Mill Memo: China Producers Share How They Use TENCEL™

Mill Memo: China Producers Share How They Use TENCEL™

Over the years, it has become easier to find denim fabrics containing TENCEL™ Lyocell or Modal as mills scale up their use of these fibers to meet sustainability, design or performance characteristics.

Adding TENCEL™ to denim creates textiles that are soft and comfortable, with a smaller ecological impact. The fibers can also create a variety of looks—from a subtle sheen to matte and slubby.

Carved in Blue connected with mills in China to discuss how they are using TENCEL™ fibers and what to expect from their upcoming lines. Read on to hear from Advance Denim, Blue Diamond, Panther Denim and Prosperity Textile.

ADVANCE DENIM

Alice Chan, marketing manager

Carved in Blue: Could you briefly describe your latest collections that feature TENCEL™ fibers?

Alice: We introduce a new addition to our Salvage Denim collection that uses a mixture of RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) certified recycled cotton and Lenzing’s REFIBRA™ to create a denim with 100 percent recycled (non-virgin) materials yet has a plush soft hand and increased durability of your favorite premium denim. This is our ongoing effort to raise the bar on circularity. Salvage Denim means you don’t have to sacrifice quality to be circular. 

Carved in Blue: When did you first use TENCEL™ in commercial collections? And how has your use of TENCEL™ changed since then?

Alice: We have used TENCEL™ in our collection for a very long time. Originally, TENCEL™ was about the hand and drape; now the focus has shifted from softness to sustainability, with low-impact fiber. We can see TENCEL™ more in blends with cotton in order to achieve a comfortable hand feel while it is more sustainable at the same time.  

Carved in Blue: What top trends do you see for denim in the upcoming Fall/Winter 24-25 season? How can brands and garment manufacturers use your TENCEL™ collections to create designs fitting these trends?

Alice: Softness, premium denim feel and drape for a more comfortable jean that is sustainable and has brand recognition. TENCEL™ is an option for both softness and sustainability. Our zero-cotton collection uses mostly TENCEL™ fibers, giving soft hand feel to denim fabrics while still maintaining the authentic denim look. Zero-cotton fabrics are laser sensitive as well to go with waterless finishing, enhancing sustainability from fabrics to garment finishing. 

BLUE DIAMOND

Gary You, vice president of business and product development

Carved in Blue: Could you briefly describe your latest collections that feature TENCEL™ fibers?

Gary: We have a collection called OE Luxury. For this collection, we use OE (open-end) yarns on the warp and TENCEL™ lyocell blended yarns on the weft. This gives the fabric a vintage look and feel with a very luxurious hand. Most of our clients know we do “authentic” denim very well. When they see the added benefits of TENCEL™ lyocell to the hand and drape, they are ecstatic on the value and performance.

Carved in Blue: When did you first use TENCEL™ in commercial collections? And how has your use of TENCEL™ changed since then?

Gary: We started adding and blending TENCEL™ lyocell in our commercial collections in 2008. Back then, we had slip and shine concerns, but we are now very well versed on which combinations of TENCEL™ lyocell work best. Most of our bestselling constructions have a TENCEL™ blend option of some sort. Due to the success, we have dedicated a category called Diamond Blend that consists mostly of TENCEL™ blended articles.

Carved in Blue: What top trends do you see for denim in the upcoming Fall/Winter 24-25 season? How can brands and garment manufacturers use your TENCEL™ collections to create designs fitting these trends?

Gary: With the talk of sustainability, we are seeing a trend towards durability. If the denim lasts longer, it’s adding to the sustainability value. Visually and durability is associated with denim with a more open-end character. This is what we are known for, but we add a premium value by blending TENCEL™ lyocell to our best articles. This gives a luxurious hand without taking away from the “authentic” denim look with a premium soft hand.

PANTHER DENIM

Tim Huesemann, sales director 

Carved in Blue: Could you briefly describe your latest collections that feature TENCEL™ fibers?

Tim: We have launched the matte TENCEL™ lyocell capsule collection in last season, and the response was great. In this season, we have extended the matte TENCEL™ lyocell collection to different weights and stretch levels, having black denim and PFD versions to cater different customers’ needs.

Carved in Blue: When did you first use TENCEL™ in commercial collections? And how has your use of TENCEL™ changed since then?

Tim: We have been using TENCEL™ for over a decade. We started from basic 5-6 oz. shirt weight to nowadays 12 oz. 100 percent matte TENCEL™ lyocell products. We also have the full denim range in different weights and stretch levels. We believe that soft hand feel from TENCEL™ fibers and the sustainable impact on environment are the keys, so we adopt TENCEL™ lyocell a lot in our fabrics.

Carved in Blue: What top trends do you see for denim in the upcoming Fall/Winter 24-25 season? How can brands and garment manufacturers use your TENCEL™ collections to create designs fitting these trends?

Tim: For the upcoming Fall/Winter 24-25 season, we can see that loose fit and wide legs are still on trend. Using TENCEL™ lyocell can give softness, comfy and draped silhouette to fabrics and garments. Biodegradable fibers and content remind us of our responsibilities to the Earth, to preserve our precious environment.

PROSPERITY TEXTILE

Man Yu, R&D manager

Carved in Blue: Could you briefly describe your latest collections that feature TENCEL™ fibers?

Man: Our latest collection using TENCEL™ fibers mainly are the following.

“Matt” denim extends the usage of TENCEL™ for keeping a superior feeling and showing the possibility on new appearance.

TENCEL™ lyocell in OE, due to different spinning, is able to provide much larger surface area compared to ring spun yarn, which makes TENCEL™ lyocell with a vintage look and soft touch.

We’re also featuring TENCEL™ lyocell with other fibers to provide a dry and cool functional effect.

Carved in Blue: When did you first use TENCEL™ in commercial collections? And how has your use of TENCEL™ changed since then?

Man: We first used TENCEL™ lyocell into our collection eight years ago. It is a great option for us by combining cotton with better hand feel and high-end appearance. In the other words, we are able to create a much softer and more comfortable denim fabric while reducing environmental impact.

Carved in Blue: What top trends do you see for denim in the upcoming Fall/Winter 24-25 season? How can brands and garment manufacturers use your TENCEL™ collections to create designs fitting these trends?

Man: We can see the main trends for the upcoming season would be a focus on sustainability and environmentally friendly fibers, an emphasis on comfort and style and a more casual, less formal aesthetic.

We are looking forward to how TENCEL™ lyocell can definitely be used to create designs that fit these trends!