First Denim Show Mumbai focuses on sustainability and innovations

The debut Mumbai edition of the Denim Show started on 12th May and will end on 14th May. More than 120 exhibitors mainly from India are currently showing at Jio World Convention Centre at BKC, among them Hyosung India, Jindal Worldwide, Arvind, Ginni International, Raymond UCO Denim, Bhaskar Denim, LNJ Denim, Oswal Denims, KG Denim, Nandan Denim, the Ashima Group and Lenzing. The jointly organised fair by Messe Frankfurt India and Mex Exhibitions aims to accelerate technological advances in the Indian textile and garment industry. FashionUnited visited the show to take a look at the latest in denim.

“I urge the industry promote the Government’s “Vocal for Local” campaign which is now moving towards “Vocal for Global’’. Vocal for Local is the real brand ambassador of Make in India movement by emphasizing the promotion of local brands, manufacturing and supply chain, and shows such as Gartex Texprocess India are excellent initiatives and a much-needed show to fill this technology gap,” said union minister of state for textiles and railways Darshana Jardosh at the inauguration.

After a slow start on Thursday morning (Mumbai is not known for getting into gear early), traffic picked up in the afternoon and provided a steady stream of visitors and crowded aisles on Friday, when the show also opened to students in the afternoon.

A sigh of relief

Among exhibitors and visitors alike, there was visible relief to be able to meet face-to-face again, network and exchange the latest in terms of denim trends and innovations. “Everyone is fed up of the pandemic; life has to go on, with or without Covid,” was the general consensus.

… but challenges ahead

In terms of challenges, business capacities are still not what they were pre-pandemic. Though things are slowly getting back to (a new?) normal, the war in Europe is going to complicate things and make producing denim and processing it more expensive. Rising energy costs are expected and rising cotton prices are already proving to be a headache for everyone.

KG Denim, a denim and apparel manufacturer from Coimbatore, started tackling the energy problem ten years ago and now relies on its own power plant using bio mass as fuel. In terms of resources, the “greenest denim/fabrics mill in the world” as it calls itself, has a zero discharge effluent treatment plant that recycles 90 percent of the waste water.

“Sustainability is here to stay,” says Mr. Gopinath, head of denim sales at KG Denim, when talking to FashionUnited. “There are different sustainable options on the product side, with blended cotton and polyester taking the lead,” he adds. Lenzing fabrics like Tencel, Ecovero and Lyocell are popular for denim blends, not only at KG Denim.

Trends

Apart from sustainability, another trend that is here to stay are blended denim fabrics. “Everyone wants even softer denim fabrics,” says Hemendra Rawat of Anubha Industries in Surat, Gujarat. The maker of high-end denim fabric is rooted in the ethos “Sustainability First” and provides denim and piece-dyed fabric solutions for both the domestic and international markets. “The industry will follow this trend and trendsetter Levi’s has already started with their collections.”

Founded only in 2014, Anubha started out supplying mainly the national market, with the international one accounting for only 10-20 percent. This has changed since the pandemic, with the ratio now being 50/50 and Anubha counting industry giants like Zara, H&M and Primark among its customers. Rawat points to the fact that the denim sector recovered comparatively faster than other textile and garment sectors: “Denim is quite crisis-resistant and on its way to pre-pandemic levels,” he adds confidently.

On the textile machinery, dyeing and printing side, brands like Baba Textile Machinery, Balaji Sewing Machine,E.H. Turel & Company, Felix Schoeller, Gayatritex Engineers, Golden Laser India ,Mehala Machines India, Orange O Tec, Ramsons Garment Finishing Equipment, Sera Machines, Sky Enterprises, Sewco Garment Solutions, Zoje and others demonstrated innovations.

The next Denim Show will take place at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from 4th to 6th August 2022.