Mills Update: Japan Producers on What’s Driving Demand and Denim Developments
Over the past few years, the denim industry has had ups and downs as consumer and market demand ebbs and flows.
With the first half of the year in the rearview, Carved in Blue is checking in with denim mills to get their take on how 2024 is shaping up. Are sales rising or falling? What is driving demand? Which trends are taking off? And how are they addressing market needs? Read on to hear insights from Kaihara and Shinohara.
KAIHARA CORPORATION
Inagaki Hirofumi, executive officer and general manager of sales division
Carved in Blue: Has the first half of 2024 been up, down or flat for your company?
Inagaki: We expect sales and profits to increase by 120 percent compared to last year.
We have been able to raise the overall level of sales by recovering orders from existing clients since the beginning of this year and acquiring new projects since after Covid crisis.
Carved in Blue: How would you describe the current demand, and has it changed in recent months?
Inagaki: Vintage made in Japan is attracting attention, mainly from EU and USA brands. Production lines dedicated to vintage fabrics are running in full capacity. We expect this trend to continue.
Carved in Blue: What has surprised you the most about 2024 so far?
Inagaki: As global warming continues, summers are becoming increasingly hotter and hotter. In addition to the development of garments against extreme heat, there is a need to develop functional materials that can be worn throughout the year without being limited by the conventional sense of seasonality.
Carved in Blue: Which trends or styles do you see gaining traction, and how are you building fabrics to suit these looks?
Inagaki: Wide styles are rising trends. Fabric without stretch is also increasing its inquiry—non-stretch materials such as 100 percent cotton. High-end brands and celebrity brands tend to focus on rigid/firm materials. The trend is toward lighter weight and softer fabrics for affordable/mass-market brands with high volume. Based on this trend, development of non-stretch fabrics is increasing.
Carved in Blue: Could you describe your latest collection launches?
Inagaki: The collection will be partially presented at the October Kingpins Show. We are not planning any other opportunities to present the collection. We will continue to present our collections directly to our customers through direct presentations.
Carved in Blue: What are your predictions for the second half?
Inagaki: It is projected to maintain sales amount at the same pace as in the first half. While the company is currently in full production, we intend to work to shorten the lead time.
SHINOHARA TEXTILE CO. LTD
Tatsuya Shinohara, planning and sales manager
Carved in Blue: Has the first half of 2024 been up, down or flat for your company?
Tatsuya: Comparable to the previous year. This financial year shows a bit lower sales number than last year, however in 2023, it was an unpredictably good year, so overall the sales are stable. We believe this is because we have been able to appeal to both domestic and overseas markets with our unique added value and establish our company’s position, albeit in a non-mass market.
Carved in Blue: How would you describe the current demand, and has it changed in recent months?
Tatsuya: It is difficult to see the direction of the market, as we feel that it is becoming more diverse every year, but there is a greater demand for lighter and softer textures than last year.
Carved in Blue: What has surprised you the most about 2024 so far?
Tatsuya: I was shocked to hear that some manufacturers have developed technology that can take out raw materials almost automatically just by feeding in products for product recycling and can sort the materials from sorting to reusable state.
Carved in Blue: Which trends or styles do you see gaining traction, and how are you building fabrics to suit these looks?
Tatsuya: I think that denim fabrics in Japan are often different from the overall fashion trends. We are not too conscious of the trends, but we are conscious of creating materials that have never been seen before in the world and that other countries will not imitate.
Carved in Blue: Could you describe your latest collection launches?
Tatsuya: We have applied a special twisting technology called Super Zero to make TENCEL™ fibers softer than ever before. We have developed a material that maximizes the unique texture of TENCEL™. Using this technology, we have created a collection that combines not only TENCEL™, but also silk, cashmere and other materials.
Carved in Blue: What are your predictions for the second half?
Tatsuya: We expect that green certification, new sustainable directive and regulation in each country will be challenging and could be a bottleneck to penetrate to global market, so we expect slight decrease of sales.