The Growing Appetite for Innovation Was Apparent at Kingpins Show New York
At Kingpins Show New York last week, some key challenges were front of mind for many exhibitors and attendees. The sourcing map continues to shift as companies manage risk, and costs are increasing across the board.
However, one bright spot was the increasing move from safe, basic apparel into more innovated, differentiated products. This appetite for newness was seen in the continually broadening rollout of TENCEL™ Lyocell -HV100, our newest fiber variant for denim that has now been adopted by 36 different global mills. The TENCEL™ booth had a number of our mill partners’ creations on view from the second collection drop featuring the fiber technology. Production examples of TENCEL™ Lyocell were also visible throughout the floor at mills’ stands.
The expansion of TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 continues, and we are gearing up for the third drop in our mill partner collections, which will feature creations from 10 more brands. We took the opportunity at the show to connect with our mill customers and get their feedback. Brands across Europe, the U.S. and China are already placing orders, and at our booth, we had a retail example from Zara.
Our other main story at our booth was the Perform X collection, which showcases how out-of-the-box technical features can be added to TENCEL™ denim, turning it into performance wear.
Footfall was better than expected considering the heavy rain that disrupted flights in the U.S. Brand buyers were mostly in attendance from the U.S., as well as nearby Canada, and Latin America, including Colombia and Brazil. Mill and manufacturer exhibitors hailed from China, Pakistan, India, Türkiye, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, Cambodia, the UAE and the U.S.
Some of the mainstream trends we saw were the continued preference toward wider fits and rugged denim looks with buttery hand feel. TENCEL™ fibers are a great fit to help reach these trends, since they can bring softness along with more weight.
As usual at Kingpins, there were plenty of opportunities to get inspired, including hands-on workshops, installations and seminars. There were talks on trends, the history of stonewashing, where there are data gaps in denim and the differences in generations.
