Denim Shifts but its Soul Lives On for Hamit Yenici
While the denimheads of the past may have neglected their role in sustainability, things couldn’t be more different now.
This mindfulness is what’s driving the change in denim’s definition; it’s a trend that we can expect to continue and, for Hamit Yenici, Hich Solutions CEO, it’s exactly the way it should be.
As part of Carved in Blue’s Modern Definition of Denim video series, Hamit shared the importance of sticking to your commitments, how denim’s soulfulness gives the fabric life, and why failure is a vital piece of anyone’s progress.
Carved in Blue: What do you enjoy the most about the denim community?
Hamit: There are a lot of interesting people, and the denim industry is really proud of the history. We are a big family. It’s really enjoyable, and everybody’s passionate about denim. I’m a very proud member of this community.
Carved in Blue: If you were to pick one buzzword—the trendy word in the denim industry—what would it be?
Hamit: It shouldn’t be a trendy word, but it’s actually now one of the most important words, I think, being responsible, or sustainability.
Carved in Blue: What is the modern definition of denim?
Hamit: For recent days, I think denim is the most user-friendly clothing. I think computers or smartphones changed our life a lot, and we want to access everything easily. And we want to use everything the easiest way. So that’s why I think the denim is the most user-friendly clothing in the world.
Carved in Blue: How has the definition evolved over the years?
Hamit: I think evolving is one of the things we can never avoid. Everybody loves the fashion coming from the past, but nothing is exactly like it was. Everything is evolving. The new generation is born with new things, and they become the customers.
That’s why we have to consider as a denim producer, as the denim maker, their needs and their expectations. That’s why denim needs to be evolved according to their expectations. Because we are getting older and even our expectations are changing, but the new generation’s expectations from anything is much different than ours.
Carved in Blue: So the main driver was customer expectations?
Hamit: One of the drivers is definitely customer expectations. And I think this is the most important one because they’re not only thinking of their comfort or their coolness. It’s also that they’re extremely conscious in many aspects.
Probably most people in denim history did not care, but the new generation is extremely conscious in the subject of sustainability. All the millennials or Gen Z-ers are definitely keen on having something that’s not harmful. That’s why this has also made denim evolve.
Carved in Blue: We had a really interesting comment from Amy Wang from Advance Denim, and she said it should be the consumer’s definition and not the textile engineer’s definition. How is that clashing?
Hamit: Because the definition of denim is like a cotton fabric, the warp side, dyed by usually indigo with dyestuff, and then have a 3×1 or 2×1 twill fabrics. This is definition for the textile. But it’s not this because this is soulless thing. Denim has a soul.
Denim is a kind of animal that lives, actually. It’s a live material. It’s not dead. It’s fading. It’s getting older. It’s getting more beautiful. It’s connected with the person who is wearing it, so it’s jeans becoming part of your body. That’s why it has a soul.
Carved in Blue: What are the concrete actions that mills can take to replace bad actions?
Hamit: First of all, the old items that you’re using have to be under control and have a lessened impact for the world. This is important. The raw material is the most important thing.
The other thing is we have to pick our chemicals to have the least impact, or no impact, or that there is no hazardous discharge to the world.
And the other thing is the water. The amount of water in the world is getting less and less, especially for drinking water. So we have to think how we can save this water, but not only what we’re using in our plans but also how we can save it afterward. We have to think how we can help the laundries in order to make them use less water. Or, even further, I have to feel responsible about how I can make the consumer use less water at their home.
And, for sure, we are using energy in order to make them altogether. So, the other action can be, how can we use less energy in order to make 1 meter of fabric? The source of the energy is very important.
These are our responsibilities. If you feel responsible, you always find a way. I’m always saying if you start a diet, you have to tell everybody because if you don’t tell everybody, if you only keep it for yourself, you can cheat yourself easily. If you are really keen to do something, and you have to set your target, you have to tell everybody, “This is my target. I will do this.” If you do something wrong, they immediately slap your face, and you feel much more responsible. This is the key.
Carved in Blue: Some of the other people were saying, “You know, I actually admit that I failed. But that’s what drove me forward because it’s almost like that was my push forward.” You’re open to being transparent about it.
Hamit: And transparency is the key, I think, because you may fail. But failing is not the last of something. When you fail, you learn a lot. So next time you won’t make the same mistake again. Sometimes failing is adding many things to you. That’s why you shouldn’t be afraid to fail. That’s why you keep going and don’t give up. Failing is part of the business; we all do it.
Carved in Blue: What is the future of denim, and how do we get there?
Hamit: I think the future of denim is when the young generation wants to have it and when they will start a team. I have a son, 12 years old, and he learns a lot about sustainability. So this consciousness is coming from the school, and when they learn something, they act on it.
So when he reaches 18, I’ll pay his clothing, but he will decide by himself which one. And when he’s 25, he’ll spend his own money at the best way for him. That’s why if we can make the denim to meet expectations, this is the future of denim.
The trends can be changed. Sometimes heavier denim can be the trend, sometimes lighter weight. Sometimes more straight, sometimes rigid. But these are the things that can be changed easily. The important thing is if we can have them think that this is the right product for the features, then this will be great for us. Because we have to make them want to use denim for their own life and for their children as well.
Learn more about the Modern Definition of Denim series.