Retail Box: How Brands are Using TENCEL™ for Denim Garments
As trends evolve, the Lenzing Denim team is always eager to see how mills and manufacturers and their brand customers continue to leverage TENCEL™ to achieve the latest looks.
In 2022, we debuted a Retail Box with examples of denim garments using TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal. While many of these still serve as great samples of what can be done with our fibers, we thought it was time for a second edition to reflect the current offerings in the market. For 2024, our Retail Box contains a curated selection of six garments from major brands.
To represent authentic rigid denim, we pulled Levi’s Loose Women’s Jeans, which blend 21 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell with 79 percent cotton. Although they have no stretch, the jeans are soft to the touch. The fabrication is modern, but the look is vintage, as if someone found jeans secondhand.
Also giving a trendy vintage look are rigid cutoff shorts from Guess with 58 percent cotton and 42 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell.
TENCEL™ can help brands achieve a drapey look in looser silhouettes, and this quality comes through in Diesel’s Mid-Rise Flare Jean. With 64 percent cotton and 36 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell, the non-stretch jeans feature a wide flare for a vintage look.
Mixing a vintage aesthetic with a touch of stretch, Reformation’s Low Rise Bootcut combines 64 percent organic cotton, 35 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell and 1 percent EcoLycra.
TENCEL™ Lyocell is not just for women’s denim, and American Eagle’s Straight Fit jeans are a prime example of how the fibers can be part of a drier hand feel. The style blends 47 percent cotton, 32 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell, 20 percent recycled cotton and 1 percent elastane.
Among TENCEL™ Lyocell’s performance properties is moisture management, with twice the water vapor uptake as cotton. Levi’s 512 Slim Taper jeans were made for summer days with lightweight denim that is engineered to wick away moisture. Featuring 73 percent cotton, 26 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell and 1 percent elastane, the jeans leverage TENCEL™ to achieve a dry feel without petroleum-based fibers.
“As denim trends evolve, TENCEL™ continues to empower brands with the versatility to create modern looks that honor vintage aesthetics, all while delivering superior comfort and sustainability,” said Tuncay Kilickan, head of global business development, denim at Lenzing.
For more information on the Retail Box, reach out to the Lenzing denim team at denim@lenzing.com.
All images courtesy of the featured brands.