Mills Update: Chinese Manufacturers on the Current Environment and Meeting Consumer Demands

Mills

Mills Update: Chinese Manufacturers on the Current Environment and Meeting Consumer Demands

In a time of trade volatility, brands are shifting their sourcing strategies to guard against tariffs. Denim manufacturers are soldiering on, leaning on innovation and their internal capabilities to drive business while also keeping a watchful eye on the situation.

Ahead of Kingpins Show Amsterdam, happening this week, Carved in Blue caught up with denim mills to discuss the sourcing landscape, their latest launches and where denim trends are headed for Fall/Winter 2026. Here, executives from Advance Denim, Panther Denim, Prosperity Textile and Vita Textile share what types of fabrics are resonating with customers and how they are innovating stretch using TENCEL™.  

ADVANCE DENIM

Mark Ix, marketing director of North America

Carved in Blue: What do you expect consumers will be looking for in Fall/Winter 2026? How are you developing denim to meet their expected wants? What collections are you debuting at Kingpins Amsterdam this week? Do any of your textiles incorporate TENCEL™ Lyocell and/or Modal?

Mark: Consumers are endlessly looking for the new trend, and as social media gains more eyes, those trends are coming fast and furious. In order to meet those evolving trends, Advance Denim is leaning into its extensive and diverse capacity to meet the customers’ needs.

Advance Denim is using its extensive coating experience to create styles that are coated face and back to show vibrant shades and wash downs. Advance Denim has created the Deep Glow styles that have the tinted garment look without adding tint to the garment wash.

Advance Denim has a whole line of soft drapey styles that utilize the softness and sustainability of TENCEL™ Lyocell without sacrificing the marble character of ‘90s denim. They use cutting-edge constructions to create stretch utilizing only TENCEL™ Lyocell and cotton.

As we have seen in the runways shows, jacquards are gaining in popularity, and Advance Denim has expanded its in-house jacquard production to meet these needs. 

PANTHER DENIM

Tim Huesemann, sales director

Carved in Blue: Tariffs are top of mind right now for the industry. How are trade policies impacting your business—particularly in the U.S.?

Tim: It has been a challenging period for manufacturers due to widespread uncertainty. Buyers have grown more cautious, and this trend is likely to persist, making conditions tough. 

Nevertheless, we view this as an opportunity and are expanding our production in Cambodia to mitigate geopolitical risks.

Carved in Blue: What do you expect consumers will be looking for in Fall/Winter 2026? How are you developing denim to meet their expected wants?

Tim: We believe that the raw look trend is still strong. Our “Stay Raw” concept has an element of chic and edgy tailored denim styles. All come in Stay colors like blue, black and grey shades with no color fades. 

Besides, technical sportier denim “Tech Denim” fabrics are about setting goals, exploring new places, getting a workout and providing denim comfort on the go! They are ultralight and offer ultimate performance.

Carved in Blue: What collections are you debuting at Kingpins Amsterdam this week? Do any of your textiles incorporate TENCEL™ Lyocell and/or Modal?

Tim: We will be introducing our new “Home Spun” denim concept, featuring traditional ring-spun denim to produce an irregular ring effect, resulting in a high-low surface and a bold contrast look. With the vintage trend still going strong, we’ve blended TENCEL™ fiber into our fabrics to achieve a soft, vintage appearance. The results are impressive, delivering an ideal vintage aesthetic that avoids looking too flat.

PROSPERITY TEXTILE

and cost management within the denim fabric industry. Specifically, in the U.S. market, trade policies have a direct impact on our supply chain dynamics and pricing strategy. We continuously monitor these policies to anticipate changes and adapt accordingly. This proactive approach allows us to mitigate potential risks associated with tariff fluctuations, ensuring we maintain competitive pricing without compromising on quality. Additionally, we explore strategic sourcing solutions and consider diversifying our supplier base to navigate through these challenges effectively.

Carved in Blue: What do you expect consumers will be looking for in Fall/Winter 2026? How are you developing denim to meet their expected wants?

Stafford and Alberto: For the Fall/Winter 2026 season, consumer preferences are anticipated towards more authentic, simplistic and rigid-based denim offerings. In response to this trend, we are concentrating our development efforts on creating denim fabrics that embody these qualities while incorporating innovative techniques to enhance durability and comfort. Our design team is focusing on timeless washes and finishes that resonate with the classic aesthetic that buyers are expected to seek.

Carved in Blue: What collections are you debuting at Kingpins Amsterdam this week? Do any of your textiles incorporate TENCEL™ Lyocell and/or Modal?

Stafford and Alberto: At the Kingpins Amsterdam show this week, we are debuting our latest collection featuring an integration of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers. This new line emphasizes a soft touch and marbling effect, achieved through adjustments in the fabric structure to introduce mechanical stretch capabilities into what traditionally would be considered a rigid TENCEL™ fabric. By incorporating these fibers, we aim to offer consumers the best of both worlds: the natural comfort and breathability of TENCEL™ Lyocell, combined with the desired elasticity and aesthetic appeal for modern denim wear. This approach not only enhances the sensory qualities of our fabrics but also supports our commitment to sustainability and innovation within the denim industry.

VITA INDIGO

Herman Yim, regional sales director and Imellda Ho, regional sales manager 

Carved in Blue: Tariffs are top of mind right now for the industry. How are trade policies impacting your business—particularly in the U.S.? 

Herman and Imellda: Most of our garment factory clients are overseas, such as Southeast Asia including Bangladesh. Therefore, the U.S. tariff has not affected us significantly. However, we are impacted by China tariff measures on U.S. products. Our suppliers cannot purchase U.S. cotton directly from U.S. suppliers. To maintain a non-China cotton supply, we may switch to suppliers from other countries. In this case, our costs have definitely increased.

Carved in Blue: What do you expect consumers will be looking for in Fall/Winter 2026? How are you developing denim to meet their expected wants?  

Herman and Imellda: For Fall/Winter 2026, after reviewing different various fashion shows and trend reports, we anticipated a focus on textures like knit or corduroy, monochromatic denim-on-denim, straight, slightly loose fits making a comeback. The sustainable concept will continue to be strong, with a shift towards natural luxury fibers such as silk, cashmere, linen and TENCEL™ Lyocell. Lastly, a buttery-soft hand feel on non-traditional woven knit denim will be highly popular.