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8th January 2014

DENIM CLUB INDIA

www.denimclubindia.org

looking at Strengthening Strengthening Strengthening Its PortfolioIts PortfolioDenimDenimIts PortfolioDenim

Denim trends for f/w 2014/15:skinny and boyfriend

Kingpins

the re-denimproject by lee

asian denim brands compete for brand recognition

mefiver uses high tech digital printing for denim

From The Denim Directory

KASSIM DENIM

Upcoming Events

22nd GGMA National Garment Fair

Bread and Butter

Featured

mufti mufti mufti

DENIM CLUB INDIAJanuary 2014 03

Denim Club : Your Window To The World Of Denim

Indian Retail

‘Mufti’, launched in 1998 under Mr. Kamal Khushlani’s guidance and leadership, stands for cutting edge fashion in casual wear. The brand with a healthy 20 to 25 per cent growth per annum, feels that the only way to remain profitable is to be better than the competition.

Rightly so, the company with a turnover of Rs 235 crores is aiming to achieve between Rs 280 crores to Rs 300 crores by this year end. Mufti plans to reach the target by building the denim and winter wear line along with exploring new retail destinations.

Khushlani believes that to strengthen its denim portfolio they need to step up and get ready for the next level He opines, “The managerial bandwidth for companies like us has grown and you have to beef that up to handle growth. The management has to be in sync with the brand image. That’s a challenge but slowly and steadily we are overcoming it.”

This year, the company has expanded its winter wear offerings and plans to make a bigger impact next season. “The main challenge is the price point, since we are competing with Ludhiana brands,” states Khushlani.

“Denims are increasing as a growth category for us. Value wise, denims would be a shade under 50 per cent. The sweet spot for pricing in our denim is Rs 2,600. Denims are a difficult product to make and sell. Average price points have definitely moved up. You have to adapt to the Indian market. At discount sales, you get a product that’s outlived its fashion. Mufti has never opted for more than 40 per cent discount. Our

overall realisation of the MRP is 84 per cent,” explains Khushlani.

Talking about the growth of casual wear market and styles in India, Khushlani says that cotton trousers are growing but jeans are making a comeback even internationally. “I don’t think cotton trousers will go very high this year but we are a cotton focused brand. We are not much into nylon et al. Now the trend is to have a little bit of everything,” avers Khushlani.

Khushlanis's journey in the apparel sector began in 1992 with launch of a men’s shirts label Mr Mister. Today Mufti retails thought over 200 EBOs, 1,200 MBOs and large formats like Shoppers Stop, Westside and Central.Elaborating on their retail expansion plans, Khushlani says, “We are focusing on all three formats. But we have a lot more potential in large formats compared to the others. We are looking at strengthening our presence in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Northeast.”

looking looking looking at Strengthening Strengthening Strengthening Its PortfolioIts PortfolioDenimDenimIts PortfolioDenim

mufti

http://www.mufti.in

DENIM CLUB INDIAJanuary 2014 04

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Trends

What might be the denim trends for f/w 2014/15? What silhouettes, colors, cuts and washings are going to be important? Sportswear collected opinion from people from the industry and designers. Let's talk about the denim silhouette for women!

Kim Le, Head of Design Deyk: "The most important denim trends are skinny cuts and skinny biker cuts, grey or black-colored, vintage and aged washings, light destroyed finishings, subtile overdyed laserprints."

Nina Cavkic, Designer Blue Fire Co.: "From skinny to straight silhouettes up

to tapered cut, everything is possible. Slim shapes are by far the most important."

Designteam, Cross Jeans: "Boyfriend fits for woman."

Marco Marchi, Owner Liu Jo: "The new fits will definitely be super-slim and high-waisted."

Anne Louise Faurholt, Female Designer Minimum: "We are very focused on denim-leggings with power stretch, colour blocking and coating effects."

Designteam, Replay: "For women we have developed a new skinny fit with an ergonomic waist, an '80s inspired high waist carrot fit and two new boyfriend fits."

