Denim is not excluded from the ongoing trend toward seasonless apparel.
From Aug. 30-Aug. 31, mills presented a combination of core product, A/W 17-18 highlights and a smattering of brand new washes and blends for S/S 18 at Bluezone, the denim section of Munich Fabric Start. It was a complementary mix to the show’s Keyhouse area, a full house of fiber, technology and chemical companies coming together to offer the denim market seasonless solutions to do better business.
The call for seasonless or transitional designs is trickling into trims as well. At the show, women’s accessories were light and pastel (mint, pink, lavender) with a hint of luminosity through opalescent and iridescent finishes. The theme is pretty for spring or dreamy for winter. Badges were at the forefront of men’s trims, with many manufacturers focusing on scouting and camping motifs—a concept that ties together nicely with autumnal colorways and summer brights.
“Winter is not cold and summer is not hot. There’s no more of this ‘light colors for spring, dark colors for winter’ mentality. Apparel collections don’t drastically change from season to season,” said YKK Product Designer Ina Kaiser.
At Munich Fabric Start, the trims company showcased it’s A/W 17-18 range, however, Kaiser said she expects many concepts to carry into S/S 18 with ease.
With patchwork and DIY details expected to remain popular in denim, YKK is offer a collection of items inspired by retro haberdashery. For women, rivets are made to resemble 4-hole buttons. Patches of embossed leather are sewn onto the tops of frontier pockets, and funnel-shaped buttons and flat buttons are brushed with warm vintage yellow and green paint.
Shiny copper rivets, zippers and buttons add a jewelry-like effect to women’s. Tiny rivets and miniature bees are used for decorative items. Letters of the alphabet are reworked as rivets. The monogram theme is carried into belt loop ornaments that can be threaded on.
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Kaiser said the interest in lettering is part of an overall demand for more branding opportunities. Just as fashion designers are churning out garments emblazoned with logos, denim makers are seeking ways to make their pieces distinctly their own.
For men, that means repeating logos—from micro branding on rivets to bolder ornaments on the outside of pockets. Kaiser said men’s details are a “cleaned up” version of vintage. “It isn’t as dirty or rusty,” she explained.
Texture provides vintage charm. Buttons with ridges add some subtle color differentiation. Laser treatment on metal buttons create a finer texture with a clean surface. Other options include buttons with a slightly hammered effect and buttons painted for a flat finish.
Men’s dark denim requires hardware in shades of brown and copper. For the growing number of winter white denim collection, YKK is betting on light and dark gray trims with matte finishes.
Kaiser said there’s a large population of older male consumers who veer away from vintage details. For this group, YKK is touting a premium range of “high value” items that also work well with raw denim. Die-cast buttons offer a weightier option with more grip; matte black finishes and faux leather items add a luxurious moto feel.