sportFACHHANDEL Fashion 10_2016

Gazzetta dello Sport hs already reported on
the new trends of Athleisure ans Isko.
From Milan and New York Isko, the
world’s largest jeans fabric manufacturer
and supplier has taken on a pioneer role. At
the end of last year an offer was made on
the online platform Arquas with which the
sports and outdoor industry should work
in the future. That means: Manufacturers,
designers and retailers are supposed to
meet on the platform, exchange new ideas
and eventually strengthen the trend more.
The first designs of possible fabrics for the
areas outdoor, bike, running and yoga were
already impressive. Isko already showed
new combinations of jeans fabric and fleece,
e.g. which allow a versatile and innovative
implementation in diaphoretic sports disciplines,
too, and are still chic nevertheless.
It is Isko’s goal to overshoot with new jeans
technologies innovatively and sportively.
“That is our DNA”, Lucietti stresses. In an
exclusive interview with sportFachhandel
the Isko man also stresses that one doesn’t
want to “cannibalise”, one especially doesn’t
want to get into competition with fibre
manufacturers and developers. One also
doesn’t want to be competition to sports
manufacturers. “We understand something
about the jeans production and the fabric
itself.” But one wants to start a new market,
Lucietti semphasises, of which he believes
it offers many possibilities and a lot of
potential. Adidas, Nike, Puma etc, who will
remain responsible for future jeans collections
for various sports disciplines , were
addressed. “We aren’t going to perform as
an own brand and enter competition.” There
are first reports of success: The newest
brands, who already use Isko fabrics are
Replay (with the very popular new sports
collection HYPERSKIN), Gerry Weber, LIU
JO (with the line Bottom Up Amazing Fit)
and the popular jeans stretch brand J Brand.
So Isko also invites manufacturers to the
jeans revolution in sports. “Urban Tech” is
what the outdoor collection made of jeans
, which was presented on the Arquas platform,
is called. But bike fans are also in the
limelight of the new jeans initiative. Ideas
and designs for boxing, yoga and running
round off the offer. A boxing champion in
the ring who engages in sparring dressed in
jeans? Hard to imagine so far but at the last
exhibition Rimini Wellness the time had
come: The Italian world-class boxer Simona
Galassi trusted the new Isko collection,
which was presented at the active wear
exhibition for sports and lifestyle in Rimini
at the beginning of June. The new sportswear
collections are produced and sewn
from the new fabrics “ISKO BLUEJYMTM”
and “ISKO FUTURE FACETM”. These
new Denim technologies are patented and
specially designed for the Athleisure area.
And nevertheless the pieces are “technical
and trendy”. That’s exactly Isko’s expertise
and of course entitlement, Marco Lucietti
emphasises. The design and development
centre of Isko is not in the fashion capital
Milan for nothing. “We mean it”,Lucietti
says. The Arquas project for jeans and
sports is designed as a project to last over
a period of at least 15 years. “I believe good
money can be made with that”, the Denim
man say. Of course he is aiming at retail
and the manufacturers in the sports and
outdoor branch and that’s where he wants
to continue the Jeans’ story of success.
Text: Nicolas Kellner
... and in terms of ecology
But jeans fabric is also becoming more important
in terms of ecological aspects and has planned
something revolutionary: The Bangladesh
Denim Expo (BDE), for example, has been taking
place in Dhaka, Bangladesh since 2014. As an
international sourcing platform for the entire
Denim value chain it provides information on
news and trends in the areas of fabrics, finishes,
laundry and accessory. The non-profit exhibition,
which is the second largest after China
meanwhile, doesn’t only advertise the Denim
branch in its own country. They additionally
have the aim of improving the ecological such
as social standards in the production facilities
and encourage the international exchange of
information. The number of exhibitors has almost
doubled in the last year – from 25 in Mai 2015 to
49 exhibitioners at the Expo in April this year. Up
to 3000 visitors, about 800 more in the previous
year came there. The international sourcing
platform took place the fourth time in a row in
the modern halls of the International Convention
City Bashundhara in Dhaka/Bangladesch and was
under the motto of “Denim Evolutions“.
That was the reason for Denim Expert Ltd. (DEL)
receiving support from the Federal Ministry
of economic cooperation and development in
Berlin, which supports sustainable projects in
developing and newly industrialising countries,
via the German develoPPP.de program. Such
development partnerships with the private
economy have the goal, among others, to create
a developmental added value and thereby
improve the living standards in developing and
newly industrialising countries. The program is
co-financed by the DEG. Mostafiz Uddin, manager
of Denim Expert Ltd., explains:” In order to
Jeans collections are
already taking over the
fitness sector.
strengthen the Denim Business on a long term
the social and ecological standards in the textile
industry have to be iimproved. The program
develoPPP.de financially and organisationally
supports us in putting our sustainable ideas into
action.” The developing partnership started in
December 2015 and is set for two years. DEL
has qualified itself through its high dedication
to the reduction of water and energy use such
as the use of chemicals. Because that’s where
the Denim industry’s biggest problem lies: In
order to create the correct used look of a pair
of jeans many washings and chemicals are used
in conventional textile colours. A responsible
handling of natural resources such as gas, oil and
water, the reduction of chemicals and the waste
water treatment often don’t take place.
The new jeans trend is naturally
also supposed to be a pioneer
in terms of ecology: during
production and with
21
new treatment plants.
sportFACHHANDEL
FASHION • 10/2016