Denimandjeans | Global Trends, News and Reports | Worldwide

Author: Sandeep Agarwal

  • Fidelity Jeans – Q&A

    Today I am featuring an inteview with Jason Trotzuk – the designer of a premium brand from Canada – FIDELITY JEANS..This is an upcoming
    denim brand and making inroads in the US market..

    Me: How does Fidelity create a niche for itself when already there are a large number of Premium Denim brands around?

    Jason:Fidelity creates it niche by making fabulous jeans that are unlike any other brand… Once a customer tries on a pair of Fidelity’s (men’s or women’s) they’re hooked….there is freedom of choice in the market place and customers always choose quality over hype. No matter what your body type Fidelity has a pair (or two or three) that will fit you perfectly.

    Me: What kind of denim fabrics Fidelity uses most(eg Selvedge denim,Flat finishes,Ringxring etc and also their preferred source eg Japanese denim,US denim,Italian etc).

    Jason:Fidelity Women’s is all Japanese and Italian stretch…We are having great success with boutique Japanese denim mills and have some amazing sources that we have stuck with because the formula works…Fidelity men’s is predominantly Italian denim but lately I have been using good old U.S. made denim by Cone….American classics…true backbone denim!!!

    Me: If you were to distribute marks (out of 10) between Fabric,Fit and Finish, what would be your distribution?

    Jason:Fabric 3, Fit 5, Finish 2…The fit is 50% (or more of the game…actually it is 100% of the game) but if I had to split it would be the forementioned. Fit is the most important by far but without quality fabric and amazing finishes, you don’t qualify as premium. The consumer is smart enough and the competition is thick out there. There are no cutting corners in this game. You have to be a complete package to stay successful in the market.

    Me: Which is the next big style in denim ?

    Jason:Fashion denim and anything straight. That is where I am hedging my bets in ‘08.

    Me: We keep on hearing that black denim is coming back. Is it so?

    Jason:Personally I don’t see it….black denim had a great run the last few falls but the look is limited. The trend is becoming more fashion and luxury so I believe black/black is still important but as more of a general color…not necessarily for denim.

    Me: As per you which are the best styles from Fidelity – for men and for women?

    Jason:
    Women’s
    HYACINTH: 5 Pocket Trouser jeans…wide leg mid rise…fits all body types…always dressy!!!
    BELLADONNA: Mid Rise Boot Cut…Most versatile cut for a woman….The Belladonna medium rise is the perfect rise @ 8.5”, the thigh is slimming and the boot cut open allows for both dressy or casual occasions.
    THE LUX: flare, Do some damage with this cut…clean tailor details on a 5-pocket jean with a long lean flare.

    Again, there are many bodies too numerous to mention, but our specialty is our fit… many customers swear by our “uplifting” qualities and has been coined as the “butt bra jean”.

    MEN’S
    5011: My favorite style is the 5011 straight, the cut is lean and mean yet masculine.
    CHARGER: Boot cut…the best boot cut on the market!

    Me: Which celebrities are fans of Fidelity Jeans?

    Jason:Heidi Montag, Blake Lively, Lindsay Lohan, Kristen Cavallari, Eva Longoria, Demi Moore, Eva Pigford, Vanessa Minillo, , Virginia Madsen, Debra Messing, Sophia Myles

    Me: Which countries is Fidelity Jeans currently available in?
    NORTH AMERICA: Canada, USA,
    EUROPE: Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, France, U.K.
    MIDDLE EAST: Dubai, Israel
    ASIA: Japan, Indonesia

    We hope to be moving even further into the international market in 2008!

    Some photographs from FIDELITY

    blue-belle.jpg
    honeysuckle-crop-light.jpg

  • Organic Denim trend picking up?

