California Apparel News

    S|STYLE—Denim Lab powered by Kering
  

Nearly 70 high-caliber and innovative mills, manufacturers and suppliers in the international global denim supply chain exhibited at Kingpins New York, held at Pier 36/Basketball City Jan. 21–22.

The invitation-only denim-sourcing show saw 584 attendees representing large retailers, brands and designer labels including Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Levi’s, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and American Eagle Outfitters.

“Kingpins is about storytelling, fresh ideas and bringing the global denim community together in a meaningful way,” said Vivian Wang, CEO of Kingpins.

“We’re excited to showcase innovation merging performance with creative freedom,” said Katie Tague, SVP global marketing and sales, Artistic Milliners. “We highlighted our limitless digital print capability and functional stretch innovations, including Lycra’s FitSense technology. We’re also seeing rigid, non-stretch fabrics continue to gain momentum as authenticity remains a key driver.”

    Freedom Denim
  

Show highlights included “The Lil Denim Show Presents General Experiment,” an installation showcasing recent work of Laurence Wei, designer of New York–based General Experiment. Wei’s collection tells a deeply personal story about “shared moments, fragmented memories, decay and emotional erosion” inspired by Wei’s experience watching how Alzheimer’s affected his grandfather.

“S|STYLE—Denim Lab powered by Kering,” an installation curated by Giorgia Cantarini, featured designers working with Kering, the luxury powerhouse that owns such brands as Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga. Project designers experimented with advanced dyeing, washing and regenerative-cotton solutions.

Kingpins Denim Talks seminars and new initiatives inspired creative, outside-the-box thinking about what’s next for the industry. The Vintage Showroom’s Doug Gunn returned to the show with an installation exploring the influence of artist Jackson Pollock.

    Artistic Milliners
  

Cotton Incorporated’s Jennifer Lukowiak led a discussion “From Field to Fashion: The Evolution of Cotton” with a trio of industry experts including Avalo’s Tricia Carey, Artistic Milliners’ Katie Tague; Supima’s Buxton Midyette and Tonello’s Alice Tonello.

“One of the key takeaways is that cotton, as a natural fiber, offers a wide range of options for apparel—and denim in particular—due to its comfort, breathability, durability and circularity,” said Lukowiak. “Selecting the right cotton requires careful consideration of fiber type, yarn construction and finishing processes,” added Lukowiak, director of supply-chain marketing at Cotton.

Sustainable denim mill Freedom Denim focuses on eco-friendly, conscious manufacturing in China, utilizing recycled materials to create innovative, high-performance denim.

“For the Spring 2027 season, our top-selling products are blended mid- to top-weight fabrics with strong storytelling through performance, texture and hand feel,” said Michael Morrell, CEO and president, Western hemisphere and Europe. “These include seeded and PFD in light weights and textures and heritage-inspired bottom and top weights with added texture,” said Morrell.