The influence of street and sport in men’s Spring ’19 fashion doesn’t start and end on the designer runway.
UBM Men’s fashion director Tommy Fazio shares with Rivet how denim brands at Project Las Vegas, taking place this week, are lightening up and diversifying their product with new fabrications, washes and creative concepts that capture consumers’ designer to be cool and comfortable.
Rivet: What are the key trends in men’s denim for Spring ’19?
Tommy Fazio: With temperatures rising—and especially during these intense summers—I’ve seen a trend in producing lighter weight fabrics with a bit of stretch to match consumer needs and desires to pack with ease for travel or just being on the go, so it’s more comfortable.
Rivet: What are some important wash and color stories for Spring ’19?
TF: It’s polar opposites. Either really light—think ’80s bleach—white denim, light tan denim, or all the way to black. We are not really seeing the middle blue wash.
Rivet: What’s the status of the chino?
TF: The chino fabrication has also followed the denim trend with a little stretch and mobility and it’s trending because it is a great denim alternative.
Rivet: What are some of the novelty denim items to look out for?
TF: We have seen the return of the denim shorts surface, and are starting to see denim infused into sport tailoring with vests, shirts and blazers and even outerwear. The influence of streetwear has also affected denim in terms of the different uses and how it can be worn and fabricated.
Rivet: How is streetwear influencing denim?
TF: Streetwear is using denim and denim technologies in different ways than a traditional denim company. What streetwear influence is doing to the denim market is showing a different way to apply denim to culturally relevant apparel.
Rivet: Are there any new notable denim brands to look for at Project in Las Vegas?
TF: At Project Las Vegas, look out for Monfrere, S.M.N. and Paige. All of these brands are masters in fabric, technology and comfort.
Rivet: Do you think the EU tariffs on Made in USA denim will have any impact on orders at this show?
TF: I don’t think there will be any impact on the denim at the show because the majority of attendees are American or Canadian based. The international retailers are being cautious of the amount they are ordering. However, this will not significantly impact the overall orders.