    Organic is in..
    Organic clothes is getting more and more popular as environmental conciousness is increasing and the ‘return to nature’ sentiment gets stronger.I think its a very healthy direction for the fashion to take..
    Organic denim is not to be left behind – in fact with denim consuming almost 17% of world cotton, it is imperative that a part of denim production moves on the Organic route.I had mentioned in my previous post regarding organic denims..
    Just giving herebelow links to some of the good organic denim jeans produced worldwide:

    Nudie Jeans: Besides organic cottons, they are using potato starch,natural indigo etc to make their Organic Denims. It was good to get some figures from them about damage by normal cotton “Denim is made of cotton, which causes great damage to our environment both in terms of water consumption (7000 to 29.000 litres of water for each kilogram of ready garment) and in terms of poisonous substances and insecticides. Cotton fields stand for 25% of all insecticides worldwide!”

    Loomstate::Loomstate is a brand that is proud of its Organic roots . They use only organic cotton and show here how they do their organic cotton:.
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTw5bfT-hXg&rel=1]

    Levi’s Eco: Levi’s also started its Eco line in the Fall 2006 and seems to be getting a good response to its Organic denims. They are primarily using Organic Cotton for these denims and this is what they have to say about the organic cotton used in these jeans”Organic farming practices can be used to grow natural fibers including cotton as well as food. Organic cotton farming starts with seeds that have not been genetically modified or treated with pesticides or fungicides. During the growth phase, weed control is achieved through hand hoeing or physical removal and pest control is accomplished through the use of natural predators, trap crops and other biological and cultural practices. Farmers rely on natural processes such as seasonal freezes, rather than the application of chemical defoliants, to prompt the opening of the cotton boll and allow the cotton bud to be picked by hand or machine”

    7forallmankind : Sevens has just launched its Yosemite collection of Organic denims.7 For all Mankind’s first organic denim, the Yosemite is a non-stretch fabrication with subtle indigo fading weaved throughout the front and rear..Looks cool..

    Sharkah Chakra : Though a relatively less known brand and available in London (Harvey Nicolas) and Paris,they take the concept of ‘organic’ a step further. They make a complete Organic Jeans ie everything from Cotton to dyes to weaving(on handlooms) . The process of producing one jeans is quite long – but the results are good..Worth checking out..

    Sling & Stones : This Japanese brand uses Peruvian handpicked organic cotton – converted to Japanese Supima Denim,Dyed with natural Indigo and washed in environment friendly ozone washes.And thrown in the package are 24carat gold rivets and embroidery..Whew!

  • What do owners of famous Japanese brands wear?

    Would’nt it be interesting to know what kind of Jeans the owners of famous Japanese denim brands like Sugarcane,Flat head, Iron Heart etc wear ?

    Well just came across this video on youtube which shows the jeans worn by the owners of these brands and the length for which they wore it..Though the video does not give very good closeup of the jeans, one can just have a feel of the jeans.
    Another interesting thing to note is the average period in which they washed their jeans.. It differs -From 15 days for Iron Heart owner to more than 2 months for Flat Head owner..Goes on to show that there are no set rules when it comes to washing ones jeans..
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WB6BTuuIQw&rel=1]

  • 30 years ‘AG-ed’ Jeans?

    AG – Andriano Goldschmied has launched a new jean label called ‘AG-ed’ Denim’..
    They claim to produce a TRUE VINTAGE 3- dimensional washed look on these jeans.Currently ‘AG-ed’ is offered in 3 years,6 years,16 years and 25 years ‘AG-ed’. Slowly they will be offering in 1 to 30 years ‘AG-ed’.
    The prices range from USD 205 and above.
    Here is a snap of Jessica Alba and Vanessa Minnilio wearing one of the ‘AG-ed’ jeans..
    jessicaalbaag-ed.jpg

    Though I like the washed look on the Jeans – they are nicely washed – but there does not seem to something very extraordinary about the same..But let me lay my hands on one of them and come back with more comments.
    .vanessaminillo2.jpg

    Source:Denimblog

  • Natural Indigo Dye Extraction Process

    Natural Indigo Dyeing is a tedious process and it takes a long time to extract the dye from the leaves . This is a nice video from Go Indigo Jeans giving a detailed process of Natural Indigo extraction..

