Denim has its own district at Sourcing at MAGIC. The four-day trade show kicks off Sunday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, offering a global scope of apparel manufacturing, components, technologies and services providers. And denim, being a key ingredient across all tiers of fashion, will be present.
Here, Chris Bryer, head of sales and show director of Sourcing at MAGIC, shares with Rivet what attendees can expect from the show’s Denim District and why topics like sustainability and transparency are here for the long run—just like denim itself.
Rivet: What type of exhibitors are in the Denim District?
Chris Bryer: We have world class suppliers, mills and technology companies that are within our Denim Zone neighborhood. Denim is such an iconic part of the U.S. fashion scene that it always a favorite of our attendees. This season we have VBM, a premier Italian supplier of automatic and co-botic sewing machines made specifically for the denim market. They have global distribution and are a great option for labor cost savings in your supply chain. We also have Aztex coming in and bringing in their highly regarded denim-trend display to the show as they do each season. We also have the Yester Group, which is a new joint venture between Hong Kong and Bangladesh with tremendous global resources and solutions for the new supply chain requirements.
Rivet: What are some important topics that the denim industry needs to address this season?
CB: Sustainability has been the dominating subject and will continue to be as we move forward. With so many of the processes for making denim and wet-processed bottoms, there is still much work to be done to continue the supply chain 4.0 transformation we are all seeking. Another topic getting some early buzz right now is who will step up and create an industry-accepted definition of sustainability. There is none at the moment, so naturally nobody really has any sort of standard and that leaves room for interpretation.
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Rivet: What are some of the key issues in the denim sector?
CB: From a sourcing perspective, I would say, speed to market and how to achieve it on a sustainable basis. Re-balancing the supply chain and what that means for brands and retailers and finally, how to use today’s new technologies to improve our ability to trace materials origins and path through the supply chain with a very high degree of accuracy.
Rivet: What’s the status of denim in the overall fashion market?
CB: Denim is a lifestyle so it crosses all barriers and is translated for every fashion market, from couture to budget. That is not going to end anytime soon. As fiber companies, chemical companies and mills push the boundaries there will be newness within the space to keep things fresh. Indigo will always be part of nearly everyone’s wardrobe, but color is part of the same buying dollars so there is always room to adjust to the trend.