Denim Première Vision heading to Milan

Denim Première Vision, which took place for the first time outside Paris in London earlier this month, is on the move once again, heading to Milan for its next edition in June, before returning to London next December.

The move is part of the show’s new strategy to position itself as an “itinerant international event,” which will see it alternating between European cities that have a “fashion impact”.

Commenting on why Milan, Guglielmo Olearo said in a statement: “This initiative is part of our broader roving denim strategy - we held the show in Paris in May and in London in December with a specific mission - to make the best use of geographic proximity and bring our exhibitors to markets with strong potential.

“Milan fits in perfectly with this strategy. The Lombard capital has a long history with denim, and the city is fostering a lot of truly contemporary and sophisticated concepts. So, it made sense to include this city among our preferred locations.”

The Milan show will take place at Superstudio Più on June 5 and 6, and the next London show will be December 4 and 5, again at the Old Truman Brewery in East London.

Olearo, added: “We wanted to touch down in capitals with mature fashion industries, cities that can inspire our exhibitors and brands. Milan is all of that, especially in Zona Tortona, a post-industrial neighbourhood thrumming with culture and creativity. It is a focal location of the big Italian houses, and we chose it because it has a storied past while continuing to invent new stories.”

While an exhibitor list has not yet been released, Olearo expressed that there will be around a hundred exhibitors, from no fewer than 16 countries, with the whole sector being represented from weavers and manufacturers to finishings, treatments and components.

He added that the aim of the redesigned event format for the 10-year-old trade show is to explore the different facets of contemporary denim and to target creative fashion brands developing denim collections, as well as luxury fashion brands and pure jeans wear players.

London Denim Première Vision met with positivity

The London showcase was met with positivity, as London remains a hugely appealing destination for global manufacturers seeking to tap in to a strong market, and this was reflected with the mainly international companies exhibiting, from countries such as Pakistan and Turkey, who are looking to enter or expand within the UK market.

There were 89 exhibitors in total at the London show, an increase of 11 percent from November 2017, representing 18 countries, said organisers, with brands including Advanced Denim, Artistic Milliners, Bossa Denim, Calik Denim, and Panama Trimmings marking their return this season.

A key highlight, and one of the hottest topics of conversation at the show, was regarding sustainability, with many attendees and exhibitors, as well as the organisers, acknowledging the need for the denim industry to act and innovate to do more to reduce water use and toxic productions.

This was highlighted within the show’s Sustainable Trial, which took attendees on a guided tour by Helene Smits, a circular fashion strategist, to visit weavers including Artistic Fabric and Garment Industries, Artistic Milliners, Bossa, Era Garment and Kilim Denim on how they are reducing the impact of denim production.

This was also complemented with special exhibitions including a Smart Library, highlighting exhibitors responsible innovations and eco-responsible fabrics and accessories, selected by the Première Vision Smart Creation team, and a Smart Wardrobe, which showcased finished products made from eco-friendly materials and production methods to inspire attendees and exhibitors, including Pepe Jeans, Mud Jeans, Chen Wen, Eileen Fisher, and Bethany Williams.

The second day of the trade show was also dedicated to sustainable creation with seven Smart Talks covering fashion circular, designing with society and the environment in mind, as well as presentations from brands taking on the challenge, including Arvind and Directa Plus with their Graphene Plus upgrade for functional denim.

Other exhibitors showcasing eco credentials included Cone Denim and their TruTone Future Black jeans made from up to 17 recycled plastic bottles, they are also made using Lenzing Modal, which has 50-60 percent less impact on the environment than conventional dyed fabric, and Repreve black recycled polyester fabric.

While consumers might not yet be demanding sustainable denim, Kara Nicholas, vice-president of product design and marketing at Cone Denim said it was the industries responsibility to “educate its customers” and added that eco-friendly options are generally the “first thing customers ask about”.

The other big draw for attendees was the spring/summer 2020 trends area, which featured four key themes: ‘Discover’, showcasing the need to embrace new directions and cultures highlighted with ‘airy blues and ‘ultra clean’ light-coloured washed fabrics; ‘Care and Share’, focused on how fashion can help the environment by coming up with solutions using an “open-source attitude”; ‘Personalisation’ that expressed that fashion is communication and should be used as a form of expression and identity, using embroidery and spray-on colour; and Performance Perspective analysed fashion as performance, the need for flexibility and highlighted recycled denim and denim fabrics that include synthetic fibres.

The next edition of Denim Première Vision will take place at Superstudio Più in Milan on June 5 and 6, 2019.

Image: courtesy of Denim Première Vision