New Collaboration Highlights the Advantages of Denim Production In the Americas

A new denim collection called Oneness aims to showcase the benefits of nearshoring in the Americas and open brands and suppliers to the possibilities of expanding their supply chain map.

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The collection, which will be presented next week at Kingpins New York, is a collaborative effort between fiber producer The Lycra Company, Mexican mill Global Denim and Spanish finishing technology firm Jeanologia.

Individually, the companies often hear U.S. designers and sourcing managers express interest in bringing some of their production closer to the States. Still, they don’t have a roadmap to help guide them through the transition. Relying on fully vertical offshore manufacturers to produce collections, coupled with a lack of knowledge about the production capabilities and technologies available in the Americas has stagnated many brands’ nearshoring dreams.

“There is a misconception that this region is not as advanced or doesn’t offer the same possibilities as Europe or Asia,” said Anatt Finkler, Global Denim’s creative director and vocal advocate for Mexico’s denim industry . The collaboration, she added, serves as an opportunity to educate the industry about the possibilities and help brands make more informed decisions.

Oneness connects the dots for brands, informing them about how fabrics never have to leave Mexico to become jeans. For example, a U.S. brand could source from Global Denim, use fibers produced at Lycra’s facility in Monterrey, Mexico, stay in the U.S. to develop washes in Miami at Jeanologia’s hub and send those recipes to a manufacturer in Mexico.

Pepa Silla, Jeanologia’s strategic projects manager, said there are approximately 1,200 Jeanologia machines in 300 laundries across the Americas.

“We are creating an ecosystem so we can help brands transfer the data and know-how for their washes to the laundries so it’s easier for them,” she said, adding that many designers are traveling less due to budget cuts and responsibilities at home.

Some brands are already making efforts to make new connections. Jeanologia has helped European brands with growing footprints in the U.S. like H&M and Inditex navigate the region.

“They’re looking for production and nearshoring in this part of the world, but it is something that they don’t know about. So, we have helped them by bringing them to Mexico and showing them the different mills and laundries so they can start exploring opportunities for production,” Silla said.

Having access to experts with a deep knowledge of the U.S. market is key to growing business, Finkler said. “When brands come here, they’re not coming to create a production for Asia or Europe. They come here to produce for the U.S. market and to understand what the customer wants,” she said.

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Oneness spans 11 garments representative of the vintage aesthetic that’s in high demand in the U.S. The garments are made with Global Denim fabrics that are enhanced with Lycra’s performance fibers such as Lycra dualFX, Lycra lastingFIT, Thermolite EcoMade and Coolmax Ecomade.

The fabrics were prepared at Jeanologia’s Miami hub with Atmos technology, a process that uses air and humidity to replace stone washing. Jeanologia opened the hub in 2023 with the intention to become a bigger player in American fashion’s nearshoring effort.

To have a physical space in the U.S. where designers can test and develop washes and see the results firsthand is a game-changer, Finkler said, especially as brands are always curious to know how Lycra fibers will function with laser and other finishes.

Whereas ozone and the chemicals and mechanical abrasion of stone washing are known to damage the elasticity and recovery of Lycra fibers, Silla said Atmos produces the desired worn-in effects without any damage to the specialty fibers.

The super-stretch wide-leg jeans and jackets in the collection also help debunk the belief that Lycra is for skinny jeans only.

While trends from the early aughts are putting the body-hugging fit back on fashion’s radar, Ebru Ozaydin, The Lycra Company’s global strategic marketing director, denim, wovens and ready-to-wear, said technologies like Lycra dualFX and Coolmax also enhance the comfort, moisture management and durability of looser fits.

Finkler added that she’s seeing customers reduce their rigid denim orders in favor of more comfort stretch.

Whether it’s misconceptions about stretch denim or how to produce jeans locally, Finkler said the industry needs to welcome new ideas, prepare for change and embrace what can come from it.

“I think the customer really wants to explore the different possibilities of what they can achieve,” she said.

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