The Modern Definition of Denim with The Denim Eye
Denim is imbued with personal meaning for every wearer, and no one is more aware of that than denim designer and developer Jill Lawrence.
She works with some of the world’s most notable brands and denim makers, getting to learn not only the techniques and ideas that are shaping our industry, but the personal anecdotes that push every denim designer into the world of twills, warps, wefts, and weaves.
Carved in Blue asked Jill about her experiences running her website, The Denim Eye, watching the denim world become more sustainable, and what exactly “blue jeans” really are.
Carved In Blue: What is the modern definition of denim today?
Jill: There is really no one “modern” definition! Within the industry, the original definition is still widely understood. That is: 100 percent cotton, 3×1 right-hand twill, indigo dyed warp and a coarse weave. However, contemporary denim comprises many weave variants, many fiber variants and many weight variants, in stretch and non-stretch. It is the indigo warp that stays a constant in the mind of the consumer as being real “denim.”
I would say that “modern denim” is seen by the consumer as an indigo fabric for jeanswear both in stretch and rigid. However, the consumer needs softness, drape and comfort for today‘s lifestyle, so blends of modal for softness, TENCEL™ Lyocell & Modal for fluidity, and Lycra for stretch both in high-stretch and comfort-stretch are important features, while cotton still remains the predominant warp element.
We know that denim is the fabric but many consumers all too often think of “denim” as being the generic term for their jeans. Department stores have their denim departments rather than their jeanswear departments, so the terms denim and jeans are often interchangeable in the mind of today’s consumer.
Carved In Blue: How and why has that definition evolved over the years?
Jill: How? through the development of new fibers which happily co-exist with cotton and impart a different hand and performance to standard cotton denim. Lyocell, TENCEL™ and modal from the stable of Lenzing, or Lycra, Miyabi, viscose, and Dyneema, to name but a few. Also, through the use of fibers migrating from other textile industries. In particular, form-knitted textiles and automotive textiles, which enable traditional denim to perform in different ways more fitted to a modern lifestyle.
As for the “why”? Because modern life is busy and active, therefore denim wearers (most of the developed world’s population) want a similar performance from their casual everyday clothing as they expect from their active garments. They’re looking for strength, comfort, total flexibility, breathability, durability and softness. Denim is now a significant fashion fabric, and we all know that fashion is fickle. Many variants are needed to satisfy the changing tastes of the “dedicated follower of fashion.”
Carved In Blue: What’s the most important present-day issue/trait/characteristic of denim?
Jill: Stretch! For both genders, stretch imparts the confidence of comfort. But along with that, there must also be softness, so softening fibers and finishes has also become a huge part of the reality of modern denim.
Carved In Blue: what elements of denim’s heritage will stay with denim forever?
Jill: Indigo and uneven surface character, natural slubs. People love the ability for the denim to wash down and appear worn in or worn out. Most of all, the attitude of a pair of jeans, as old friends!
Carved In Blue: What do you enjoy most about this industry and what progress are you most proud of?
Jill: I love all things indigo: its romantic forever blue, its smell, its quixotic nature, its constant surprises, its lack of adherence to cotton, which enables it to wash down and become anything you want. I was an artist, so working with indigo denim, particularly in the laundry, is akin to painting.
I love the innovation. The creative and often surprising use of new fibers and finishes, new technology, and the way that the industry has become more global over the last 40 years.
I am really proud to have been a part of this change and of expanding the idea of who can make good denim and where the best denims can now be made. The global denim map has shifted so much in this time facilitated by big-brand confidence and local investment. I think it’s led to more pressure to innovate—which is my role in life—and hastened the transition towards more sustainable production.
Carved In Blue: What will the future bring for denim and how to we get there from here? What area of the industry needs to be addressed next?
Jill: Recycling and more closed-loop processes and production need to be the future. I would love to see higher volumes of post-consumer cotton becoming viable for mass production as quickly as possible. If we can do this in a way that minimizes chemical requirements, this would make a radical difference to the environment and to our industry.
Carved In Blue: Why has the appeal of denim endured for so long and will this appeal continue in a world fixated with sustainability?
Jill: Indigo denim in jeans has evolved over a couple of hundred years from being workwear fabric to a cult and anti-establishment fabric to fashion fabric. It has proved its enduring qualities over many generations and many different lifestyles. Most importantly, denim jeans know no culture or class differences and denim knows no seasons.
Its ability to change a look, fade out, wear out, wash down from the darkest indigo shade to the lightest and become the vehicle for fashion fads and decoration. In short, there is no other fabric that can do this with such consistency for so long. Regardless of who you are or what you are, denim jeans are still after all this time a universal “ go to” uniform.
As long as our industry pays more than just lip service to becoming sustainable and the big brands accept that such sustainability and innovation to achieve it comes at a price, then there is hope for the future of “green denim.” Brands must figure out a way of informing the consumer and certifying all levels of sustainability.
The problem I see in the future is that mills are prepared to invest in sustainability at every stage of the manufacturing process, but big brands will not pay for it. They are greedy—wanting sustainability at cost-neutral prices to maintain margins, because consumers have become used to cheap throwaway fashion, forcing the brands into ever lower prices. We must change this downward spiral somehow.
If this shifts in the right direction I believe that a new era of creative sustainable denims can be born. For example, recycling alone offers new opportunities for innovation. Lenzing has developed TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers with REFIBRA™ technology, one among many recycled fibers which impart different and truly modern characteristics to an indigo denim fabric. I am super confident in the denim industry’s ability to ‘pull the rabbit out of the hat’ and create new, totally sustainable, innovative denims.
Note: More from Jill on the Modern Definition of Denim video series.