Made in Pakistan: A Southeast Asian Mill Taking Sustainability Seriously
Pakistan may not yet be the first place that comes to mind for denim craftsmanship, but that is certainly changing.
At Karachi-based Artistic Milliners, product is born out of a passion for protecting those who make it, inspiring those who wear it and leaving little in the way of waste in its wake.
In its latest effort to exercise innovation, the company produced the “Authentic Alchemie” collection, a collaboration between CORDURA® Brand and TENCEL® that’s making cross-functional denim for today’s on-the-go consumer.
Carved in Blue caught up with Neil Bell, the company’s director of global R&D and innovation, for a glimpse inside the vision and to find out why Made in Pakistan denim deserves the industry’s attention.
“Pakistan denim is high technology in an emerging market,” Bell said.
Carved in Blue: Your latest Authentic Alchemie collection with Cordura, what sets it apart?
Neil: It’s focused on merging two of the major emerging global trends of durability and performance. We need to address ways of producing product that lasts longer and offers enhanced performance. I was inspired in looking at denim that merges high performance fibers such as CORDURA®’s, into denim while still maintaining a fashion focus.
Carved in Blue: TENCEL® is also part of the Authentic Alchemie collection. How has the fiber changed your product in this line and in others?
Neil: We are major users and consumers of TENCEL®. Its inherent properties of softness and lightness and eco-sourced raw material make it an ideal partner for the Artistic Milliners’ collection. The market is moving towards lighter and softer fabrics and our TENCEL® collection is a response to this, and so far the response has been great!
Carved in Blue: As Pakistan’s first LEED certified facility, what got you interested in sustainable manufacturing?
Neil: We need to address the fundamentals of how to improve garment manufacturing and respect for the environment. We are based in a heavy industrial zone with a high population of our workers living within the vicinity of the manufacturing plant. We need to create an environment where our workforce see we are making a difference and challenging the status quo and creating a clean and safe environment to work in. While building the LEED Gold facility, we were able to learn how to best obtain this balance.
Carved in Blue: What do you want the world to know about denim made in Pakistan?
Neil: Having been fortunate enough to be involved in denim in every corner of the world, I find the Pakistan denim culture to be fascinating. What I see is a people who deeply care every day and a workforce which is incredibly well educated in textiles and passionate to learn. While the Pakistan denim industry is still growing, the workforce is young and well-educated. The team I lead in R&D are all incredibly focused on improving and learning about how to make the future of denim. They are all university educated and focused on how to build a better future for themselves and the workforce. It’s an exciting mix.
Our main garment manufacturing location is LEED Gold Standard, it’s not as you would imagine. Pakistan denim is high technology in an emerging market. Our spinning mills where we process our unique blends of TENCEL®, Lenzing Modal® and CORDURA®, are all highly engineered with the latest Japanese and Swiss equipment and can produce more than 60 million yards of denim annually.
Carved in Blue: How has the industry changed from when you first started?
Neil: A lot! I’ve been fortunate to do many things in denim and travel and work in many places and to experience first-hand the entire supply chain from fiber manufacturing to denim laundries, denim mills, chemical companies and work within global denim brands. The industry has become incredibly complex and driven by margins, more and more the consumer is really king and we need to work ever harder to educate the consumer. There is a fair price to be paid to balance the need for sustainability and craftsmanship.
Carved in Blue: As a consumer yourself, what’s your most perfect pair of jeans?
Neil: Personally, I love the Rising Sun Rocker Raw Jean, it’s a beautifully crafted skinny with incredible details and stitching. It’s an American icon and wears in beautifully. But it’s a hard choice as today I’m in my Levi’s LVC 1915. This is something else. But that’s for another day.
Carved in Blue: What is a premium jean?
Neil: All jeans are premium to their consumer. I’ve never really understood this term, to be honest.
Carved in Blue: What’s the one fashion trend you hope never comes back?
Neil: Dumfries disco, burgundy denim and burgundy tank top—what a look. Enough said.
Carved in Blue: What’s your favorite city for finding denim inspiration?
Neil: Inside my head and the madness that spins in it. We live in a global world, I travel intensely and see incredible denim inspiration everywhere but the best denim inspiration is in your dreams.
Carved in Blue: What’s the one thing you love about our industry?
Neil: The experiences and the people you meet in denim. Such energy and passion and desire to do good. Denim is leading the change in fashion apparel. We are pioneers in sustainability, we are changing cotton sourcing, we are attempting to clean up the oceans, we are tackling chemical management at manufacturing, our leaders are passionate about change and never give up. For this reason, you can’t fail to love the denim industry.
Carved in Blue: What does Carved in Blue mean to you?
Neil: To be always creative, push for maximum and to be “Forever in Blue Jeans.” Neil Diamond sums it up best—his classic melodies remind you why we should all love what we do and how lucky we are to be a small part of this denim industry.