Stretch yourself #2: Denim of the future, designed by Gen Z Diversity in Denim

The latest denim design exploration by the House of Denim Foundation x Jean School students, in collaboration with The LYCRA Company and 7 of the most progressive denim mills in the world.

Last year, while still in the middle of the pandemic, we did our first project with The Lycra Compa- ny and 7 of the most progressive denim mills. The positive outcome we received was overpowe- ring.

This year, we wanted to go further: why not ask the Jean School student to create a full outfit? And moreover, we selected talents within the House of Denim Talent Incubator Program and gave them the challenge to create a collaborative design including all fabrics from all participating mills.

Stretch yourself part 2 was born.

Then, the disaster happened in Turkey, which greatly affected important denim mills. We thought we had to cancel the whole project. We are so impressed by the resilience and willingness of the Turkish mills who still found a way to collaborate.

This is real life “stretch yourself."

Being the co-founder of Jean School, the first and only denim educational institution in the world, and running the Incubator Talent Program, House of Denim collaborated this year with 24 talents, 7 of the most progressive mills in the world and The LYCRA Company. The latest innovative and sustainable stretch denim fabrics of today were the medium.

The result

A perspective on the future of stretch denim with a much more gender fluid and multi functional purpose driven world, this is Diversity in Denim.

Exhibition

An exhibition titled “Stretch Yourself #2” showcasing 16 designs will be launched at the denim trade show Kingpins, in Amsterdam, on April 12-13 and at Denim Days Festival on April 14-15 at Denim City in de Hallen of Amsterdam. The exhibition is made possible with the support of Hans Boodt Mannequins, ROCvAmsterdam & Amsterdam Convention Bureau.

Amongst the most innovative and sustainable denim mills in the world.

Participating mills in “Stretch Yourself #2” are Bossa Denim, Calik Denim, Orta, Maritas Denim from Turkey, Naveena Denim Mills and Soorty Enterprises from Pakistan and Advance Denim, China.

Mariette Hoitink, co-founder of the House of Denim & courseleader of the Talent Incubator Pro- gram, says;

“This project is unique in a sense that it gives both Jean School students and talents in our Incubator Program the freedom to work on a complete outfit with the greatest innovations in- cluding Lycra from the most sustainable mills in the world. It reflects diversity and inclusion and supports creativity. The end result ranges from a new take on a denim sweater, a suit for Jack the denim dog to gen- der fluid dresses. The title of the exhibition, “Stretch Yourself #2”, applied again; the students worked day and night to come up with the final results and took a totally unexpected take on stretch denim.”

Masterclasses by industry leaders and unrestricted creativity

The students got a live lecture by Helen Latham of The LYCRA Company and online presentati- ons by the participating denim mills. The mills sent out their most premium fabrics to the House of Denim and students were free to choose which fabrics they wanted to work with.

Mira Copini, head of Jean School & Fashion ROCvAmsterdam says; “It is essential for our students to do industry projects and gain technical, sustainable, commer- cial & at the same time creative knowledge in a vivid way.”

Innovative technologies by The LYCRA Company

The new generation of innovative, premium stretch denim is redefining comfort and quality. It’s more durable and more sustainable. It also fits a wider, looser silhouette.

The supplied fabrics contained three innovative technologies from The LYCRA Company: LYCRA® ADAPTIV, our new polymer with softer, longer stretch for a wider fit window. LYCRA® DUAL COMFORT, stretch fabric with no elastane, stretch is provided by our LYCRA® T400® fiber ( which feels like a stretchy polyester), used in the weft. LYCRA® dualFX® technology is a patented fabric construction that boosts the recovery power of stretch denim fabrics so that body-hugging styles retain their shape. It involves two stretch fibers: LYCRA® elastane fiber and LYCRA® T400® fiber to boost that recovery power. LYCRA® T400® fiber is a co-polymer (bi-component) that generates its own stretch when expo- sed to heat—it literally coils up like a curly human hair. LYCRA® T400® EcoMade fiber is made from 50% recycled PET bottles and 18% plant-based fibers, giving it a sustainable content of 68%.

Helen Latham, Sr. Strategic Accounts Manager of The LYCRA Company says; “We were so impressed with the work produced by the students of Jean School last year that we really wanted to repeat the experience. Using denim fabrics that contain our innovative technologies, produced by some of the best mills in the world, the students push the boundaries of denim design into the future, their future.”

All of the fabrics used in the Stretch Yourself project are available at Denim City for design and sample purposes. After Kingpins, Stretch Yourself #2 will find a home at Denim City, Amsterdam Concept & Realisation: Mariette Hoitink & Jos van den Hoogen Exhibition: Mika Jansen & James Bergwijn Photography credits: Mika Jansen & Coen Olde Olthof

About The LYCRA Company

The LYCRA Company innovates and produces fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, it is recognized worldwide for its innovative products, sustainable solutions, technical expertise, and unmatched marketing support. The LYCRA Company owns leading consumer and trade brands: LYCRA®, LYCRA HyFit®, LYCRA® T400®, COOLMAX®, THERMOLITE®, ELASPAN®, SUPPLEX®, and TACTEL®. Its legacy stretches back to 1958 with the invention of the original spandex yarn, LYCRA® fiber. Today, The LYCRA Company focuses on adding value to its customers’ products by developing unique inno- vations designed to meet the consumer’s need for comfort and lasting performance. thelycracompany.com

About Jean School

Jean School was founded in 2012 by the House of Denim and ROC Amsterdam and offers a 2-year specialization in Denim Design & Development for fashion students and a 1-year Inter- national Course at Denim City. The curriculum of Jean School focuses on development, crafts- manship, innovation and sustainability. Collaborations with leading denim brands and industry experts are part of the program. The result—a unique educational institution with alumni working all over the world. Jean School celebrated its 10th anniversary in the fall of 2022. Jeanschool.com

About the House of Denim

The House of Denim Foundation is an independent, not for profit organization that conceives and initiates collaborative projects to connect and inspire key stakeholders in the denim industry ‘Towards a Brighter Blue’. Its mission is to ‘advocate the good’ by promoting best practices. It ‘collaborates for the better’ by building a network for industry-wide collaboration on standards, projects and resources for a dryer, cleaner and smarter industry. And it ‘educates the best’ by training a new generation of bright blue talent aiming to raise the bar on knowledge, skills and in- novation throughout the industry. To name a few initiatives: Denim City Amsterdam (home of the House of Denim Foundation and Jean School) and Denim City Sao Paulo, Global Denim Awards, Denim Days, the Indigo Embassy sessions and more recent our House of DenimTalent Incubator Program. Houseofdenim.org