Revolutionizing the Denim Industry: A Year of Innovation
Sustainable Supply Chain Advancements
The denim industry witnessed a significant transformation in 2024, driven by innovative solutions that redefined the way denim is produced, sold, repaired, and shopped. Mills, fiber producers, and tech firms built upon previous sustainable achievements, introducing new or updated innovations that minimized environmental impact.
Tonello’s Vintage Looks with Eco-Conscious Processes
Tonello expanded the capabilities of its patented indigo garment dyeing technology, Dyemate, which creates authentic, vintage looks through a combination of sulfur and indigo dyes. The latest version achieves denim-like effects on ready-to-dye garments, resulting in rich workwear-inspired colors and indigo contrasts on the seams.
Lenzing’s Tencel Denim Laundry Manual Update
Lenzing updated its Tencel Denim Laundry Manual for the first time in 20 years, providing laundry professionals with a free guide on using next-gen technologies like laser, ozone, and nebulization on Tencel denim fabrics.
AGI Denim’s Digital Product Passports
B Corp AGI Denim partnered with sustainability analytics platform Green Story to measure the environmental impact of its products in a credible and easy-to-understand manner. The partnership enables AGI Denim to provide digital product passports with footprint assessments and supply chain visualizations, allowing clients to share transparent sustainability data with their customers.
Jeanologia’s Open Lab Initiative
Jeanologia aligned with the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) and the H&M Foundation by joining the Open Lab initiative, a lab funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong government. The Spanish technology company enhanced the lab with technological solutions that reduce water, chemical, and energy use in the textile industry.
YKK’s Sustainable Zipper Design
YKK innovated the design of its Vislon zippers, making them more sustainable in the process. The company launched the Revived Renewal Series, a group of four products that allow zippers to be repaired easily, reducing waste and promoting sustainability.
Unspun’s Waste-Reducing 3D Weaving Technology
Fashion tech firm Unspun raised $32 million in an oversubscribed Series B funding to scale its waste-reducing 3D weaving technology, Vega. The company partnered with Decathlon Pulse to bring Vega machines to Europe, promoting local, low-waste, and low-inventory production.
The Lycra Company’s FitSense Technology
The Lycra Company innovated the concept of denim with shapewear-inspired qualities through its FitSense technology. Using a combination of new yarn and garment processing technology, FitSense allows brands to customize jeans with targeted compression shaping after the garment-making process.
NextPrinting’s Bespoke Printing System
Italian printing system NextPrinting developed a bespoke printing system that creates realistic and repeatable effects on garments while achieving an authentic aesthetic. The process drastically reduces energy, water, and chemical consumption from fabric creation to the final garment.
Rudolf’s Digital Pigment Printing Toolbox
Specialty chemicals manufacturer Rudolf launched the Digital Pigment Printing Toolbox, a package of pre-treatment products to further enhance the quality of pigment printing. The pre-treatments achieve brilliant colors and enhance the hand feel of fabrics with minimal resource consumption.
Archroma’s NTR Printing System
Archroma rolled out the NTR Printing System for commercial bio-based pigment printing. The system incorporates renewable feedstock across pigment dispersion, binder, and fixing agent, helping apparel and textile brands reduce their environmental footprint.
NTX Group’s Cooltrans AI-Powered Textile Colorization
San Francisco-based NTX Group introduced Cooltrans, an AI-powered textile colorization solution adapted for the denim industry. The indigo-free printing technology eliminates the use of heat, uses 90 percent less water, and is two times faster than conventional dyeing methods.
Stratasys’ TechStyle Printer
3D printing company Stratasys enhanced its TechStyle printer, the J580, with a direct-to-garment tool that applies colorful, 3D-printed designs onto pre-existing garments. The innovation allows brands and retailers to offer customization to customers.
Improving the Shopping Experience
Denim Tears adopted EON’s digital identities for on-product authentication, improving consumer trust and supporting resale partners like StockX to leverage these verifiable QR codes to streamline authentication. Levi’s rolled out BackPocket, an in-store app to support sales associates, while True Religion upgraded its rewards program to integrate with its in-store POS system. Artistic Denim Mills and Xcel launched Orme, a social commerce marketplace that rewards influencers, brands, and consumers for content they’re already producing and sharing.
Leave a Reply