In this report we are providing the list of over 70 Levi’s approved factories in China . These factories produce various kinds of apparel products for Levi’s and other brands including denim. Some washing laudries are also included . Details on their addresses are given along with phones and emails/websites/contacts at many places. The factories are from provinces like Guandong, Zhejiang, Shandong, Jiangsu besides others. The details are in form of an excel sheet which can be downloaded.
With a lot of prints, high waisted shorts , colors (for men and women) and light washes Lee Jeans Spring Summer ‘13 denim collection gives the feeling of 80s fashion and rock ‘n roll . Check out their look book below :
Printed denim is one of the hot trends from last summer which has carried on in a strong and a differntiated way into Summer’13 . Denim brands are looking for different printing looks on different base fabrics like stretches, super fine count shirtings, super soft fabrics and other variants of denim base fabrics. We have been looking at collections from different denim mills around the world and each of them is doing their own distinctive style , unique designs and patterns. Today we will look at a collection from Oswal denim, a denim mill , which is a part of the (about) $1 billion Oswal group of companies from India. The collection includes a number of florals, patterns, and abstract prints including those on very light fabrics .Here are some looks from the collection.
During my last visit to Denim by PV , Paris , I spoke to Michael Kininmonth (Project Manager) from Lenzing Fibers. There were discussions about various activities of Lenzing related to denim industry . He talks about the increased importance of eco sustainability in the current market scenario and its increased importance in the coming years. He talks about his experiences about how denim usage is changing over the years specially in Asia . The discussion is presented in the form a video and it can be seen below (only online).
Denim is one of the single largest product category in textiles and it is worn almost in every country around the world. The production also takes place in a number of countries where a large number of small and big mills ensure that this desirable fabric is woven and supplied for conversion into garments.
Though the mills are spread out in every nook and corner of this world , there are some large corporations which have made their name as not only large but very reputed producers of denim. We are giving in the table below the list of Top 10 denim corporations worldwide with their denim production capacities. It is also interesting to see what share of world capacities is held by these mills as a whole.
Also given are the details on the different manufacturing units of these mills in various countries around the world and their individual capacities. Total 9 tables are given below:
[private_special]
Top Denim Corporations Worldwide
Company Name
Production Capacities (million mtrs p.a)
Principal Country
Isko
200
Turkey
Tavex Corporation
179
Spain
Vicunha
172
Brazil
Kaltex
110
Mexico
Arvind
110
India
Weiqiao
102
China
Santana
94
Brazil
ITG Cone
87
USA
Zibo Lanyan
80
China
Aarvee
78
India
Total
1210
Tavex Corporation
Tavex Corporation Worldwide Capacities
Country
Production Capacities(million mtrs p.a)
Brazil
100
Morocco
24
Chile
15
Argentina
15
Mexico
25
Total
179
Vicunha Group- Brazil : Denim manufacturing units
Unit Name
Country
Production Capacities (million mtrs p.a)
Vicunha Textil
Brazil
130
Vicunha Argentina
Argentina
24
Vicunha (LA Int’l)
Equador
18
Total
172
Santana : Denim Manufacturing Units
Unit Name
Country
Production Capacities (million mtrs p.a)
Santana Textil
Brazil
60
Santana Argentina
Argentina
24
Santana Texas*
USA
10
Total
94
ITG Cone : Denim manufacturing units
Unit Name
Country
Production Capacities (million mtrs p.a)
Cone White Oak
USA
10
Parras Cone
Mexico
50
Cone Jiaxing
China
27
Total
87
Raymond : Denim Manufacturing Units
Unit Name
Country
Production Capacities (million mtrs p.a)
Raymond UCO
India
40
Raymond UCO
Romania
7
Total
47
Kaltex : Denim Manufacturing Units
Unit Name
Country
Production Capacities (million mtrs p.a)
Kaltex
Mexico
70
Coltejer
Colombia
40
Total
110
Gap Guneydogu Denim Units
Unit Name
Country
Production Capacities (million mtrs p.a)
Gap Guneydogu (Calik Denim)
Turkey
42
TJK
Turkmenistan
15
Total
57
List of Nien Hsing Denim Manufacturing units worldwide
What can be the possible uses of discarded old jeans ? Let’s list them :
Recycling to create new fabric all over.