Renate Höfer Tenerowicz, Tigerhill Head of Design: "Soft power stretch fabrics for the tight shapes, boyfriend shapes are in comfort denim to achieve authentic repair stitches."

Source : Sportswearnet.com --- Denim Trends

Skinny and BoyfriendDenim Trends for

F/W 2014/15

DENIM CLUB INDIAJanuary 2014 05

Apparel - Sustainable Fashion

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in the Denim Business Directory

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Jeans have become a wardrobe staple and every pair of denim has a story. You adopt them and in return they give you comfort. Don't let the story end there. Lee brings to you a unique initiative which allows sustainability and design come together in today’s fast evolving world. The world of fashion and design has become synonymous with recycling.

Understanding the change in times, Lee has come up 're-denim project' a unique and innovative initiative inviting denim lovers to donate their worn out pair of jeans. In exchange the brand is offering a free denim curio, like ipad covers, bottle holders or pen stands, made from recycled denim.

The recycled denim products have been designed and created by A Hundred Hands, a non

profit organization that cares for the environment and the underprivileged through recycled craft. One could drop in their Denim’s at stores in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai and help communities in need across the country.

This drive is another attempt by Lee to reflect its concern about society and environment. Earlier, Lee had come up with e-CREATE, a range of clothing made using lesser amounts of water in the creation process, products made from organic cotton and even the development of products from plastic trash.

Donating these worn out denims would account towards extending their utility span. Lee hopes to introduce eco-friendly alternatives in every facet of our lives, with such initiatives.

http://www.lee.com

BY LEE

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DENIM CLUB INDIAJanuary 2014 06

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MEFIVER

digital printing

Most people probably don’t give much thought to how blue jeans are usually made: usually with indigo dye, chemicals and water. Three local women from Cary, Carly Giammona, Veronica Tibbitts and Alana Vaughn are doin their bit to change the way people think about and wear denim, and they’re doing it with their computers under their start up, MEFIVER.

In 2012, MEFIVER received $ 44,000 grant from NC IDEA and began with the concept of using software programs such as Adobe PhotoShop and Illustrator to make color combinations and designs that are digitally printed onto denim.

MEFIVER hopes digital printing could breathe new life into the local textile economy. Giammona, 33, said she presented the idea at a fashion conference she attended in Los Angeles while working for Cotton Incorporated, which is

use high tech

for denim

DENIM CLUB INDIAJanuary 2014 07

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International - Innovation in Industry

Visit Denim Club India at www.denimclubindia.org and fill-in the online form to Join Denim Business Network.

The Individual Membership of Denim Business Network comes to you at a nominal payment of one time registration fee of INR 5000 which includes the first year subscription charge amounting to INR 2500.

Individual Membership

The Denim Business Corporate membership fee is INR 20,000/- for a group of five individuals, inclusive of subscription charges for one year. This facility provides multi access license up to 5 users.

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based in Cary. “I come out and say, ‘We’re not garment washing, we’re not doing any of this,’ ” Giammona recalled. “It floored people.”

The technology used to digitally print onto fabric works much like an ink-jet printer, said Jen Helke, chief financial officer for Cheran Digital Imaging & Consult ing. The

company in Gaffney, S.C., pr in ts products for MEFIVER and other firms. Digital printing in the fashion world is still f a i r l y n e w. S o m e companies – mostly h i g h - e n d c o u t u r e brands – have been

dabbling in the idea for 20 years or so, Giammona Said.

The machine sprays reactive dyes onto the denim in exactly the p laces designed on c o m p u t e r s . “ T h e computer knows where every pixel is and knows what color every pixel is supposed to be,” Helke said. She said the p r o c e s s i s m o r e e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y friendly than other methods. “There’s a lot less waste, and t h e r e ’ s n o (traditional) dyeing going on.”

