Can Seamless Knit Denim Replace the Yoga Pant?
Denim is just getting warmed up in the athleisure category. For the Fall ’16 show season, Lenzing has partnered with garment finishing company Tonello, knitting machine manufacturer Santoni and indigo knit producer Unitin, to create DEN/IM, I am DENIM, an athleisure collection made with stretch indigo denim on seamless circular knitting machines.
The quartette of industry leaders collaborated on the studio-to-street collection, which was designed with the intent to show knit denim’s potential as a viable alternative and competitor to traditional activewear bottoms. The collection, which include jeggings, a crop top and blazer, will debut at Munich Fabric Start’s new denim-focused area, Bluezone, Aug. 30-31.
“This indigo-based concept, not seen previously on seamless garments, fits perfectly into the rapidly evolving lifestyle concept” said Patrick Silva, Santoni marketing manager.
For the collection, Santoni developed a new knitting technology, machine SM8/EVO4J GG20, to build garments almost entirely free of seams, offering total flexibility and elevated comfort.
Silva said the machine’s greatest advantage is its ability to create complete garments, rather than individual fabrics, quickly. “Using a variety of raw materials, the machine can produce patterns, ventilation, warming zones, support zones, waistbands, leg hems, logos and more—all in a single knit,” he described.
Machine setup is fast, Silva added, which allows brands to sample products closer to market and strike on the right trends. In order maintain an authentic woven denim look, Santoni used Unitin’s blend of indigo cotton and TENCEL® for the capsule collection. The bi-stretch denim fabric taps into consumer interest for products that are lighter, more comfortable and more performing than the traditional woven ones.
Additionally, the capsule collection tells an environmental story from fiber to finish. Attention has been given to environmental aspects from the class-leading manmade cellulosic fiber in TENCEL® to the low-impact finishes developed by Tonello. Meanwhile, Santoni’s technology requires fewer machines involved in the production flow chart, lower energy costs, smaller machine footprint and a shorter production process.
“We are always looking to the future when thinking about embedding TENCEL® fiber further into the denim market” said Michael Kininmonth, project manager for Lenzing. “Having previously worked with Unitin indigo yarns on a flat-bed knit project and knowing the innovative garment processing developments Tonello have brought to the market, the decision to work on such a project was an easy one.”