Being distributed for use by lesser fortunate strata of society .
Used for converting into bags, furnishings, shoes and more..
Being used for insulation purposes.
And many other similar uses.
But can old jeans be used to create art pieces which sell for thousands of pounds/dollars ?
Yes and this is exactly what an artist from London has done. An artist who uses old denim jeans to create pictures of London street scenes is taking the art world by storm.Ian Berry started making the denim pieces of art full-time after he was made redundant from his job as an art director.
The 28-year-old hasn’t looked back since and recently returned from an art exhibition in Miami, Florida where his work fetched £4,500 a piece.This is the guy who changed his stage name to Denimu and made a career out of turning jeans into works of art. Ian conjures remarkably detailed portraits and urban landscapes using nothing more than discarded jeans. Over many weeks he cuts, stitches and glues using only the varying shades of the fabric to provide contrast and shadow. The effect is extraordinary. Ian’s denim epiphany came during a trip back to his childhood home in Huddersfield. During a big clear-out session, Ian found himself staring at a big pile of unwanted jeans destined for the charity shop. Affectionate memories came flooding back, along with a wave of tactile enthusiasm for the fabric. At that point, he knew he’d found the key to his artistic career.
Among his collection are pictures of the London Underground, Piccadilly Circus, Hampstead Heath and Camden Town.Mr Berry was first inspired to take up his denim art when he found some old jeans while clearing his old room after returning home from university in 2006.To produce the works of art, Mr Berry cuts pieces of denim into precise shapes before painstakingly gluing them all together.Although he mainly uses old jeans he also likes to dabble with old denim jackets and dresses.
To achieve different looks, he sometimes uses bleach, either with a stencil and spray, and experiments with different colour jeans. Here are some of his art pieces ..
Finding the correct piece of denim, even for the smallest detail in his pictures, can take up to half a day.He has made around 80 pictures so far but says the rate at which he makes them will decrease as he spends more time on each individual piece. It goes on show how difficult it is to produce such art ..
And you thought that manufacturing jeans was a great art !!!
Soorty Denim from Pakistan brings out two new denim concepts for SS’14 – “Alive†and “Denim Art†.
Alive Denim
“Alive†concept is another project of Soorty’s R& D.
The fabric feels the human energy and changes color according to it. At room temperature it will have a different color but outdoor it will have a different color. Therefore, one can enjoy different looks in one garment. When one touches it, it will take energy Alive , of one’s body, and its molecules will react and change color. Another scenario is that when one wears the garment, it will have different colors at different places on Collection Alive Green your garment. It will actually be “ALIVE†denim .
Denim Art
Soorty development describes the “Denim Art†collection
“If Van Gogh or Picasso choose to wear denim , we are pretty sure it would be Soorty’s “ Denim Art†collection. This collection is a tribute to these great artists . The fabrics are inspired from their color palettes and softness is just like their paint brushâ€.
The collection is made up of denim in which warp is made up of tencel and is dyed in different colors including fluorescent.
For more details on these concepts , contact Soorty.com .
Denim by PV fair at Paris , held on Nov 28/29 ‘12 , was a successful event with a large number of visitors from around the world. The show seemed much more busier and positive than the past 3 shows and it indicated that the business in denim is reviving to some extent . I interacted with many exhibitors and most seemed quite happy with the kind of response and visitors they got from the fair.