  • Denim photos from TIME Magazine

    jeans_09.jpgTime Magazine has brought out a photo essay on Denim- “From the sweatshops of Asia to the runways of New York, denim is bigger than ever”. Check it out for some great photographs on denim production around the world.

  • 21oz denim from Samurai- is it the heaviest denim?

    Samurai is a famous Japanese brand and known for its innovative jeans.
    One of their great jeans which came out last year was the 21oz denim…
    21 oz???????
    Yes, whole of 21 oz !
    bubble.jpg
    The S510XX21 model of Samurai ,with 21oz denim fabric made on Japanese wooden looms, has bettered their own previous record of 19oz denim.
    This is a truly amazing denim and inspite of being so heavy, it is soft in feel because of very coarse yarns used and unique weaving methods applied. Samurai, rightly calls it the ‘Cloth of Super Excellence’. As most of their collection, this is also Selvedge denim with Red and Gold strands .
    21oz_vedged.jpg
    It took a lot of patience on the part of the highly skilled craftsmen to produce this fabric on the powerlooms.
    The Japanese denim brands continue to amaze with their products . And I think the most important ingredient in their denim is the PASSION with which they work on their denims.Its NOT A COMMODITY for them..
    And the PRICE – A COOL USD 330/–. Click here to buy.
    torn_vedge.jpg

    Update- as dj correctly mentions, Iron Heart Jeans uses 22oz denim in some of its styles

  • Want to Join the Tommy Hilfiger ‘Hall of fame’?

    hilscreencarnabyst4.jpgStarting from today, customers in certain cities around the world can add their photographs to the Hilfiger ‘Hall of fame’. Some of the Hilfiger stores in London, Amsterdam, Cologne, Antwerp and Dublin will feature through window Touch Screens and camera which will enable the casual passers by to capture their images and submit to the Hilfiger Hall of fame. What it means is that the user submitted images will be shown on the Digital Screens inside the stores.
    At the end of the campaign, the customers can go to the stores and get T-shirts printed with images they submitted.
    I feel that it is a very intelligent marketing campaign.It has been finely crafted and needs to be praised.

    On the one hand Lot of Media hype will be created around the campaign – drawing lot of customers to the stores. Secondly, the casual passers by have been given the freedom to play around without any pressure of buying any product . Thirdly, with the time and effort put in creating own images, many customers will return to the store to get their T-shirts (and pay!).

    I don’t know how much Tommy Hilfiger has invested in this campaign, but it looks sure to make much more than it invested…

  • Levi’s India changes marketing and pricing strategies

    [ad#for-post-top]
    Levi’s India is changing the marketing strategies for its Denims and Non-Denim brands. On the one hand it is seeking to expand its presence in the Premium and Super-Premium segment by launching more products in this segment. On the other hand, it is seeking to strengthen its Value Brand – Signature. Launched last year and priced between Rs 599-Rs999(USD 15- USD 25) in small towns and upto Rs 1399(USD 35) in larger towns,Signature seeks to capture a large share of the Value segment of Branded Jeans – which is currently estimated at about 10 million units – by having more than 5000 sale points for the same throughout India (as against 1000 currently).

    In the Premium segment the prices are in the range of Rs 2000-4000(USD 50-USD75), Super premium has price range of Rs 4000-6000(USD 75-100) and Connosieur segment is Rs 6000-12000(USD 150-300). Levi’s wants to increase its presence in these segments. It however does not want to be present in the Mid Price Segment ie Rs 1000-2000(USD 25-50) .Thus Levi’s India is following the International trends where Value and Premium segments are expected to do better than the mid priced segments. The Value offering of Signature is Levis’ take on the local Indian brands who are selling decent jeans in the range of Rs 600-Rs1200/ – but who do not have the brand value of Levi’s.
    The estimates for the market of Premium and Super Premium denim in India are about 7 million and 3 million (though I need to verify the same) and offer substantial possibilities for growth for brands like Levi’s.However, the going will not be as smooth since Levi’s will not be able to offer great washes in its Signature line – and washes are one of the biggest factor for purchase of Jeans by the young.

