A Review Of Kingpins NY Show :Jan 2010
February 3rd, 2010 by Sandeep Agarwal | Filed under Denim Fairs/Exhibitions.
Turning out successful denim shows and has become a habit with Kingpins . Each show is turning out to be better than the previous edition .
The latest show in New York had a great turnout of about 150 companies . Though the numbers may not look great but when you know that these are only invited companies and include well known denim brands – it creates a lot of value for the exhibitors. Some of the companies who visited the show were :
| American Eagle Outfitters | Earnest Sewn |
| Abercrombie & Fitch | Kohls |
| Ann Taylor | Express |
| Armani Exchange | GAP, INC. |
| Bills Khakis | Polo Ralph Lauren |
| Calvin Klein Jeans | Nautica |
| Club Monaco | PRPS Goods |
| Rag & Bone | Raleigh Denim |
| Urban Outfitters | VF Corporation |
| Victoria’s Secret | Western Glove Works |
26 exhibitors had participated in the NY show – see list here – and the show lasts for two days. Unlike other textile/denim shows where hundreds of exhibitors are vying for the attention of the buyers , in Kingpins a very small number of exhibitors are allowed . As a result , the exhibitors get the full attention of the visiting buyers and do not have to worry whether the buyers are genuine or not (as they are prescreened for invitation). With 150 companies visiting the show, an average of 70-80 serious buyers have visited each company – which is a fabulous figure .
Denim Trends And Comments On The Show
Michael of Central Fabrics – a denim producer from Hongkong – says:
“For the fabric, I think soft and super stretch is still the key
for ladies. For men’s, people will start to use some stretch denim because both men’s and women’s jeans is needed to be skinny”.Regarding the show he said : “The atmosphere in the show was really good and also most of the
key buyers had come to the show”.
Jeannie of Tavex USA says :
“We had a surge of interest in our super stretch (+35%) denim fabrics and our lighter weight vintage inspired, 100% cotton fabrics, in particular.
The “jegging” trend continues to be the most urgent need for our customers as most are chasing this silhouette for their collections.
Extreme washes (destroyed and acid wash inspired) are definitely directional in men’s and women’s and because of this we are beginning to notice a distinct increase in the demand for 100% cotton vs. just stretch, in women’s styling.The attendance was very good, once again. The NY show continues to be our most important, over LA, which may be contributed to timing and convenience with other shows in the areas.
Besides, one of the world denim leaders – Kurabo (HK) introduced Kantamen Finish .It is a chemical fabric finish which maintains a soft hand on denim bottoms even after repeated washes.It reduces the shrinkage of the fabric and maintains a cleaner less wrinkled look.
In Colors they introduced 3 new ones to go with their Pure Indigo Deep dip range which makes up the core of the current collection.
- Spring blue
- Slate Gray
- Core Black
In Construction they added super stretch denims.
For Kurabo Japan development concentrated on selvage denim , a new indigo rich color and light weight denim made for super soft hand feels.
Tags: Denim Trends
