Inside the Lenzing Denim Innovations at Kingpins Show Amsterdam
Kingpins Show Amsterdam last week drew an international crowd from the U.S., across Europe and even Africa. The Lenzing Denim team was on site to exhibit, and we were inspired to see all the ways that TENCEL™ is being used by our mill partners.
This was Kingpins’ 10th anniversary in Amsterdam, and the mood was celebrative. For this edition, the organizers changed up the floor layout, placing the exhibitors mainly on the ground floor and workshops and initiatives up on the second floor.
At our own booth, the main focus was on our collaboration with Kaihara and Roica by Asahi Kasei for a circular stretch denim collection dubbed Saisei, which stands for “regeneration, repurpose, recycling.” The fabrics and pieces use materials from recycled content—including our LENZING™ ECOVERO™ with REFIBRA™ technology that incorporates textile waste as a feedstock.
Another highlight at the Lenzing booth was a Fancy Denim Innovation collection that rethinks traditional denim with material innovation. TENCEL™ fibers lend comfort and versatility to denim fabrics.
We also announced our new Laundry Manual at the show, which dives into processing TENCEL™ denim, focusing on its compatibility with more efficient and eco-friendly solutions such as ozone, nebulization and laser machines. With these techniques, companies can save resources and time while also achieving premium finishes.
Outside of the Lenzing booth, our TENCEL™ fibers were on view via various mill exhibitors. A key trend right now is an authentic denim look in a wider silhouette, and TENCEL™ helps mills create this with a feather soft hand feel. Some mills created entire collections around this concept, including AGI Denim, Naveena Denim Mills, Panther Denim, Artistic Milliners, Naveena Denim Limited, US Denim and Neela.
Brands are seeking out innovation on both the product design and sustainability fronts. However, at the same time, pricing continues to be a pressure in the market.
Talking through the supplier perspective, the Transformers Foundation—the independent organization that was spun off from Kingpins in 2020, with Lenzing among its founders—held a conference geared toward the supply chain. The Transformers YOUconference: Empowering Supplier-Led Conversations on Oct. 22 covered topics including sustainability legislation, carbon claims and greenwashing, with a focus on brainstorming solutions.
“Once again, the denim community came from various locations of the world, and after two days, left Amsterdam with a lot of inspiration and insights, which is the biggest motivation to push boundaries and transform the denim industry for the better,” said Tuncay Kılıçkan, head of business development, denim, at Lenzing Group.
Click through the slideshow below to see scenes from the show.
