Global Denim Awards to host debut event in Amsterdam

The first edition of the Global Denim Awards is set to take place on 29 October, in

Amsterdam, underlining the city's appeal as the denim capital. The debut event will coincide with the second Dutch edition of Kingpins, running from 29 to 30 October, and will see six independent designers working alongside with six denim manufacturers to create a capsule collection.

"Never before have denim manufacturers been put in the spotlight during a fashion show. In the case it seems like a logical step, because denim producers are the driving force behind innovation within the sector of the industry," explained Andrew Olah, founder of Kingpins. “We selected Amsterdam as the capital of the Global Denim Awards due to the directional nature of the city when it comes to denim."

The inaugural ceremony consists of an award show as well as a catwalk presentation of the collections and will take place in Denim City, the new campus for denim innovation in the city. The concept behind the Global Denim Awards was the end result of a collaboration between fashion recruitment and consultancy agency HTNK and Kingpins, the international trade fair for denim.

“The Global Denim Awards put design talent in direct contact with the denim industry, whilst creating the space for manufacturers to showcase their expertise. At the same time, this way of working also creates space for the recognition of skills and expertise of all parties involved in the this process,” said Mariette Hoitink, the founder behind HTNK.

Each designer participating in the award ceremony has been tasked with the challenge of creating five complete looks, which will be showcased during the catwalk presentation. An international jury will then judge the collections before selecting the winner, who stands to receive a cash prize of 10,000 euros. The winning collection will then be displayed during the remainder of the Kingpins trade show in Amsterdam as well as trade events in New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and the Amsterdam Denim Days 2015.