Kingpins Hongkong Show – Denim Trends , Future Growth Expectations & More…

November 12th, 2009 by Sandeep Agarwal | Filed under Denim Fairs/Exhibitions.

This is an update to our previous post on Kingpins HK show.

The first show in Hongkong was held on 7th –8th October in the W Hotel in Kowloon with the floor to ceiling windows providing great harbour views and light into the show.

The show had about 200 visitors and this number was greater than any number of visitors in either LA or NYC shows .Though this number would seem very small as compared to other Denim Shows , it needs to be remembered that Kingpins is an invite only show .The visitor participation and response portends very well for the show in the coming times and I am sure the show will become regular in this region.
There were 15 exhibitors and the show was sponsored by Dow XLA . In the future shows , Kingpins plans to have about 22-25 exhibitors.
The exhibitors were
1)Central Fabrics: Global yarn and denim fabric producer Hongkong

2)Copen Limited: Global pocketing producer

3)Clariant: Global dyestuff producer

4)Dow XLA: fiber producer

5)FEN: Chinese piece dye producer

6)Hantex Denim: Denim supplier from Pakistan

7)H&W Textiles: Cotton fabric supplier from Hong Kong

8)Jeanologia: Garment finishing and technology - Spain

9)Kurabo Japan: Denim Japanese Denim producer

10)Kurabo Piece Dyes: Japanese piece dye producer

11)Nexgen: Global label and trim supplier

12)Prosperity Textiles :Denim producer from China

13)Rainbow: Japanese & Chinese corduroy producer

14)Saitex: Garment producer from Vietnam

15)Zhonghe: Piece dye supplier from China

Denim Trends And Future Growth Expectations

The overall feel for denim was positive with great expectations for growth . Many existing trends will continue with renewed focus on some of them.

Stanley from HW Textiles -A denim producer from Hongkong says :

“The fabric weight tends to be mid weight ranging from 9 -10.5 oz for women and 10-12 oz for men’s , crosshatch denim is coming back in a more subtle surface.Long staple fibers and soft hands feel is one of the key for denim trend . Destructed denim and dirty washes are still very popular.More and more jeans will be introduced by high-end fashion brands and other non-denim driven brands into their assortment . Therefore , i think that denim business will continue to growth steadily for the coming season ..”

Vincent Qin from Prosperity Textiles – another denim mill from China- feels that for Autumn/Winter 2011, denim fabric trends would include : 3/1 with strong twill lines ,selvedge denims,short rings,cross hatches,irregular weaves, dark indigos and weights ranging from 12-15oz. For the washing effects, unwashed, dark rinses ,grunge slashed and 3D whiskers would be popular.And for the styles –worker style, extra loose fits and classic western jackets would be popular. On future growth expectations for the denim business , he says :

“Our expectations to demand of denim consumer market is still very positive, the market of denim will grow continuously. We exchange frequently with many retailers and brands, we found that if their sales of woven goods start to grow, then their denim business will be booming; if their sales of woven goods drop, denim business is still stable…”

Azad Shalom from Basicline Corp – a Los Angeles based embroidery and embellishment house - says:

“On our end of things, we are still seeing a trend toward a cleaner look in embroidery – not as heavy more subtle. Studs and grommets have been a strong trend. We have been placing them anywhere from back pockets to knee patches to the side of the legs all the way from the top to the leg to the bottom…..In women’s we see trend towards a distressed/destroyed look, while in men’s we are seeing a trend towards a cleaner darker wash…”

on denim demand and expectations of growth , he was quite positive :

“While this year proved to be slower paced at the beginning of the year, we have seen a steady pattern of growth in the second part of the year. We expect demand to continue growing as the economy is staring to improve. More specially, people who shied away form purchase of denim, are now needing to replenish the old ones in their closet. We certainly expect demand to increase by 15% - 20% for the next season.”

Participants Views About The Kingpins Show

Each of the participants was highly appreciative of the Kingpins show and showed eagerness to participate as frequently as possible.
HW Textiles said “Kingpins Hongkong was a great show gathering the entire industry in one place.”

Prosperity Textiles – a first time participant was quite enthusiastic:

“It is the first time we joined Kingpins show, and it was also the first section in Hong Kong. Before our participation, we didn’t¯t expect any exciting result. However we have to say, the result was really exciting! It was a very successful start!
1) More than 80% of our invitees came to visit this show
2) All our existing clients had good experience, and consider it worthy to visit
3) We met some quality clients new.
4) A good platform / meeting point, we exchange new technical info and trend info with other exhibitors..”

Barry Emanuel of Copen Associates – A pocketing company is also positive about the show :

“..the HK Kingpins show was awesome and exciting with visitors from all over Asia and the US.Attendance far exceeded expectations and i think it will be the biggest show that Kingpins has..”

Basicline Corp also felt the same:

“Kingpins is a great show for us. It brings the veterans of the industry to spot the hottest newest trends in all aspect of the construction of the jeans. It is also a great place for newcomers to find a starting point and a source to create what they are looking for. Since it’s by invitation only, it tends to bring out only those who are serious in creating their line….”

On the whole, Kingpins Hongkong show had strong positive feelers from all participants and it bodes well for the show and for the denim industry.