Soorty’s SpaceD Showroom Gathers Denim Community in NYC
The denim community will soon have a new hub in New York. In December, Pakistani manufacturer Soorty is launching SpaceD, a showroom and creative space that encourages innovation, inspiration and interaction.
To kick off this new office space, Soorty is hosting a week-long opening affair, gathering the denim world back in-person. “Like everybody else, we’ve missed being together with our denim friends, the people we share our common passion with,” said Eda Dikmen, marketing and communications manager – Amsterdam at Soorty. “The past year and a half has been hard—so much was lost, so much is learnt. While we can’t say it’s past, it’s an incredible joy to be even preparing for this get-together.”
On Dec. 6, the focus will be on the work of denim entrepreneurs. Oak and Acorn owner and designer Miko Underwood, who has been partnering with Soorty since she launched her business, will be showcasing some pieces from her collections. Ani Wells, the personality and owner behind sustainability-focused blog Simply Suzette, will be on hand to discuss responsible denim. Soorty will also be highlighting looks from its Planet Indigo capsule created with Ani, which was made with socially responsible and transparent practices. Rounding out day one, Solomon Russell, owner of Left Hand Twill, will be presenting garments from the Own Your Denim capsule created in partnership with Soorty. The line remakes pieces from Solomon’s archive with sustainable textiles, and includes a digital vintage collection.
As part of the opening, Soorty will be showcasing its collaborative Reload in Blue collection with Lenzing on Dec. 7. The day will begin with yoga followed by a tea ceremony. Later, a talk will discuss the potential in partnerships and how the pandemic has changed our lives, including how we dress.
On Dec. 8, the focus will be on the Future Face™ by Soorty, a collaboration with fellow denim mill Isko. While the two are competitors, the alliance enables Soorty to produce Future Face denim.
Ahead of SpaceD’s opening, Carved in Blue caught up with Eda to discuss the vision for the space, what visitors can expect and how Reload in Blue came together.
Carved in Blue: What was the idea behind the Future Possibilities platform? Why did Soorty decide to take on this role as an industry connector around sustainability?
Eda: “People make future possibilities happen,” is the main idea behind Future Possibilities. It is about us—every single one of us, the conscious people who inspire one another—aiming to drive the positive change. It’s about collective action.
We started Future Possibilities four years ago based on transparent communication. With the world barreling ever deeper into climate emergency, we knew the impact of fashion could not be understated. We, as Soorty, take a solid role here—we produce in volumes and are aware of our impact. We’re determined to keep this a positive one, however, and this mindset gave birth to our motto: Denim as a Power of Good. We’re actively trying to bring good (social and environmental good) by simply doing what we do the best: producing the most responsible denim fabrics and garments we possibly can. This resonates into real life with CSR projects, of course, but also with being a diverse and inclusive workspace, responsible sourcing, choosing the right materials, designing for purpose, having a constant eye on the market for responsible innovations, and continuously investing in the highest, most conscious technologies that help us use less of what is limited and make the best use of it.
Along the way, we realized there was one more solid need: communication and transparency. The topic of sustainability is complex and confusing, plus it is overused. If not managed well, it not only creates confusion but also distrust. That’s why we started Future Possibilities, a platform where we can be completely open about our successes as well as our struggles, our initiatives, ideas, designs and dreams.
The consumer needs to know about their options when they go shopping, the buyers need to know what change they can offer with what they are preferring, the designers need to know their playground. It seems like the best way to take the sustainability journey is together with others while being completely transparent, honest and open.
Keeping denim at the heart and aiming to co-create a responsible future, Future Possibilities started as a platform where the different stakeholders of our industry could meet and talk, share opinions, discuss or experience. Over time, we started our digital existence. With our website, we not only share information but also inspirations. We’ve put together the industry’s first extensive Sustainability Dictionary, and recently, we’ve started our Instagram account. We invite you all to have a look here.
Carved in Blue: How will SpaceD continue the idea and aim of Future Possibilities?
Eda: SpaceD, Soorty’s new NYC creative room, is dreamed and designed in the same way Future Possibilities was. It is purpose-driven and aims to bring collective action, a passion for denim, creativity and responsible innovation together.
For us, collaborations are key in changing for the better. We feel honored and proud of all the great names we’ve already joined forces with, and we’re excited for all the potential projects ahead. Looking from this perspective, SpaceD will be strong tool of Future Possibilities both as a stage and a hub where we can discover and learn more by inspiring and being inspired by others.
Carved in Blue: Why did you choose to open this physical gathering space in New York? Why was this market the right location for this?
Eda: Soorty’s global presence includes research labs and design studios in the innovation and fashion scenes of the world. We owe a solid part of our success to working hands on our projects, being where our customers are, listening to each market’s demands, wants, needs and desires. Working closely with our buyers, going a step further than the usual customer-supplier relationship and being active on each project not only teaches us valuable experiences every time, but also enables us to produce purposefully.
As our presence in the U.S. is growing at a successful speed and we’re happily serving a wider customer portfolio, we wanted to move into a larger office in NYC where we can accommodate not only our growing international team but also the increasing number of stakeholders we work with, at a more central and vivid part of the city post-pandemic.
Carved in Blue: Could you share some details about Reload in Blue? How did the collaboration with Lenzing’s TENCEL™ come together?
Eda: The pandemic has been a learning process for us, like it has been for many others. Following the initial lockdowns, we launched our primary LoungeWear collection, a capsule of stay-at-home clothing that offered a better feeling and look compared to our PJs, while being just as comfortable. It has been in production since and has been greatly appreciated by our customers.
Receiving nothing but positive feedback, we realized there was more to it than just the use of correct materials, processes or fits at the same time. People were relating because clothes that look nice and decent behind the screens but still give that cocoon-like assurance feeling, as the entire world was going through these though times, became more than just clothes. So, we decided to do more.
Product development and design for purpose was the key here; the fibers within held a major role. The entire collection utilized Lenzing fibers, so we went to the Lenzing team, told them about what happened and proposed working on an exclusive collection together. After a couple of sessions exchanging our ideas on partnerships and ideas on how we can reflect all of this to an experience that is still relatable in our currently more hybrid lives, we designed Reload in Blue, a collaboration with comfort, well-being and responsibility at its core.
Carved in Blue: After the opening week, what can the denim community expect at SpaceD? What purpose will this space serve in the future?
Eda: As I said earlier, SpaceD exists to be purpose driven; one of its core values is collective action. It was never considered solely as a sales office. It’s always going to be about interaction, responsible action, an active quest of innovation.
With our creative room at a very central position in NYC, we will welcome guests and customers to review our recent innovations and developments serving the U.S. market, provide services as forecasting trends or designing tailor-made capsule collections as well as listening to the demands and trends. At the same time, we will also actively be meeting innovative, game-changing creatives to build valuable collaborations and partnerships.