China is now the second largest jeans market in the world, valued at $12 billion in 2015, while consumers’ affinity[1] for denim jumped from 39% to 63% from 2003 to 2016, Cotton Council International (CCI) and Cotton Incorporated’s 2016 Global Lifestyle Monitor Survey shows.

This favourable market has attracted an increasing number of industry-leading denim suppliers to partake in the Beyond Denim hall at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition 2016. From 11 – 13 October, over 170 domestic and overseas exhibitors will showcase their newest denim collections in this hall alongside the debut Invista Pavilion in hall 7.2 of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

Lycra Moves Denim Pavilion by Invista

Featuring five co-exhibitors, the new Lycra Moves Denim Pavilion by Invista will offer an interactive demonstration of Invista denim technologies, including Lycra dualFX, Lycra Beauty and Coolmax, as well as the latest Thermolite IR technology. What’s more, the pavilion will feature a series of performance denim and garments under three themes: Urban Noir, Earth Expedition and Reform.

Adding Value to Denim

Also hosted by Invista is a panel discussion session titled ‘Adding Value to Denim: Why this is a win for consumers and retailers’, held on 12 October at the new seminar area Textile Dialogue (hall 6.2).

Denim Forum illustrates the denim story legend

The Denim Forum in Beyond Denim will be more than just a display area this year as it becomes a tour through the evolution of denim’s 200-year history. In cooperating with New York’s Museum at FIT at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the forum’s designer Doneger Creative Services is bringing the exhibition ‘Denim: Fashion's Frontier’ to the fair to tell the 200-year denim story from the 19th century till today; from workwear to high fashion.

In addition, under the new concept ‘Brooklyn Today’, the newest range of denim products, trends and technology will be introduced under the four themes Modern, Heritage, Vintage and Rebellious.

Over 170 denim suppliers feature in Beyond Denim

After learning about the latest technologies and emerging trends & products, buyers have a wide range of more than 170 suppliers at their fingertips in the Beyond Denim hall. This includes H.W. Textile from Hong Kong, a joint-venture denim manufacturer with Japan’s Kurabo. They utilise US cotton and BCI cotton, high-performance stretch yarns and new Japanese dyeing and finishing technology in their products. The company has worked with over 70% of US jeanswear brands in the past, and is targeting the Chinese market this year. Also from Hong Kong is Super Wings who will offer products that match what they believe are the market trends this year: Tencel items to meet demand for soft-touch items, as well as recycled denim, and high-stretch denim for womenswear.

Chinese supplier Guangzhou Cotton Field Textile will also offer Tencel as well as Modal, cotton polyester spandex fabric plus non-stretch cotton fabrics, and are fully integrated with yarn spinning, weaving, fabric dyeing and finishing facilities. Foshan City Shunde Seborn Textile will showcase a range including Lycra, dualFX, T400, Thermolite, Coolmax, Sorona, Tencel, Modal, bamboo and other high-end denim options.