The Future of Denim

Denim has been a vital fabric for a couple centuries now, and following the trickle up theory from the working men to the movie stars like James Dean and Marlon Brado who made it a uniform for teenage rebellion alongside the t-shirt and leather jacket, it is now a style staple, a treasured item collected by almost everybody.

While sustainability has been an ongoing movement in the fashion industry in recent years, it is no surprise denim has been at the forefront of the movement too. With many brands and designers upcycling the fabric to create a responsible hybrid of garments to produce wasteless designs, it has become even more innovative then before. During the recent years, the classic jeans has also been revamped and given various modern designs as well (shown in the moodboard).

But what is the future of denim?

According to the forecasting of WGSN, the number one effect on denim will be due to the increasing danger of climate change and how crucial it is to create adaptable designs that will help overcome over production and over consumption, and with over production being a severe hazard to the environment caused mainly by the fashion industry, by 2021 denim fabric mills will be evolving even more to help overcome this. Lately buying second-hand has been a booming industry altogether, with the US second-hand apparel industry alone estimated to be about $18bn, only to be worth $33bn by 2021, in the coming years, this growth will help reduce individual carbon footprints.

It is also predicted that consumers will buy better, rather than focusing on the quantity, and the future vision is for the customers to have custom-made apparel in their hands within hours so they appreciate the quality more, and in turn appreciate that less is more.

Collaborations being a big part of the industry already, will only roar more by 2021. But it is estimated the collaborations will be much more responsible by focusing on sustainability and upcycling, not just attaching labels to add greater value together. Brand marketing is also forecasted to be touching more into taking conscious initiatives. Overall, the fashion and denim industry will be pushing more towards sustainability and conscious decisions more than ever before.

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Referencing:

Kurazawa, D 2019, Women’s Key Items: Denim, photograph, viewed 22 March 2019, <https://www-wgsn-com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/content/board_viewer/#/82991/page/1>.

Kurazawa, D 2019, The Hybrid Jacket, photograph, viewed 22 March 2019, <https://www-wgsn-com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/content/board_viewer/#/82991/page/3>.

Kurazava, D 2019, The Functional Bottom, photograph, viewed 22 March 2019, <https://www-wgsn-com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/content/board_viewer/#/82991/page/5>.

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