The denim maker and hemp fiber producer said they will work to bring traceability and scale to the textile-grade cottonized hemp grown and processed in the United States, adding to the latter’s new partnership with Pakistani mill AGI. With a plethora of brands recently introducing collections showcasing hemp and hemp blends, often with cotton or other natural fibers such as Tencel, it’s worth questioning whether hemp would soon eclipse cotton as the favorite fiber of the fashion flock.
The answer seems to be: Not so fast.
“We are focused on hemp as a complementary fiber to cotton in terms of performance and additional properties that make it ideal for combining with cotton to create strong, comfortable apparel,” a Kontoor Brands spokesperson said. “As we and others in the industry continue to adopt hemp as an alternative fiber option, economies of scale will help to reduce the price of hemp, making it a more attainable fiber option for apparel.”
For its latest innovation to streamline the production of denim, Jeanologia turned to industries where humans and robots produce in the same work space for inspiration.
Taking a page out of the automotive sector’s playbook, the technology company presented Handman, a finishing system that is equipped with two robots and eight lasers. The systems require two people to load jeans onto hangers, or “collaborate” with the robots, ultimately leading to 10,000 finished jeans in 24 hours with zero waste.
Jeanologia CEO Enrique Silla described Handman as the “future of our industry,” adding that only with automation is it possible to have clean and scalable manufacturing with reduced costs, greater agility and a better production look. The technology is already a reality and is being used in three manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Tunisia, producing 5 million jeans a year.
Debuting at Kingpins24, the Bast Recast collection demonstrates the power of collaboration, featuring a Tencel lyocell hemp blend and environmentally friendly solutions from leaders throughout the denim supply chain that underscore hemp’s sustainable properties.
“In order to pay homage to the history of hemp, we brought together a group of companies who we knew could deliver both the quality, innovation and environmental integrity that the sustainable denim wardrobe projects demand,” said Michael Kininmonth, project manager at Lenzing.
The range includes GOTS-certified conventional and cottonized hemp fibers and yarns supplied by Kingdom, one of the world’s largest linen yarn and hemp yarn manufacturers. All fabrics were developed exclusively in-house by Pakistan-based denim producer Naveena Denim Ltd., and U.K.-based Endrime designed, pattern cut and sewed the entire collection, using hemp’s centuries-long history as inspiration.
Impeccable credentials for bio-based denims
Denims are based on hemp fibres from the Helongjiang region of China, blended with Lenzing’s Refibra and Modal.
15th March 2021
London-based denim brand Endrime will launch a collection of exclusive new jeans resulting from the supply chain-wide Bast Recast project this April.
The denims are based on hemp fibres supplied by Kingdom Hemp from the Helongjiang region of China, blended with Refibra and Modal lyocell from Austria-headquartered Lenzing.
Karachi, Pakistan-based Naveena Denim has blended the three fibres and spun and woven a range of 8-12oz denim fabrics from the resulting yarns, with Crafil supplying the sewing threads, which are also made from Lenzing’s lyocell, to ensure the jeans are 100% biodegradable.