Opening day of Liberty Fairs at its new location, the World Market Center Las Vegas, included food trucks, an indoor basketball court and sustainable denim.
Wrangler Premium’s fall collection marks the introduction of Indigood, the brand’s sustainable dye platform. The brand has a history of sustainable initiatives, from supporting Future Farmers of America, to working with U.S. cotton growers and analyzing soil health, to investing in soil analysis for U.S. cotton growers. But Wrangler Premium account executive Jonathan Radcliffe said the company is finally speaking about its efforts.
With Indigood, which the brand describes as its “most sustainable denim ever,” Wrangler reduces water consumption by 95 percent through an innovative foam-dyeing technique. Wrangler is the first to roll out finished goods made with technology. The line also boasts fabrics made with 30 percent cotton and finishing through water- and chemical-saving techniques like ozone, laser and nano-bubbles.
The Indigood collection includes men’s and women’s jean jackets, western shirts and jeans in two washes, mid-tone “Good Day” and a darker wash “Good Night.” Additional highlights in Wrangler’s collection include updates of archival items, including the 124WJ jacket lined with Sherpa and the brand’s first cowboy cut jean, the 11MWZ, in vintage black.
Sustainability is top of mind for Bestseller brand, Jack & Jones. The Danish brand aims to be 100 percent sustainable by 2021, turning to organic and recycled fabrics and adopting resourcing-saving finishing and dyeing technologies. The brand’s boldest step toward sustainability includes Low Impact denim, a line of jeans that reduces water consumption and uses ozone, e-flow and laser treatments to minimize the need for water, energy and chemicals.
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Jack & Jones’ focus on the planet is reflected in its styling for Fall ’19, too. An urban hiker look runs throughout the collection, captured through two-tone nylon jackets, sweatshirts with camping motifs and utility jeans. Slim straight jeans remain a bestseller. Jack & Jones international sales manager Ciaran Kelly said classic washes with a salt and pepper effect are gaining traction while streetwear looks are beginning to taper off.
Fall ’19 will also mark the first season Jack & Jones offer sizes up to 8XL for its entire range.
“We feel that because you are big and tall, you shouldn’t be excluded out of fashion,” said Lambros Potagas, Jack & Jones head of sales.
Robin Jean’s is in the business of fashion. The denim brand stays true to its roots with high octave color, crystal embellishments, material mixing and studding. The brand is also seeing traction with its athleisure line, particularly with logo track suits, and women’s pieces with a silky feel—a nice contrast against the bold denim pieces.
Levi’s Vintage revisits Greenwich Village in the 1960s with styles that reference iconic pieces worn by Bob Dylan and other bohemians of the era. The line offers a golden suede jacket with shearling collars, a gray-blue satin bomber jacket, houndstooth trousers and flashes of tomato red on tees and jeans. The line also includes 501 jeans made with selvedge from Kihara in Japan—marking the first collection with denim from Cone’s White Oak mill.
The brand takes an eclectic turn with the Made & Crafted line. Inspired by Russian cowboys, the collection is infused with quilting, fringe and stitching based on cowboy boot designs. Black and white combinations are popped with large red pockets. Long jean jackets are spliced with suede; western shirts are redone with silky fabrics and denim fringe is dipped in bleach for an ombre effect.
Buzz around Levi’s Premium line is growing, especially for women. For fall, the brand is betting on Ribcage jeans, a super high rise style introduced for Spring ’19. The rise is being rolled out as a straight ankle and straight full, flare, cropped flare and wide leg jeans for fall. Wide leg corduroy, jean jackets with leopard print lining, kick flare jumpsuits and jeans with fringe-embellished back pockets round-out the fashion items.
Meanwhile, the men’s line returns to the ’90s with a 501 from 1993. The Dad-meets-skater jean—reminiscent of the styles worn by Kurt Cobain—features a higher rise and a fuller leg. Jeans with a tapered fit, stretch twills and corduroy pants are performing well. For tops, the brand is seeing interest build around black western shirts and the Mighty Made tee, a line of tees with a hearty hand feel. Military green, modern takes of camouflage and abstract leopard prints add newness to Levi’s robust range of Trucker jackets.