Chinese denim mill Blue Diamond is putting steps in place for a more sustainable and digital future.
In a Kingpins24 panel, representatives from Los Angeles-based House of Gold—the mill’s parent company—mapped out plans to modernize its offerings in a post-pandemic world.
Expansion plans are in the cards for Blue Diamond. House of Gold co-founder Adriano Goldschmied said plans are in the works to open a new sustainable factory with water recycling and solar energy with spinning, weaving, finishing and dyeing capabilities in 2021.
“It is going to provide much better working conditions,” he said. “For Blue Diamond, it is going to be a big jump.”
The additional facility will help Blue Diamond scale its sustainable product lines, which in recent seasons have focused on hemp-blended fabrics and water-saving dyeing processes.
Gary You, House of Gold’s director of strategy and product development, noted that the mill has been working with hemp for two years and now has 50 articles of hemp in its collection. The mill also developed Wizard fabric, an indigo dyeing process that uses 75 percent fewer chemicals, 60 percent less water, and 50 percent less energy, while producing 45 percent fewer CO2 emissions.
Blue Diamond is also adjusting how it conducts business as the pandemic has forced the denim supply chain to curb travel and in-person meetings. The mill is preparing to launch a virtual showroom.
With the digital platform, Blue Diamond aims to streamline the fabric discovery process for clients from a distance. The platform will consist of a fabric catalog with the ability to sort and filter as needed, and it will keep a record of a client’s ordering and purchasing history and provide easy access to the mill’s menu of offerings.
Vincenzo Marrocco, House of Gold’s co-founder and vice president, says this technology won’t eliminate the need for connection, but it will mean fewer email exchanges and meetings, and more convenience for both parties involved.
On the client side, the platform could also help showcase the ways brands adapt fabrics, inspiring clients and promoting sales. On the mill side, it could help ensure that the appropriate materials are being brought to in-person meetings.
“A digital showroom can never replace touching the fabric and feeling the fabric, and I don’t think that that we should ever think that,” he said. “What it needs to be is something that makes the process more efficient—fewer in person-meetings and airplanes. A place that they can go to see the entire history of all the choices they’ve ever made in fabric.”
