Cone Denim: A Century of American Jeans

Cone Denim: A Century of American Jeans

Though it doesn’t share the same consumer-level name recognition as Levi’s, 125-year-old Cone Denim shares with that storied jeans maker a heritage of American-made denim. In fact, Cone has supplied Levi’s with much of its fabric for 100 years, including at times being the exclusive weaver of the iconic 501 lines. In addition to Levi’s, Cone provides fabric across a broad spectrum of brands including retailers, specialty, performance and premium.

Cone remains dedicated to authenticity and the particular integrity that denim fabric requires, says Kara Nicholas, Cone Denim Vice President of Design and Marketing. But the company is also laser-focused on developing advanced fabrics that allow for moisture-wicking, stain-resistance, durability, and movement, while preserving the all-important softness jeans wearers demand. For that balance,  TENCEL® and Lenzing Modal® have become key fibers for Cone’s looms, she said. We spoke with Nicholas from her office in New York.

Carved in Blue: How does Cone maintain such an authentic and heritage-driven brand in a time where retailers and brands keep pushing for lower prices?

Kara: Cone Denim has a rich history and heritage, that’s interwoven with the denim history in the U.S., but innovation is also a key piece. In this competitive industry we know we need to offer value-added products, to meet our partners’ needs, whether that’s crafting the most authentic vintage styles from our archives or new innovative technologies and sustainability practices.

Denim is different from any other fabric category, it’s a unique textile. People talk about their jeans differently than they talk about other garments in their closet. It’s different because it tells a story — it takes on the characteristics of the person wearing the jeans, it gets better with age, people get attached to their favorite pair. Some denim aficionados celebrate the heritage of denim fabric and have an interest in earlier styles and fabric constructions. At the vintage American Draper looms at our White Oak Mill we produce selvage fabrics from our archives on machinery dating from the 1940s. They’re on the original wood flooring, whereas our modern looms are on concrete flooring. The wooden floors absorb the rhythmic sway of the loom’s gears and leather belts that weave the fabric.   They’re not high-tech, but they create a beautiful fabric with a depth and dimension you really don’t get on some of the modern looms.

There’s more transparency in the industry these days, so brands will explain where their fabrics are from, what’s going into their garment, why this garment is so special. I think it’s important for every piece of the supply chain to explain that what they’re providing is special, and we help brands tell that story.

We also work with customers on co-branding to highlighting our  “authentic” selvage denims as well as our performance and sustainable innovations.

Carved in Blue:  Since you have been acquired by private equity do you see your business changing?

Kara: ITG has always been owned by a private equity group, so for us it’s business as usual. We’re excited to be part of the Platinum Equity portfolio of companies and look forward to new opportunities ahead.

Carved in Blue: What do you see happening in men’s business?

Kara:  Men are starting to have more options, where the premium market was once mostly for women. More brands in the men’s business are offering  special fibers, soft hands and new performance characteristics in their denim.

We’re also starting to incorporate more technology like stretch into our men’s denim. A few years ago there might have been uncertainty about how men were going to react. I don’t think there’s a big neon sign on it saying, ‘now there’s Lycra in your jeans.’ But comfort is driving men’s and women’s businesses, and the men’s stretch business is definitely growing in importance, as are other technologies like stronger denim and denim with other attributes like moisture management, or movement.

Carved in Blue: What are latest innovations in the denim industry and especially at Cone?

Kara: These days the consumer has an active lifestyle, and people are looking for comfort. When you ask people “Why are those your favorite pair of jeans?” they’ll say, “They’re comfortable” or “They’re soft.” The hand of the jean is important. We do different things with different fiber technologies, like moisture wicking, but we are also mindful of the hand. So we’ll work to preserve that softness by incorporating  TENCEL® and Lenzing Modal® into the fabric.

In Greensboro we have our R&D incubator team, Cone 3D, working on key areas, like stretch. We’re celebrating the10th anniversary of our n patented S Gene®, dual-core technology, and we’ll be doing different releases — power stretch, bi-stretch, everything in the stretch category, taking it to all different levels.

We’re also using natural plant indigo, grown in in Tennessee. And we’re always looking for different ways to introduce sustainability into our fabrics — We use recycled materials and sustainable fibers like  TENCEL®.

Carved in Blue:  How did you start in business and what is your role at Cone?

Kara: I’ve been at Cone for 17 years — so I am a “Conehead!” Before that I worked with a few brands, including Armani Exchange and J Crew, and at [fashion agency] Art + Commerce.

Carved in Blue: What is your favorite city to visit for inspiration and shopping?

Kara: I’m a New Yorker and it’s a wonderful city to live in, very inspirational. I get the chance to travel around the world, go to the West Coast and Amsterdam, Tokyo, and it’s great to see what’s happening on the global scale. But the Internet and social media have brought us together as a global community and it’s wonderful.

So, I love Instagram, and I’m also inspired by people on the street. I look at fashion from a fabric perspective, so I’ll see something interesting or cool that someone’s wearing and that gives me an idea.

Carved in Blue: Is there a person or brand you would like to collaborate with on a capsule collection?

Kara: We’ve been working with so many brands over the years. I truly feel that we’ve been so lucky in our collaborations.

Carved in Blue: What is the worst trend you’ve seen in denim?

Kara: When people take the idea of being active in your denim too literally —  you know, the idea of working out in your jeans! I think it’s okay to have a separate outfit to work out, take a shower, and then change back into your jeans.

Carved in Blue: Aside from clothing-related concepts are there any cultural figures, artists, places that have influenced you?

Kara: I really enjoy antique shopping and I do watch Antiques Roadshow. I like the idea of having items, furniture, pottery, anything, that have this age and patina on them and what kind of story they tell.

Carved in Blue: When does a jean stop being a jean?

Kara: When it’s printed on a knit fabric!

When we’re working with our fabric, even when we’re doing new innovations, we’re always trying to maintain what makes it so special. There’s a fine line. If we lose the beauty of what makes denim denim, then you may as well wear a different fabric.

Carved in Blue: What do you think the denim industry will look like in 2025?

Kara: People are going to continue to expect more of their jeans. We’ll probably see more technology and there will be more merging of fashion and function, with more sustainable options, and comfort will continue to play a key role. But 10 years! That’s nothing! Here we are, a 125-year-old company, and the general concept is the same. We’ll keep seeing that what’s old is new again, and we’ll see denim maintain its beauty and integrity.

Carved in Blue: What does “Carved in Blue” mean to you?

Kara: The Carved in Blue denim blog is one of my go-to sources for industry news. Denim is such a unique fabric category and Carved in Blue speaks directly to the denim community.  It’s informative – helps designers to focus on their needs and understand the value of the Lenzing fibers and what TENCEL® and Lenzing Modal® can offer them.

Watch the Cone 125th Anniversary video – https://vimeo.com/193614721