  • The Global Denim Project – Contribute Information to it..

    global-denim1.jpg

    Denim has become a universal phenomenon and has enabled it to become much more than a fabric – a Concept, a statement , a way of life and much more. Its no more an American product and has entered deep into the psyche of people worldwide as one of the best textile products ever made. Its Globalization combined with the Individualsation through distressing and other effects has anthropologists around the world interested in studying denim as a subject.
    The Global Denim Project is an attempt to persuade as many academics as possible to consider studying denim over the next five years.These are expected to include historians, people concerned with the economics of the industry,and anyone interested in Denim.
    Various projects have been started the World over and include projects like a study of denim, sexuality and the body in Italy, to a study of trashed denim shoddy and its uses in recycling (until recently a third of US dollar bills were denim shoddy). Other proposals include denim in China, Japan and Korea, a study of how blue jeans record the movements of the body in their wear, and a proposal to work on the pressures towards ethical trade in denim in Turkey and Brazil.The intention behind the global denim project is to provide a meeting place for anyone from any discipline who wants to carry out academic research on the topic of denim.
    I am not surprised at this level of interest in Denim. Denim has broken many a barriers and boundaries . It has enabled a street worker to wear a product which a billionaire may also be wearing. It has broken the barriers of Sex, Countries, Customs and Traditions in almost the entire world..Hail Denim !

    Those who are interested to contribute any information or a project, visit The Global Denim Project

  • Effect of rupee appreciation on exports of Mens,Boys jeans to USA in 2007

    The appreciation of the Rupee against the USD has taken its toll on the exports of all textile and apparel products from India. There has been a general fall in exports of apparel items across the board..
    Lets have a look at how the rupee appreciation has affected the exports of Mens and Boys jeans from India to USA.. I have also taken comparative figures from Bangladesh to see how it fares vis-a-vis India..

    Exports of Mens/Boys jeans from India and Bangladesh to USA in 2006 and 2007

    2006(doz pcs) 2007(doz pcs) Change(%)
    India
    Ist quarter 24000 22000 -8
    2nd quarter 24000 33000 37
    3rd quarter 55000 63000 14
    4th quarter 33000
    Bangladesh
    1st quarter 205000 312000 52
    2nd quarter 390000 454000 16
    3rd quarter 599000 739000 23
    4th quarter 570000

    Source :US customs

    From the figures given above , we can see that the exports of jeans from India registered a fall of 8% in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the first quarter of 2006. However, the second and the third quarter have seen a steady increase in exports of jeans to US inspite of the appreciation of rupee.
    On the other hand, the exports from Bangladesh continue to register a robust increase in all the three quarters of 2007..Bangladesh,in any case, has a huge lead over India in exports of Jeans and it seems to be increasing the gap further.
    What is interesting is that the exports from India have not registered a fall despite the huge appreciation of rupee. This signifies that the additional capacities of jeans manufacturing have been created in India and the increase in exports would have been very significant, had the rupee not appreciated so much.
    However, the next 2 quarters would show whether the Indian companies can sustain the growth in exports despite rupee appreciation or not – though i believe that the exports may grow stably given the excess capacities available in the industry..

  • Denim,Denim and only Denim by Premier Vision

    logo1.gifThe first edition of the ‘Denim by Premier Vision‘ will be taking place at Paris St-Denim.Around 40 companies from over 11 countries all over the world shall be represented here. It will be a unique ‘Fashion -Textiles’ meet with denim producers, washing launderies,fashion accessories represented here. The setting of the event is also expected to be unique and marked by a sense of openness – discarding the traditional closed forum setting..A fun atmosphere is sought to be created for the event – in the background of docks.

    This edition of ‘Denim by Premiere Vision’ is dedicated to Spring/SUmmer 2009 collections and the June edition will be dedicated to the Autumn / Winter 2009 collections of denim.
    A separate fair for DENIMS has been necessitated by the individual needs of the industry where the process of selection of fabrics and its testing at various stages takes longer than other fabrics..
    To see the participants list, click here and scroll down