Denim's New Era Sophisticated Finishes Meet Classic Cuts
The recent Denim Première Vision trade show in Milan highlighted a significant transformation within the denim industry, marked by an increasing complexity in both finishes and materials. Fatma Korkmaz, Product Development Director at the Turkish denim giant Isko (Sanko Group), offered her perspective on this evolving market. She observes a return to wider, more traditional cuts, yet simultaneously a growing demand for unprecedented technical sophistication in denim production.
After a decade dominated by slim and skinny silhouettes, denim manufacturers are now adapting to rapidly shifting consumer preferences. While the market previously emphasized highly elastic, body-hugging fabrics, the current trend sees a resurgence of more rigid denim paired with comfortable, classic cuts. This move, however, isn't a simple regression. Instead, it's accompanied by a heightened expectation for diverse finishing options and broader colour palettes—a level of demand that was absent when rigid jeans were a singular style per collection. Today, the defining characteristic of the denim market is the pursuit of increasingly sophisticated finishes applied to more classic cuts, a trend observable across all price points.
The luxury and premium segments play a crucial role in influencing the broader denim market, with catwalks showcasing a growing presence of jeans featuring bold finishes and cuts reminiscent of the 2000s. Isko's introduction of new finishing techniques has been met with immediate success, indicating a fundamental shift in denim perception since the Covid-19 pandemic. Consumers are now buying less, but they are seeking distinctive, unique, and complex pieces rather than simple, 'easy' items. This focus on value and uniqueness affects all brands, driving the industry towards a diverse range of fabrics with multiple properties to meet discerning consumer expectations.
While cuts are indeed referencing earlier eras, the denim pieces themselves are fundamentally different, incorporating advanced technologies not available previously. Brands are approaching this shift cautiously, awaiting the opportune moment to introduce truly surprising and creative designs. Korkmaz suggests that the denim sector might need a new visionary—a high-profile designer or brand—to take the lead, similar to how Diesel revolutionized denim in the early 2000s. Such a catalyst could ignite a fresh wave of enthusiasm among consumers and drive forward new innovations and manufacturing challenges across the industry.
A significant development in the industry is the undeniable importance of recycled materials, with their feasibility now firmly established. All Isko collections, to varying degrees, integrate recycled content. Moving away from virgin cotton also enables finer control over product softness, an increasingly important attribute even for denim with a raw appearance. There is a curious contradiction with Gen Z consumers: they desire distinctive, unique, and complex items that are simultaneously simple and comfortable. Furthermore, some perceive recycled materials as a compromise on quality, making the messaging critical. Isko’s collaboration with Rihanna proved instrumental in demonstrating the high quality and aesthetic potential achievable with recycled denim.
This transition towards recycled materials necessitates substantial operational changes for companies like Isko. The company plans to significantly increase its capacity for collecting and recycling materials, encompassing both production offcuts and post-consumer products. To achieve this, Isko intends to establish dedicated units, or ‘hubs,’ located strategically near its manufacturing sites. These hubs will specialize in the defibration and decolourisation of materials, representing a large-scale strategic project aimed at solidifying their commitment to circularity in denim production.
