Bluezone Denimined: Celebrating the True Spirit of Denim

The international denim trade show Bluezone opened its doors at the Zenith Halle in Munich on the 3rd and 4th of September. Inviting the denim industry to come together under the “Denimined” banner, Bluezone offered the industry a place to exchange the latest knowledge, innovations, trends, and denim fabrics in an amazing industrial atmosphere.

Full of hustle and bustle, Bluezone Denimined felt like a good indicator of the industry’s growing momentum, with energy and enthusiasm growing. The exhibitors we spoke with were enthusiastic about the set-up of Bluezone Denimined and were especially happy with the traffic on day one. The Bluezone team have left nothing to chance, and it’s clear that they retain their position as one of the world’s most important events for the denim industry.

As with previous editions, we were warmly welcomed by the passionate team behind the amazing show. We enjoyed being present at Denimined and we had countless interesting conversations, discovering new innovations and developments in the industry around every corner and with every new meeting.

BLUEZONE DENIMINED

What we love most about the Bluezone shows is the comprehensive view they provide of the denim industry. Instead of focussing solely on the current denim industry, every Bluezone show provides a clear image of the heritage of denim as well as a clear vision on the future of the industry. Below, we’ll look at how Bluezone showcased the past, present, and future of denim in their Denimined show.

Before that, though, let’s hear from Sebastian Klinder, Bluezone Founder. Here’s what he thought of Bluezone Denimined:

“After years of refining our approach, I’m immensely proud of how MUNICH FABRIC START, BLUEZONE, and KEYHOUSE have evolved. The concurrent scheduling of these events, combined with our focus on material innovation and technology, has created a powerful platform for the denim industry. At BLUEZONE, over 70 international denim mills showcased cutting-edge developments in denim and sportswear, while the event’s engaging workshops and more than 40 high-profile panel discussions underscored the vibrant atmosphere and innovative spirit of the industry. The introduction of new digital printing techniques, dyeing, and finishing technologies highlights BLUEZONE’s role in driving forward the future of denim. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our vision come to fruition, supporting a dynamic denim community that excels in innovation, sustainability, and collaboration.”
Sebastian Klinder, Managing Director MUNICH FABRIC START

In our humble opinion, Bluezone Denimined was of an incredible high quality, where even the smallest details were well thought out. The balanced selection of exhibitors from the entire supply chain, the inspiring lectures, the centrally located Keyhouse concept, and the amazing vintage collections blended together seamlessly to make the Denimined show one of the best editions of Bluezone we’ve ever attended.

Denim Heritage at Bluezone Denimined

Although the Bluezone shows are all about the latest innovations in the denim industry, Bluezone grounds its shows firmly in the rich and storied history of denim. Season after season, Bluezone attracts some of the denim industry’s most prominent denim gurus and collectors who ensure that the denim industry remains anchored to its heritage. They teach and inspire attendees from every link in the supply chain, helping remind them that we can learn a tremendous amount about the industry by studying the innovators that came before us.

At Bluezone Denimined, denim gurus like Viktor Fredbäck, Moshin Sajid, and Ruedi Karrer shared their extensive knowledge and their limitless love for denim, bringing a few of their favourite pieces with them. Their presence was not only fun and inspiring. More importantly, it helped re-connect Bluezone visitors to authentic forms of denim.

Denim Hunter Viktor Fredbäck

Viktor Fredbäck made his debut at Bluezone’s previous show “Signature” in January earlier this year. His Denim Hunter movie was screened followed by a Q&A. Viktor returned to Bluezone Denimined, bringing a selection of his vintage denim pieces, which were beautifully framed at a central spot at Bluezone. One pair in particular demanded a closer look. Produced sometime in the 1880s, the pair were the supporting stars of Viktor’s film. They completed his collection, and, in a similar way, they were an essential piece of this year’s Bluezone!

ENDRIME® – Moshin Sajid

Moshin Sajid, a.k.a ENDRIME, a denim designer in the most comprehensive sense, has been a significant force in the denim industry for decades. He is not only a denim lecturer and historian but also a vintage collector and denim maker—in short, a true-blue denim guru!

At Bluezone Denimined, Moshin Sajid offered his latest book, The ENDRIME® ARCHIVE Vol 1. The book intermixes styles designed by ENDRIME® over 22 years, providing context for the origins of various details. The 556-page book also features collections from other designers, including pieces from the Cone Denim Found Collection and key items from the Levi Strauss & Co Archive. The first volume in what is planned to be a multi-volume series, we can look forward to more incredible editions in the future!

