz and deep indigo color, Regular denim and Authentic selvedge denim woven by Japanese Toyoda machine.
Carved in Blue: How do you define the value of lower impact denim?
Eko: Since the beginning, we have been committed to protecting the environment and nature. We treat our waste properly and reuse for the denim manufacturing process. Currently we also use recycled cotton and TENCEL™ Lyocell for sustainable products.
We also use chemicals that are environmentally friendly and are currently in the Oeko-Tex 100 process. We continue to strive to create products that are good for the health of our users.
MOZARTEX
China
Mai Tseng, manager of sales and development
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™?
Mai: Mozartex are a long-term strategic partner with Lenzing for developing TENCEL™ Lyocell, TENCEL™ Luxe, LENZING ™ ECOVERO™ viscose, etc.
Carved in Blue: How do you define the value of lower impact denim?
Mai: Denim probably is the most popular clothes in the world, but certainly not the cleanest. Everyone in this industry is trying to find less pollution, less water or energy used denim process; most of them have to change the look of denim in order to get the best process. Mozartex had developed several of them too. But unfortunately, it still requires a lot of communication to pass these new techniques to the end consumers, so they can understand and accept the low impact denim’s new idea and new look.
PANTHER DENIM
China
Tim Huesemann, sales director
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™?
Tim: In our latest collection Marbelous, with our tailored TENCEL™ Lyocell, we have successfully made vintage yet super soft fabrics. The looks of the fabrics are rugged and coarse, but the softness is something you have never experienced with. We believe that vintage is not something to replicate but to be inspired by. We also added TENCEL™ Modal Black in our collections. It keeps the black and blue/black color combos deeper and lasting longer with nice and soft touch.
Carved in Blue: How do you define the value of lower impact denim?
Tim: We define it as conscious business and innovation. We pay extra attention to every production process, including but not limited to fiber using, production and dyeing and finishing, as we are doing research to improve the efficiency of energy/water and raw materials. By improving the efficiency, we mean to reduce the waste, to maximize the productivity.
- Fiber using: Our sales and marketing pushes the designers to blend in second life fibers like recycled cotton or REFIBRA™ Technology, or at least a traceable LENZING ™ ECOVERO™ Viscose and TENCEL™ Lyocell blends in general.
- Production: Optimum of carbonless processing from yarn to ready-made fabrics
- Dyeing and finishing: Our C-Zero color denim range is outstanding and helping to minimize the water consumption.
PROSPERITY
China
Bart Van de Woestyne, creative director
Carved in Blue: What new groups are you promoting with TENCEL™?
Bart: As COVID-19 has locked us down across the globe, there is an increased demand for lightweight, soft and drapey denim fabrications to make our stay at home more comfortable. While TENCEL™ Lyocell is omnipresent in our C-Blend line—featuring Prosperity’s proprietary cotton- TENCEL™ Lyocell blend—we have introduced a number of 100 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell denims in our D-Light line: lightweight, drapey and breathable for maximum comfort. In our Neo-Vintage line, we have introduced TENCEL™ Lyocell as a sustainable option, offering superior comfort without compromising on vintage aesthetics.
TENCEL™ Lyocell has also been incorporated in the Trans-Form concept, Prosperity’s line of unique double weave bi-stretch denims, resulting in ultimate freedom of movement and next-level comfort.
Carved in Blue: How do you define the value of lower impact denim?
Bart: Water savings in dyeing and finishing. Our Revelation Blue and 3-D dyeing technique have reduced water consumption by 80 percent, all the while creating unique and versatile shades with low impact wash down options.
Chemical savings: By switching to pre-reduced indigo and committing to the use of sulfide-free dyestuffs, we have reduced chemical usage by as much as 90 percent and in some instances, completely eliminated harmful substances such as aniline.
Degradability/compostability: Where possible, we have integrated degradable fiber technology
and/or reduced petroleum dependency by switching to bio-plastics that are fully degradable and harmless to the environment.
Recycling: Our closed-loop recycled cotton initiatives have been a great contribution to waste reduction, but also Repreve and REFIBRA™ Technology have been key in ramping up our efforts to recycle both pre- and post-consumer waste.
Enable low impact garment finishing: 3-D dyed colors and the use of a generation of new and cleaner dyes dyestuffs have resulted in easier wash downs, with less water, with less harmful chemicals, ideal for laser and ozone treatments. It’s not only what we do in fabric but what our customers can do with it, that truly makes a difference and will create real value.