Kingpins Brings the Global Denim Industry Together in NY
More than 70 exhibitors, two mini shows, a lineup of Denim Talks, and a set of installations turned two days on the East River into denim’s biggest meeting of the season.
NEW YORK — Kingpins New York took over Pier 36 / Basketball City on Wednesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 23, pulling together the brands, mills, and makers shaping denim’s next chapter. The floor was packed, the talks were blunt, and the installations were unconventional in the best way.
The buyer list read like a denim who’s who: Alexander Wang, Veronica Beard, Karl Lagerfeld R13, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Kith, John Varvatos, J.Crew, Naked & Famous, Kontoor, Gap, Marc Jacobs, Madewell, Macy’s, Centric Brands, Mamiye Brothers, G-III, Catalyst, and Sunrise Brands all came through Kingpins New York.
Attendance included a mix of new companies, backed by a strong core of returning attendees whose continued commitment keeps the denim community connected and exploring new collections and ideas together.
“Every time we set up our events, it feels less like a trade show and more like a reunion,” said
Kingpins CEO Vivian Wang. “This industry moves fast, but for two days, everyone stopped to actually talk to each other about where the denim industry is right now and where it is headed next. The conversations happening on our show floor are shaping the denim industry of tomorrow — and that’s the strength of our community and it’s what keeps me optimistic about the future.”
More Than 70 Exhibitors, Including Two Mini Shows
Despite thunderstorms delaying flights across the US in the days before the show, every exhibitor still made it — proof of how much this industry values showing up and connecting in person. In total, the show featured 71 booths, as well as two focused mini shows. Jeanius Hub spotlighted innovation from Lab Denim, Make the Dot, Unspun, and WOPTAG. Made in Japan brought craft and precision from Ideablue, ICE, Japan Delivery Service, and Rainbow Textiles.
The Boxes: Denim as Art, Ritual, and Play
Three installations turned the show floor into something closer to a gallery.
- anniversary d.d.p. by Andrew Berul recreated the artist’s studio practice, a “sanctuary of isolation adjacent to the industry” built around ritual and atmosphere.
- Camo For Peace, a collaboration between Tonello and Transnomadica, pulled from an archive of nearly 15,000 vintage garments to rework camouflage as ethic rather than tactic — repaired, redyed, given new life through Tonello’s finishing technology.
- 148 Lab, Cocinado en Medellín took visitors back to the 2000s with a hands-on DIY denim “kitchen,” building toward a collaborative “Exquisite Corpse” piece headed to auction.
Initiatives, Installations and Inspiration
- The Lildenim Styling Session brought four underground New York labels — General Experiment by Laurence Wei, Cleioner by Kendrick, Gekka by Nicholas Lu, and Greco by Benjamin Greco — into one room to show what collaboration looks like when the designers already know each other.
- Community Tapestry, woven by Sarab NYC’s Mahmoud the Weaver in collaboration with Kingpins Show, turned textile waste from 10 exhibitors — AGI Denim, Artistic Milliners, Bhaskar Denim, Blue Diamond, Envoy Textiles, Freedom Denim, Naveena Denim (NDL and Mills), Master Textile, and Soorty Denim — into 10 one-of-a-kind handwoven pieces. All were available for purchase, with 50% of every sale going to FABSCRAP NYC.
- Oak & Acorn presents: Future Denim Makers Lab, with Marist University and Artmill, handed the Signature Jumpsuit to a new generation of designers to reengineer as a future artifact of American workwear.
- And the show paid tribute to a legend: an installation curated by Christine Rucci, with Glenda and Marta Goldschmied, celebrated the life and work of Adriano Goldschmied.
ABOUT KINGPINS
Kingpins is an invitation-only, denim sourcing show featuring a highly curated selection of companies representing the global denim supply chain from fiber makers, mills and manufacturers, to chemical and machinery suppliers and other companies that serve the denim and jeans business.
Launched in 2004, the company currently produces shows and events in New York, Amsterdam and China.
Since 2025, Kingpins has been part of Texpertise—the umbrella brand uniting all textile trade shows of Messe Frankfurt. Since 2025, Kingpins has been part of Texpertise — the umbrella brand uniting all textile trade shows of Messe Frankfurt.
Under the agreement with Messe Frankfurt, one of the world’s leading trade fair organizers, Kingpins continues to operate independently as a platform for the industry to meet, network and share information and insights.