“Yes, I’m excited that we can create a greener, more beautiful world,” Giammona said of the digital process. But the process, at least for now, is more expens ive , par t l y because the technology can’t produce as much product as quickly as other methods.The owners try to to put a personal touch on everything and their signature can be found underneath the collars of jackets and inside the pockets of jeans. They have created the brand, SRGB, which is a play on the digital color space – simulated red, green and blue.

The clothes are costly currently with MEFIVER jeans retailing between $199 to $250 and denim jackets range from $259 to $299. But with greater demand, they could have lower price points. Tibbitts expresses “Volume will bring the price point down.” Helke agreed. Prices of digitally printed clothes will come down as companies order bigger machine runs. Digital printing takes specialized equipment and labor, according to the company’s owners, and it makes sense to create the products close to home.

The company wants to host local trunk shows and sell its products in boutiques throughout the Triangle, Vaughn said. Eventually, the company might expand to create more digitally printed goods such as shoes and home furnishings.

http://www.mefiver.com

DENIM CLUB INDIAJanuary 2014 08

Denim Club : Your Window To The World Of Denim

Industry

Blue jeans are becoming bigger than ever in Asia, as fast-growing Asian brands re-interpret jeans to both please the specific tastes of their consumers and to corner their share of a fairly up-for-grabs market.

The top denim companies in Asia are Levi’s, Lee, Texwood, Uniqlo, and Calvin Klein, however, no single brand dominates the market as they do in the USA. Which implies the competition to be the biggest denim brand in Asia is fierce.

Jean buyers in US are particularly loyal to all-American brands like Levi Strauss & Co., and love the historical aspect of denim as workwear. Asian buyers dont have such historical baggage for denim. But that doesn’t mean there’s not money involved. The Asian denim market is expected to chart sales of $26.9 billion this year, up from $17.6 billion in 2008.

Among the top five players in Asia, Texwood is a brand based out of Hong Kong, while Uniqlo is a Japanese brand. Some notable, though smaller, homegrown brands are also in the race: Wei Peng, Zengzhi and Kipone (from China) and Edwin (from Japan) claim about 5 percent of the Asian market, combined. Some brands, like Wei Peng and Zengzhi, are hard to shop online, meaning the curious international consumer is

out of luck, though every now and then something will pop up on eBay or the like.

Denim-buyers in Asia don’t necessarily want the same look as U.S. buyers, and manufacturers are paying attention. David Pun, the CEO of Evisu, says consumers in Asia are more “expressive” in the way they dress; Chinese consumers at large want visibly branded denim, while Hong Kong consumers prefer subtler offerings and a lot of different washes. Esprit says that the Asian market prefers “slimmer, sexier fits,” and is more brand-conscious than European market.

One of the main reasons that U.S. and European brands aren’t doing as well in Asia is that they’re trapped in the high end denim section. For example, a pair of Lee’s Diamond Cut jeans is sold in the “economy/standard” price range in the U.S., but in the “super-premium” price range in China. But Asian customers simply don’t see the need to pay premium prices for something that originated as workwear. That fact may charm Americans — where blue jeans are, after all, one of the only truly original inventions they can claim — but in Asia, it means denim is relegated into the realm of practical fashion, not luxury.

Asian Denim Brands Compete for Brand Recognition

Source : Bustle.com

Denim Club : Your Window To The World Of Denim

Events

BREAD & BUTTER was founded in 2001 by Bread & Butter GmbH & Co., and has been held twice a year in January and July ever since. The internationally prevailing trade show provides a creative marketing and communication platform for selected brands, labels and designers from the

progressive segment that is unrivalled throughout the world. Bread and Butter introduced the segment Denim Base showing major denim brands with their latest interpretation of the denim fabric as well as their current fashion collections. Recently Denim Base has been renamed to Urban Base which comprises more than just denim and covers all segments of fashion. Urban Base is the essence of BREAD & BUTTER where Denim meets Casual meets Sportswear meets Street meets Upper Casual. January 2014 edition of Bread and Butter is being held from 14‐16 January, 2014.

