Soorty Strives for Growth and Denim Innovation
For almost 30 years, Soorty Enterprises has been advancing Pakistan’s denim capabilities, and that effort won’t let up any time soon.
Now one of Pakistan’s largest vertical denim manufacturer, Soorty, has its sights set on further growth in the space as well as innovation that pays attention to consumers’ new demands.
“Our aim is to come up with the most innovative and inspiring ideas and solutions, to create a benchmark in the local and international markets,” said Soorty senior manager for marketing and product development, Mansoor Bilal.
Carved in Blue spent some time with Mansoor to learn more about what Southeast Asia is bringing to denim.
Carved in Blue: Tell us a little more about your company.
Mansoor: Established in 1980’s, Soorty started with apparel manufacturing. Later in 1990’s Soorty built a state of art denim laundry having the first Tonello machines in Pakistan for a garment factory which paved the path for the denim industry. From that point onwards, the company’s growth was in high gear and included backwards integration with a state of the art spinning and weaving mill. Soorty was at the forefront in the creation of denim fabrics and jeans, with a special emphasis on quality, cost and delivery of our products. We do this through research, innovation and a sharp focus on our customers’ expectations, while ensuring a sustainable impact on our people and Earth.
Carved in Blue: What type of equipment do you have in your facility?
Mansoor: Today, Soorty is one of the biggest and leading denim manufacturers around the globe. A gold rated USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) certified garment factory in Bangladesh, a Design Studio and Product Development centers in leading denim hubs, Netherlands and Turkey, make us global. We have a state of the art spinning mill to produce a wide variety of yarns with production capacity of 60 tons/day. Recent additions include open end spinning and a shredding plant to process pre and post-consumer waste. We have two denim plants with a production capacity of 5.5 million meters/month. The upcoming additional capacity will make total production of 6.5 million meters/month. Our current garment capacity is 3 million pieces per month including our Bangladesh plant. Our laundry is equipped with modernized machines like laser, E-flow, water efficient washing machines and low energy impact dryers, focusing on sustainable practices. Further, we are coming up with Pakistan’s first green factory targeting it to be USGBC certified platinum rated.
Carved in Blue: Who are some of your customers?
Mansoor: We are working mostly with European customers like C&A, H&M, S.Oliver, Esprit and Bestseller, among others.
Carved in Blue: What regions do you ship garments to?
Mansoor: We are shipping finished garments to Europe and fabric exports are spread around the globe including South and North America, Europe, Turkey and Bangladesh.
Carved in Blue: Which trade shows do you exhibit in?
Mansoor: Being a global company, we exhibit in almost all the denim exhibitions around the globe with a core focus on Kingpins, Denim PV and Munich Fabric Start.
Carved in Blue: What is the current textile market situation in Pakistan?
Mansoor: With the shifting economics and global scenario, Pakistan is becoming more and more important for the denim business. All major players are still investing a lot into the denim business, and it shows the potential and seriousness of the industry. Going forward, we are seeing that Pakistan will play a wider role in value addition of denim business.
Carved in Blue: What is Soorty doing in terms of sustainability?
Mansoor: Soorty believes that sustainability is a lifestyle. Some of the initiatives in terms of machines, infrastructure and practices are as follow: we have a pre and post-consumer waste shredding plant, a gold rated USGBC certified garment factory in Bangladesh, an upcoming platinum rated USGBC certified garment factory in Pakistan, a green purchasing policy, energy and waste management systems, and we are recycling and reducing our carbon footprint.
Further in terms of product we are offering vertical sustainable solutions. Vertical sustainability means to make the raw materials and every stage of production green and transparent throughout the supply chain i.e. from raw fiber to washed garment. A divine blend of all above features in a pair of jeans makes it remarkably green.
Carved in Blue: Why do you like working with fabrics using TENCEL™ Lyocell and TENCEL™ Modal branded fibers?
Mansoor: Today, core requirement in any product is sustainability and luxe touch. Lenzing fibers, TENCEL™ Lyocell and TENCEL™ Modal, are an amazing alternative to cotton in terms of sustainability as cotton utilizes excessive amount of water during cultivation. Further, the magical softness and other properties like sheen, luster and dye uptake of Lenzing fibers are mesmerizing.
Carved in Blue: What innovations in denim do you see in the next 5-10 years?
Mansoor: Sustainable and performance based innovations are the next big thing which will be at large in near future. Later, wearable technologies and gadget incorporated with denim will hail.
Carved in Blue: A little about you now—what is the oldest jean you still wear?
Mansoor: The oldest jean I wore is from mid-1990’s, I believe.
Carved in Blue: When does denim stop being denim?
Mansoor: Denim will never stop being denim as the natural aging feature of denim makes it unique from other textiles. With every passing day advancements are coming, which is taking denim love to whole new level.
Carved in Blue: What is your favorite city for denim inspiration?
Mansoor: Amsterdam as that’s a heaven from denim addicts.
Carved in Blue: What does Carved in Blue mean to you?
Mansoor: Carved in Blue is a good platform to communicate to the world, to speak your heart and depict one’s love affair with denim.