Kingpins Amsterdam 16/17 April: Photos From the Show
You can find photos from the April 16-17 run of Kingpins Amsterdam at SugarFactory HERE.
Check out the lineup of exhibitors, initiatives, workshops and Denim Talks HERE
Below are some highlights from the show:
MADE IN JAPAN: The April 16-17 show in Amsterdam saw the debut of Made in Japan, a curated mix of Japanese mills and manufacturers, located in its own area within SugarFactory. Read more about the companies showing at Made in Japan HERE, as well as HERE for the full Amsterdam show lineup, which featured additional Japanese-inspired initiatives and Denim Talks and much more, including:
+ The Vintage Showroom’s Doug Gunn will lead the Denim Talks panel: “In Conversation – a Deep Dive Into Japanese Denim” featuring Made in Japan exhibitors Yuji Honzawa (Dr. Denim), Yasuhiro Oshima (Betty Smith), Tsuyoshi Shimizu (Big John) and Bobby Tohma (Amhot Holdings).
+ The Vintage Showroom also presented “Tattered Threads, Unspoken Memory,” an installation of vintage Japanese denim that explores the art of “boro.”
+ EQUILIBRIUM: Roots phase 2 was an immersive experience presented by Simply Suzette and US Denim Mills. Inspired by the harmony of Japanese culture and the organic flow of nature, the installation invited visitors to engage with denim not just as fabric, but as a reflection of mindful design in a space that uses sound, sight and texture to bring the journey of denim to life.
JEANIUS HUB: We created a new destination at Kingpins Amsterdam to showcase new innovations, new ideas and a few companies new to Kingpins. We called it the Jeanius Hub and it was located on the upper level at SugarFactory near the Denim Talks and lunch stations. We hope people spent time talking to exhibitors, taking in some product demos and getting hands on.
Exhibitors in the Jeanius Hub included: Testex x ZDHC; Material Exchange; C2C; Denim Deal Foundation; Les Mains Bleues (LMB); HMS (Hand Made Stones) x Panther Denim DEMO; and Bank & Vogue
DENIM 101: INTRODUCTION: Whether you are new to the denim industry or an experienced veteran, there is always something new to learn about our industry and what goes into a jean. With that idea in mind, we introduced Denim 101: Introduction at Kingpins Amsterdam show. It’s similar to a series we held at in the past, but now we brought it to the show as part of our outreach to the next generation of denim talent. The Introduction was led by Freedom’s Michael Morrell on April 17 at 2:30pm. You can read more about it HERE.
LIL DENIM SHOW PRESENTS PARADOXE: We hope you caught the Lil Denim Show on April 17 at noon. Nick Baur and Max Kaupp, the creators and curators of Lil Denim Jean, had a great conversation with Jeremy Sebaoun and Eli Saada, the designers of French brand Paradoxe Paris. Nick and Max started Lil Denim Jean as an Instagram account that billed itself as a “digital pants museum” before channeling their distinctive take on jeans into the Lil Denim Jean collection. Paradoxe similarly takes denim and jeans into new territories with original perspectives on fit, proportion and finish.
BE DISOBEDIENT DENIM FORECAST: Be Disobedient joined the Denim Talks lineup in Amsterdam with a pair of presentations titled “Denim Forecast: From Macro Shifts to Micro Realities.” Ana Paula Alves, co-founder of the disruptive consulting agency, led the presentation on April 16 at 11:30am and again on April 17 at 1pm.