Bread & utter, Berlin, Germany BDates : 14‐16 January, 2014

The Kingpins Show is the inspiration of Olah Inc ‐ a company which has been working in the textile industry since 1959, focusing on denim and jeans since the 70's. Kingpins was started off in USA in 2004 and is an invitation‐only, boutique denim sourcing show featuring a an edited selection of vendors from the denim supply chain. The mix of exhibitors includes denim mills, denim garment manufacturers and an assortment of accessory suppliers in the denim supply chain. Two editions of Kingpins are held each year for showcasing the spring summer and Autumn Winter collections. Kingpins is currently held at New York. Los Angeles and Hong Kong with debut edition in

Europe at Netherlands in summer of 2014. The next Kingpins show is being held on January 21‐22, 2014 at New York.

Kingpins, New York, USADates :21 Jan 2014 ‐ 22 Jan 2014

The GGMA National Garment Fair, is organised by The Gujarat Garment Manufacturers Association. The event presents an opportunity to garments and accessories manufacturers to showcase their products in a manner that helps each brand and manufacturer establish its own identity.

The GGMA National Fair is held twice a year at Gujarat. The 21st edition of GGMA Was held form 4 to 6 July, 2013 at Ahmedabad and saw participation from over 500 brands with visitors to the event being in excess of 25000 from across India and overseas.

The 22nd GGMA National fair is being held on 9‐10 January, 2014 at Hotel St. Laurn, Ahmedabad, Gujarat and will witness participation of over 300 brands.

22nd GGMA National Garment FairAhmedabad, GujaratDates : 9‐10 January, 2014

Denim Events: January, 2014

Website : http://www.ggma.in

Website : http://www.breadandbutter.com

Website : http://www.kingpinsshow.com

Denim Club : Your Window To The World Of Denim

From The Denim Directory

Kass im Tex t i l es , was established in Karachi (Pakistan) in 1991 as a yarn spinner, since then Kassim has expanded and entered into weaving in 1999, and has since become a major resource in the Asian region for high quality competitive low priced denim for high profile denim and fashion brands. The company today has a production capacity of 36 million meters of denim fabric per annum.

In line with today’s market trends and the buyers’ predilection for specific fabrics Kassim Textiles provides, with labor of love, the versatility to consistently churn out, diverse range of fabrics ranging from 6 to 14 oz, dissevered between stretch and rigid fabrics, and specialty blends.

Kassim is among the pioneers of Organic denim in Pakistan, and very conscious and aware of the sustainability aspect of today’s market, the company brings to the world denim fabrics that are in line with sustainability. Their strength is producing variety denim for both the fast fashion and the "denim purist", premium looking collections at affordable and attractive prices.

The company ma in ta ins p r i v i l eged relationships – indeed veritable partnerships – with their clients based on consistency, mutual respect and confidence. The company's philosophy can best be described by four key words: holistic, audacious, exclusive, prospective – providing a modern and avant-garde approach.

The company has over the years made heavy i nves tmen t i n p roduc t development which has led to Kassim having expanded 3 folds. Making a series of investments has allowed the company to produce a wide range of Premium looking

collections at affordable and attractive prices.

The company is strategically located in Asia with fast and efficient access to ports and p r o d u c t i o n c e n t e r s i n Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, and the African continent. The companies clients include global brands such as VF Brands , Aeropostale, CKJ ,Levi Signature Denizen & Red Tab, Gap in USA and C&A, The Inditex Group, H&M, Marks and Spencer, Next, Mango in Europe.

The company has held steadfast to its motto “safer and cleaner world” and the same is reflected in the many certifications that the company has including GOTS (Global Organic Textiles Standards) by 1-Cert USA, OE 100 Guidelines (Organic Exchange) by 1-Cert USA, OEKO TEX by Aitex (Class I & II) among others.

Company:

KASSIM DENIM, PAKISTANSegment: Fabric

Mr. Sohail AhmedMarket Developersohail@kassimdenim.com+92 213 500 1601www.kassimdenim.com