Denim Première Vision celebrates second edition in Berlin

By

Isabel LEONHARDT

Translated by
Cassidy STEPHENS

Published
Jun 5, 2023

After its launch last year, Denim Première Vision has returned to Berlin. On May 31 and June 1, the fair brought together, in the Arena Berlin, 64 denim industry players from 14 different countries. The focus was on sustainable innovations and providing insights into the development of the market.

The second Berlin edition of Denim Première Vision took place with a slightly lower number of exhibitors. While 83 specialists from the denim industry presented their innovations in 2022, only 64 indigo experts were present this year. Among them were companies like Bossa, Calik Denim, Kilim Denim, Advance Denim, Ribbontex, Evlox, Chottani, Pacific Jeans and Indigo Textile. 

Although there did not seem to be many visitors at times, overall the exhibitors were satisfied, especially Isko. As last year, the textile manufacturer and distributor had the largest stand, which also attracted the most visitors. "For us, the day has gone great so far, we have met with many of our customers," said a company representative of Isko. 

"The day started off a bit slow, but it picked up. We are very happy," says Kinza Ejaz, CSR and sustainability manager at Chottani.

Like Isko, a large proportion of the manufacturers and producers came from Turkey, who in total made up more than a third of the exhibitors, followed by Italian companies and manufacturers who travelled from Pakistan. Other representatives came from Spain, India, China, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Morocco, Mauritius, Japan, Tunisia and Portugal.

Denim Première Vision claims that ecological responsibility is its main concern. Walking through the fair, it is clear that this has become an increasing concern for the entire industry. Companies even presented their concept via posters or screens at their stand.

Advance Denim from China, for example, promotes its "Water Circularity", which saves 73 percent water during the production process. The denim manufacturer Evlox presented the advantages of its regenerative cotton using a banner, Sarp Jeans, a Turkish producer, promises "sustainable clothing for a brighter future", Kilim Denim showed a dyeing process that saves 100 percent lye and 70 percent water, while Crafil from Portugal presented dyed yarns, where water was completely removed from the dyeing process.

Like the industry as a whole, the denim sector has had to contend with rising prices for cotton and raw materials and restricted supply chains in recent years. These challenges now seem to have settled or shifted somewhat.

"We are producing at full capacity and prices for materials have settled down again. We believe 2023 will be the year of denim," predicts Özge Özsoy, marketing chief at Bossa.

"In the past few months, the challenge was no longer just on raw materials, where prices have stabilised somewhat, but on recession worries in Europe and the US because retail has not performed strongly. We are from India and the country has a big consumer base, so we were still doing well, but internationally it was tough. I think it will take about three to four more months and then it will pick up internationally," says Ashish Bhatnagar, senior vice president, LNJ Denim.

Kinza Ejaz, CSR and sustainability manager at Chottani: "Many people are now looking at natural materials, mostly cotton, because of climate change. As a result, market prices are two to four times higher than pre-Corona prices because demand has increased so much. During Corona, prices fluctuated a lot, now it's a bit calmer."

All brands agree that the demand for sustainable materials is no longer a trend, but a prerequisite. Even the big retailers are increasingly focusing on ecological goods. "We also see that many fast fashion brands are offering more sustainable and upcycled items, fashion that lasts longer. That's where the market is going and I think that's the future," says Kinza Ejaz.

The fair's diverse programme also included talks on the future of denim, with "Going net-zero: Is Europe ready?" and "The future of denim - How bluesign is working towards the cleanest denim in the world".

In addition to various upcycling workshops, another highlight was a presentation by AMD students who designed and produced a collection of jeans in collaboration with denim suppliers at the fair.

Première Vision will hold its next industry event in Paris from July 4 to 6.