The Jeans Museum by Ruedi Karrer

Ruedi Karrer, a loyal attendee of the Bluezone shows, never arrives empty-handed. Bluezone Denimined was no exception. Bringing a small selection of his 14.000(!!) denim pieces, Ruedi installed a fantastic booth with some of his best faded pairs. Ruedi also installed a seating area, which was a pleasant place to relax and talk about our shared passion after wandering around at the show. Ruedi wouldn’t be Ruedi if he wasn’t sharing his unquenchable love for all things denim, trying to infect other people with his love for raw selvedge denim. It’s always a true pleasure to connect with Ruedi at Bluezone!

The Current Denim Landscape & Trends

The current denim landscape is obviously the most visible during the show. In the end, this is the main reason why denim professionals head to Bluezone every six months. During our visit to Denimined, we noticed that most exhibitors communicated less about sustainability and responsibility compared to previous Bluezone editions. When we asked the mills why, we received the response we were hoping for: sustainability and responsibility have become the new norm. For most major denim mills it does not make sense to keep promoting sustainability as it has become one of the most basic ingredients for contemporary denim collections. This doesn’t mean that they’ve all reached their ultimate goals surrounding sustainability. Mills are continuing to develop further in order to reduce the environmental footprint of denim manufacturing. This mindset was underlined by the lecture lineup, which largely focused on the industry’s need to continue its revolution to clean up the denim sector.

While there were countless groundbreaking collections and concepts presented at Bluezone Denimined, we would like to highlight one revolutionary process in specific; ISKO’s RE&UP.

RE&UP by ISKO

With 2,000 state-of-the-art automatic looms and an annual capacity of 300 million meters of fabric, ISKO stands as one of the world’s largest denim manufacturers. Every day, the mill takes steps towards better responsibility, paving the way forward with new ideas and developments, which eventually led to RE&UP.

RE&UP is a revolutionary process for transforming end-of-life textile waste into high-quality raw materials. The collections were showing the versatility, strength, and durability of these fully re-cycled Next-Gen fibers. Without the use of any new raw materials such as cotton and polyester, the RE&UP process allows ISKO to produce new jeans more durable than the recycled jeans they were made from—jeans that would have otherwise ended up in landfills. It’s a big sustainability breakthrough, developed by one of the industry’s leading manufacturers!

The Future of Denimined

Firmly interwoven in Bluezone’s identity is their drive to inspire and educate the industry to keep innovating and developing, promoting a more responsible approach in denim manufacturing. Picking up where they left off in January, Bluezone continues to inspire its exhibitors and visitors with their extensive and wide-ranging lecture program. Divided over multiple podia, there was a continuous offering of more than 40 inspiring lectures at the two-day show.

Another concept of Bluezone to inspire the industry and to help them exchange revolutionary ideas is the platform Keyhouse. Centrally located and smartly integrated at Bluezone Denimined, Keyhouse is where innovation and manufacturers cross-pollinate.

Keyhouse

Keyhouse is an important cornerstone of Bluezone, pushing the boundaries of innovation and technology in the industry. Featuring top talent in the world of sustainable innovations, new materials, and refined processes and solutions, Keyhouse is where manufacturers can go to improve production processes and to reduce environmental impact.

Simon Angel, Curator of Sustainable Innovations, walked us through all amazing new concepts. He showed us fabric created from reeds and shoes made from car mats. He was focused on adjusting existing manufacturing methods and introducing innovations to make waste the starting point for new products. Most innovations were built on existing processes and left-over ingredients. By implementing small, clever updates, they are creating new products and giving new life to waste.

Keyhouse champions a responsible design approach in the (denim) industry. And, by listening to Simon’s explanation, the eye-catching products and machines transformed into mind-blowing concepts that left us speechless! Keyhouse is redefining what’s fresh and exciting in the industry, from process tweaks to new materials and dyes. They’re leading the way in promoting a responsible approach to design and development.

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Through the mirrored realm of DENIMINED, Bluezone celebrated the true spirit of denim enthusiasts, weaving together innovation and tradition. Once again, the international trade show positioned itself as a key global event for the denim industry, paving the way for the future of the sector. Bluezone’s refined approach and commitment to offering an engaging platform for the industry makes us eagerly look forward to the next show!