Kingpins Spotlights Latest in Denim Innovation and Sustainability at New York Show
International brands, retailers braved polar temperatures to shop the original denim supply chain show.
NEW YORK | January 2025 – An international mix of retail giants, big brands, designer labels and contemporary designers turned out at the Jan. 22-23 run of Kingpins Show at Basketball City/Pier 36 in New York, despite freezing temperatures due to a polar vortex that descended on the region in the days before the show opened.
Roughly 640 attendees from nearly 290 companies visited the show, including representatives from Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander Wang, Supreme, Marc Jacobs, imogene + willie, Veronica Beard, Todd Snyder, Oliver Logan, Filson,Tommy Hilfiger, Tory Burch, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Rag & Bone, Carhartt, Coach, Everlane, Kontoor Brands, Macy’s, Scotch and Soda, Spanx, The Reformation, and Urban Outfitters, among others. The show featured nearly 75 exhibitors, including textile mills, fiber makers, machinery makers and other companies in the denim supply chain.
In addition to meeting with supply chain partners, visitors to the show explored The Boxes, Kingpins’ curated installation area focusing on creative collaborations, as well as several initiatives aimed at addressing some of the denim industry’s key issues. Several of these initiatives are ongoing, including Most Sustainable Product (MSP), which elevates new and noteworthy sustainable products and processes from Kingpins exhibitors. Other continuing initiatives include One Denim, a showcase of the vast variety of designs that can be achieved using a single fabrication.
Similarly, Key Pieces from Inspiring Wardrobes From Around the World is a continuing project, highlighting the stories behind items from the personal collections of denim creatives.
Another returning initiative is Future Fit Forum, curated by Michelle Branch, from Markt &Twigs,, and supported by Creora™ by Hyosung. FFF is dedicated to exploring what denim fit could look like in the future through the eyes of denim designers from around the world.
Among the new initiatives that debuted in New York:
Tonello Denim Renaissance: the Art of Italian Luxury
Attendees and exhibitors were invited to explore this installation featuring original designs that combined Italy’s luxury heritage with Tonello’s state-of-the-art technology.
The Denim Institute & Museum “Denim Archives”
On track to open in 2026, the Denim Institute & Museum, is a Los Angeles-based non-profit foundation dedicated to preserving denim’s history while also creating a learning center to teach innovation, promote eco-friendly technologies, and uphold ethical principles.
Hong Kong Design Institute
There was an installation by emerging designers from the Hong Kong Design Institute. The designs were also featured in a presentation during the opening night happy hour.
New Denim Perspective
Trend agency BeDisobedient presented “New Denim Perspective,” a look at the macro and micro trends shaping the denim industry. Led by trend forecaster Nahuel Lombardi, the wide-ranging discussion looked at key drivers and influences on current and emerging denim looks.
Both Key Pieces and Future Fit Forum featured an accompanying panel discussion in the Denim Talks seminar series.
“When you think about a better future in denim, you think about finish and fiber and energy. But you should also think about fit,” Branch said. “All of the creatives we use for the Future Fit Forum have a passion for making things better. This is an expression of what the future could be.”
Branch was joined onstage by Natashia Lunt, designer of Natashia, an upscale and upcycled collection, who will be participating in the next FFF at Kingpins Amsterdam, along with Triarchy’s Adam Taubenfligel, among others.
Other seminars included:
“Innovative Materials – From Lab to Loom,” led by Tricia Carey and featuring Rebecca Geppert from Refiberd, a technology company tackling textile waste using AI-based hyperspectral imaging to accurately identify material composition; Jennifer Thompson from Colourized, a machinery company that uses pigments to color yarns using dramatically less water; and Mark Ix, from Advance Denim, who discussed the company’s Blue Loop system that uses a membrane separation technology to remove and reuse indigo during the dye process.
“We truly are in an age of innovation in our industry,” Carey said. “Most are centered around decarbonization. It’s a very exciting time.”
There were also plenty of opportunities to get hands-on during the show, with workshops for natural dyeing presented by Panther Denim and hand mending presented by Hay Tay Embroidery.
Kingpins next heads to Amsterdam for its April 16-17 run at SugarFactory, then to Hangzhou for the Kingpins China-Hangzhou, set for May 22-23 at ADM More.
SHOW PHOTOS ARE AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD HERE
ABOUT KINGPINS
The Kingpins Show is an invitation-only, boutique denim sourcing show featuring a highly-edited selection of vendors that include denim and sportswear fabric mills from the U.S., Japan, China, India, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Thailand, Spain and Mexico; wash houses; full package manufacturers; trim providers; and makers of technology, wash chemicals and business solutions. Kingpins, which launched in 2004, produces biannual shows in New York and Amsterdam, as well as annual shows in Hong Kong and China.
In 2023, Messe Frankfurt became a shareholder in Kingpins. Under the agreement with the 800-year-old trade show organizer, Kingpins continues to operate independently as a platform for the industry to meet, network and share information and insights.
