Prosperity Mills on ‘Glocal’ Denim and Building a Cleaner Denim World
Founded as a small denim weaving factory in 1995 with just a few dozen machines to process denim fabrics, China’s Prosperity Textile has grown into a huge operation in just over two decades. With more than 20 offices around the world, and with more than half of its sales coming from overseas, work at Prosperity is truly a global effort, on track this year to produce some 80 million yards of fabric. This includes cotton, mixed-fibers, 5-15 oz. denims, including indigo and black in both menswear and womenswear
For Spring/Summer ’17, Prosperity is furthering its investment in eco-textiles, including TENCEL®, linen, organic cotton, recycled cotton/yarns, and other functional stretch fabrics. The company is also introducing a new warp with TENCEL® and cotton while mixing recycled cotton, polyester, and spandex in weft, as well as bringing out 100% TENCEL® shirting. Carved In Blue recently chatted with Prosperity General Manager Leo Gu and Andrew Olah, CEO of Olah Inc and USA sales office for Prosperity, on what to expect.
Carved In Blue: You have worked with many mills throughout your career. Why is Olah Inc the USA sales office for Prosperity?
Andrew: Prosperity invests in intellectual competence, design, and in machinery but most of all, Prosperity invests in people and that’s what makes them not only good today, but a force in the future. I love working for Prosperity because dreams can come true.
Carved In Blue: What is Prosperity’s biggest strength?
Leo: We are so proud of offering great price and performance denim fabric to clients all around the world with our local service and on-time delivery.
Carved In Blue: Tell us about the move to using Better Cotton. What impact has it had so far?
Leo: It’s a deliberate decision, and is a big step for Prosperity. We have seen customers increasingly shift to a more sustainable sourcing approach, and in past years we have been using more and more eco-friendly yarns/fibers in our denim production, like BCI cotton, TENCEL® , organic cotton, and more. So we thought, why not take it to next step? And so at the end of 2015 we announced the application of BCI cotton in our lightweight denim lines, and the feedback has been quite positive. It delivers a strong message about our commitment of building a cleaner denim world.
Carved In Blue: Can you tell us more about the F2 fibers? How are they used?
Leo: F2 Denim is one of our latest development, which merges functional technology into fashion denim. Nowadays, consumers prefer their jeans to be multi-taskers, wanting to wear them to work, on a date or at the gym, as well as providing comfort in cold and warm weather. What is truly amazing is that our F2 denim recycles and converts radiant body heat into something that gives the body a boost of infrared energy. It is quite popular on the market, and we are so proud to have two items of F2 denim selected as the Top 10 and Jury Selection in the street sport category at ISPO TexTrends 2016.
Carved In Blue: How does Prosperity utilize TENCEL® ?
Leo: TENCEL® is one of the most important ingredients in our production portfolio, we sell more than 7 million yards TENCEL®fabric a year. We all love TENCEL® for its ecological production, ultra-softness, great moisture management and beautiful luster. Being a company committed to sustainable development, Lenzing is an excellent partner, and we use TENCEL® in lots of developments, from 100% to mixed with cotton, and from lightweight shirting to jeans. One of our latest developments is 9-10 oz., multi-blended with TENCEL® , cotton, and spandex. It has an excellent soft touch and stretch, and is a great choice for both women and men from Spring to Autumn.
Carved In Blue: How has the company grown in the last 5 to 10 years? What is Prosperity doing to ensure continued growth?
Leo: From 10 million yards in 2006 to an expected 80-million-yard shipment in 2016, we have come a long way in an oversupplied market. Our state-of-the-art large scale denim factory assures our fabric meets the high standard from dyeing to weaving and finishing while keeping cost competitive. Second, we run ‘Glocally,’ with more than 20 offices around the world and 1300 employees, with our production sites in China, Bangladesh and Vietnam, expected in 2017. We work to provide local service and on-time delivery. We help clients meet tight delivery schedules by offering a set of “Never-Out-Of-Stock” fabrics, as well as helping with washing services, and more.
Carved In Blue: Is the future of denim stretch or cotton?
Leo: With a more active life style, consumers just love being comfort when they move, which is why in recent years jeans with stretch have gained huge momentum in both women’s and menswear. I do believe stretch is the future of denim, yet it might not be what we saw in past with all the super-skinny styles, but a more cotton-rich approach to being flexible, as well as true denim looks.
Carved In Blue: What types of inspiration are you using in your denim these days?
Leo: Three directions: Stretch, Soft Touch and Function. Denim is popular when it has good stretch, soft hand feel and excellent performance, like thermal regulation, anti-bacterial or fast recovery.
Carved In Blue: What’s new for Spring ’17? What sorts of styles should we expect?
Leo: For Spring/Summer, TENCEL® is a great fit, and we are introducing a new warp with TENCEL® and cotton while mixing in recycled cotton, polyester, and spandex in the weft. 100% TENCEL® shirting also can’t be missed. Aside from that, we have some more four-way stretch items for upgraded comfort. Linen and COOLMAX® are added for quick dry performance.
Carved In Blue: What was your first pair of jeans?
Leo: In middle school in 90’s. Forgot the name of the brand, 100% cotton, a regular 5 pocket.
Carved In Blue: How did you start in the denim business?
Leo: In 2003 I finished college, and at that time the denim industry had just started in Guangdong, full of opportunities, and my father was running a weaving factory, so that was it.
Carved In Blue: How has the industry changed from when you first started?
Leo: From single component to multi-fiber and complicated processing, from selling fabric to a one-stop fashion solution.
Carved In Blue: What is the one thing you love about working in the denim industry?
Leo: The unlimited possibilities of denim.
Carved In Blue: If you had to pick one type of jean to live in forever – which would it be?
Leo: Our home-made selvedge.
Carved In Blue: What does Carved in Blue mean to you?
Leo: I like the name of it. Craftsmanship and indigo, two key elements of denim.