Some of the common trends noticed from the fair were :
a) Colors were still strong for SS 14 but they were more toned towards pastel colors . However,  neon shades still exist in many collections.
b)Surface treatments like wax coatings, sheens, leather looks still looked strong .
c) Coatings – still dominate collections of many mills – though the trend is towards finer coatings which add to color depth without being too prominent.
d) Textured denims – are strong with companies playing with different textures and weaves including dobbies, jacquards etc.
We spoke to many mills and we are bringing herewith some videos of those discussions and of course images from the show accompany. At the end is a presentation on the looks and trends from the show. (Be patient while going through this article as it is going to take some time !!. Videos and presentations can only be see online)
Isko – Turkey
Isko brought out some great fabrics including the
Loom Fx : Stretch denim for men which looks like rigid .
First woven denim fabric that looks like knit denim” : These are beautiful fabrics and it is difficult to say whether these are knitted or woven.
Prints
Wax coatings
and more …..
Here is a video on our discussions with the Isko team and some images of their product presentations follow.
Bossa
Bossa is another reputed mill from Turkey. The highlight of their lauch was the indigo shirtings in various designs and textures. A video of discussions with them and images follow !
Crescent
Crescent Bahuman – the denim mill from Pakistan launched their SS ‘14 collection . The highlights of the fabrics are :
Vintage fabrics to look at the past – old look but contemporary Additional details : fantasy – double face – blend fibers Eclectics : fashionable – printed – contrast – glittered
Tavex
Richard Tobin from Tavex tells that fine coatings on light weight denims for both men and women that Tavex has concentrated on. Check out what he says in this video.
ITV
ITV launched their unique Winetex technology of denim dyeing. Its a unique concept and brings out indigo looks without using indigo and the dyeing is highly eco friendly . Besides, they had lot of colors and prints in their collections . Here is a small video from ITV Winetex description.
Arvind Mills
Arvind denim from India provides the following guidance for SS’
“Presently at Arvind , we see that while the core and classic denim would still rule the staple segment in each wardrobe there is a high inclination towards fashion denim in the updated basic category and a key item of purchase as a second or third pair of jeans. The consumer who has already his/her basic pair of jeans is now looking for newness and that is answered by Fashion denim or special jeans which are eco friendly or have some performance element built in. The Arvind SS’14 (European) collection remains true to the soul of Summer Denim with light weights for men and women in fresh colors and interesting fiber blends of cotton and linen. The Fashion denim group has many new and already tested denims in colors , reverse colors and reverse side prints.â€
The AVATAR group of denim retain the soul of a classic denim and present themselves in a new avatar to suit the factionists craving for high fashion in denim. The treatments with multiple combinations in yarn, dyeing, fine leather coatings and finishes. The SS’14 collection also offers the updated CLASSIC colection.
Presentation :
Don’t forget to check out this presentation on denim looks from Denim by PV
In the last video , we covered brands like Levi’s, Nudie, Mavi for their SS’14 collections. In this new video , the collections / look books from brands like Diesel, Guess, Siwy etc are showcased.
Lighter indigos with sheen, special coatings including leather coats, reverse coated and colors , prints etc are some of the main themes from these collections.
(for those who are reading the article in their email , need to go online to see the video)
We combined the collections of a few brands into a video for easy reference of SS ‘13 trends from different denim brands . Check this video out and find the major trends in denim including prints, colors, reverse colors, sheens etc. Check them out and let us know if it useful !
During my recent visit to Denim by PV (Paris) , I had the opportunity to speak to François Girbaud . He was kind enough to give his views on various issues related to development in denim fabrics . But the main focus of the discussion was on eco friendly techniques and he expressed his concern over insufficient progress in the industry on this aspect. He also exhorts youngsters to come out and innovate with new techniques and processes of jeans production which have lesser impact on environment. Here is a video on this interaction with him.
Denim is one of the single largest product category in textiles and it is worn almost in every country around the world. The production also takes place in a number of countries where a large number of small and big mills ensure that this desirable fabric is woven and supplied for conversion into garments. 
