The trade show landscape has drastically changed this year as the pandemic keeps buyers and exhibitors alike grounded in front of their computers, but one denim brand is excited to leverage the tools at COTERIE’s digital event, which will run Sept. 1 to Nov. 1, to show off its new sustainable Spring ’21 collection.
On average, jeans from premium denim brand DL1961 use only 10 gallons of water in the production process versus the industry standard of 1,500 gallons. But in bringing its Spring ’21 collection of women’s jeans to COTERIE, the brand is taking sustainability to the next level by introducing the Better by DL ecru collection.
Ecru is a natural colored denim made without the use of harmful abrasives or dyes. It utilizes botanic Tencel that lends an ultra-soft hand feel and certified cotton for a fit you can feel good about wearing. Ecru omits the use of rivets and only utilizes non-electroplated and recycled trims for easier upcycling. This wash takes under seven gallons of water to produce.
Sandia Sivilli, vice president of global sales at DL1961, described the collection as the “ultimate sustainable capsule.”
“It’s all-natural undyed denim, so essentially an off-white ecru collection,” Sivilli said. “We’re using certified cotton as well as botanic fibers like Tencel, so it’s really relevant to us since one of our pillars is being a sustainable denim brand.”
The entire Spring ’21 collection on display will include antimicrobial Viroblock technology from Swiss performance textile firm HeiQ, which adds an invisible liquid film to fabrics and is designed to reduce COVID-19 transmission by killing 99.9 percent of SARS-CoV-2 particles within 30 minutes. HeiQ Viroblock stays active on treated garments for up to 30 washes and was initially developed for medical masks and other forms of PPE.
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Sivilli sees the all-digital format of the Informa Markets Fashion shows as an opportunity for the vertically integrated brand to deliver succinct information to retail buyers so they can make more informed decisions about the product. The fact that the events will be hosted in partnership with B2B commerce platform NuORDER is an additional plus, she said.
In fact, DL1961 will be featuring its collections across three of Informa Markets Fashion’s digital marketplaces, all occurring over the same eight-week timespan. While the brand’s women’s collection will be showcased at COTERIE DIGITAL, its men’s collection will be on display for buyers at PROJECT DIGITAL and will include the launch of a new fabrication. Additionally, DL1961 will showcase its Spring ’21 collection for children at the CHILDREN’S CLUB digital event.
And instead of only getting the allotted three days to interact with buyers in person—COTERIE, PROJECT and CHILDREN’S CLUB were all scheduled for Sept. 22-24 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City—DL1961 has two full months to stay in contact.
The platform enables DL1961 to show off its collection in virtual showrooms via high-resolution imagery, on top of enabling the brand to upload as many videos as they want. Buyers can shop DL1961’s collections via e-catalogues and digital line sheets, all from the comfort of their home.
“Now that NuORDER includes a virtual showroom feature, you can upload imagery from your physical showroom space to emulate the traditional market experience. Buyers can scroll over an image and when they see something they like, they can click on an embedded hot spot that will link them to a shoppable product page,” Sivilli said. “It’s a new way to shop versus the traditional line sheet.”
On top of the content, the DL1961 team will also receive an analytics report where they can access key metrics on their virtual showroom’s (and overall page’s) performance. Retail buyers can connect with the brand through the platform and discover new products through search tools that filter by category, price point and other criteria.
Sivilli describes the collaboration as a “natural fit” for DL1961, especially since the brand already had a prior partnership with the NuORDER platform.
“We are a sustainable denim brand. It’s part of our DNA as a company,” Sivilli said. “At a time when people were still working on paper POs, we were focusing on digital platforms for order submissions and line sheets. NuORDER has really been where we’ve been selling our collection, so I think it’s a great synergy.”
With many buyers still not traveling due to the pandemic, but interested in shopping the newest collections, the forum represents yet another opportunity for brands to bring something unique to the table.
“I think everyone wants to make sure that they have newness and excitement to provide to their customers, and I think working with the trade shows in a digital capacity is really going to allow us to just have even more of a forum to put our assets forward and really talk about the brands,” Sivillis said.
Buyers, register now to shop COTERIE DIGITAL, Sept. 1 to Nov. 1.