A Textile Today Initiative l Published with Volume 14, Issue 01 l Pages 61 to 76

Unveiling industry best practices D e n i m f a b r i c & e ff e c t s

January 2021

Nice Denim Mills: A Bangladesh and Denim market to

one-stop solution for other jeans grow globally with
quality denim fabric, exporting countries growing demand
competitive price and witness a dip in for recycled and
shorter lead time export to US new materials
Unveiling industry best practices
Knitting & Knitwear
January 2021

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 Industry Best Practice

Nice Denim Mills: A

one-stop solution for
quality denim fabric,
competitive price
and shorter lead time
Kazi Farhan Hossain Purba

Nice Denim Mills Limited (NDML),

one of the leading manufacturers
and exporters of denim fabric,
a business unit of Saad Group
started its journey in 2016 in
Mawna, Sreepur, Gazipur with a
vision to establish itself as the
largest denim manufacturer in the
world. Only within four years of
journey, this denim mill has been
able to stand out from others with
its adoption of state-of-the-art
technologies and industry best
practices.
The ingenious arrangement of
four rope dyeing machines with
different capacities to capture
Figure 1: Nice Denim Mills Ltd. leading members.
both large and small orders,
multi-layer inspection on various
Due to the combination of 16 ropes mind: quality, reasonable costing
processes including the Long
and 48 ropes under one shed, and faster lead time. NDML’s all
Chain Beaming, their lucrative side
Nice Denim has a competitive the sections are orchestrated
business of selling re-coned indigo
price advantage over the local towards success by these three
dyed yarn, prudent decision of
and international market. So, what points.
keeping direct warping machine,
is the secret sauce behind their
installments of automation like Taking the quality yarn cones or
success? Today we will look closely
computerized beam storage cheese packages from NDML’s
at each section of this denim mill
system- Beam Stacker, state of finely managed 1000-ton yarn sub-
and find out their best practices
the art auto leasing and auto store, they make balls according to
that are giving them such leverage.
drawing machine to keep up with the number of total ends, length
the modern world, a youthful, Efficient Ball Warping and equal tension in individual
energetic R&D team and prompt yarn using their Ball Warping
According to Engr. Ahammod
lab facilities have enabled them machines efficiently. During
Babor, the Senior DGM (Plant &
to offer great quality, shorter lead production, individual yarn tension
Operations) of NDML, the factory
time and competitive price to their is measured for its uniformity.
is run by keeping three aspects in
buyers.

Bangladesh Textile Today | January 2021 63

Industry Best Practice

At this point, Engr. Ahammod

Table: Nice Denim Mills Ltd. at a glance
Babor, the Senior DGM (Plant &
Establishment year 2016
Operations) of NDML said, “All
Land area 967129 SFT these features make Nice Denim
Section Area 572000 SFT Mills cost-effective and price
Production capacity 6 Million Yards (Per Month) competitive. As we can efficiently
use our capacity and have strong
No. of Rope dyeing Machine name Origin
backward linkage, we can achieve
machines a) Morrison Rope Dye range. USA shorter lead time and offer a
b) Green Ville Rope Dye range. USA competitive price to our buyers.”
c) Smartech- 40 and Smartech- China NDML also takes pride in some
16 Rope dye range additional advantages of its rope
Long Chain Beaming Karlmayer, Germany. dyeing process.
(LCB) machines Karlmayer,Germany & Tsudakoma, Japan. Engr. Nizamul Hossain, Sr. DGM
Machine name Origin (Production) of Nice Denim Mills
Ltd. explained, “An advantage
Air jet from Picanol Belgium
that we take from rope dyeing
Rapier from Picanol Optimax-1 Belgium compared to slasher is, in slasher,
Rapier Dobby from Picanol Belgium the dyeing happens in sheet
Optimax-1 form where single yarns can get
finishing machines Morrison, Greenville & Kuster, USA. affected, which can ultimately
Inspection machines STT, Taiwan. affect the yarn quality. For the
same reason, there is a possibility
ETP (Biological) 150 m/cub/hr, Simem, Italy.
to have CSV (Cross-Shade
capacity
Variation) in slasher dyeing which
Buyers ALDI, LIDL, H&M, Next Sourcing, GAP, C&A, is not an issue in Rope dyeing as
LPP, ZARA INDITEX, K-MART, OKAIDI, there is even stress on each yarn.”
JEANIOLOGIEA, HEMA, MAX, MACETON,
“In the loom, every single thread
PRIMARK
is important. A weak thread can
cause great wastage. So, we also
Full advantage of Rope Dyeing is both big and small orders in a
take the advantage of rope dyeing
taken very cost-effective way without
in the loom,” Engr. Nizamul further
any extra energy and chemical
Rope Dyeing is considered to be a added.
waste. As Green Ville is a giant
superior dyeing technology where
machine having 48 rope capacity, Yarn quality is checked in Long
the dyeing uniformity achieved is
NDML can dye at large volume Chain Beaming
better than other indigo dyeing
with nominal shade variation and In NDML’s Karl Mayer Long Chain
technologies like slasher dyeing.
keep the quality by maintaining Beaming machines (LCBs), the
Keeping the advantages of the
consistency. yarn alignment in the dyed rope
rope dyeing technique in the
background, NDML has installed
4 state-of-the-art rope dyeing
machines with verities/multiple
ropes including the Green Ville
Rope Dyeing machine which is the
biggest of its kind in Bangladesh.
It is a 48-rope machine having
maximum Dye boxes with a big
volume. With this machine, they
can achieve the highest indigo dye
shade percentage. They also have
a Morrison Rope Dyeing Machine
and two Smartech machines.
All the convenient features of
these machines compared to
Slasher Dyeing and their ingenious
combination enable them to take Figure 2: GreenVille Rope Dyeing machine (48 Rope Dyeing machine) in Nice Denim Mills
Ltd., Bangladesh.

64 Bangladesh Textile Today | January 2021


Figure 3: Bromo indigo and laser friendly
dyeing are also done here at NDML.
is changed from a rope form to
a sheet form. NDML employees
enjoy the advantage of checking
each yarn quality while beaming.
NDML workers check every weak
point and knot them if there is any
yarn breakage. As a result, their
quality of the yarn is fantastic
in the loom where good quality
yarn means smooth running of
the looms, greater efficiency and
better quality.
Well creeling and yarn break
controlling are maintained in
Sizing
To increase the strength of yarn
for the next weaving process,
NDML uses its Karl Mayer and
Tschudakoma sizing machines
which have a total capacity of
more than 2lac yards/day. The
employees ensure well creeling
and yarn break controlling to
create a better final beam.
They also ensure refraction,
viscosity, size Pickup, tension, etc.
parameters for each order and
provide the best possible sizing
which helps the warp yarns to
tolerate the tension in weaving.
The lucrative business of selling
re-coned indigo dyed yarn
In Nice Denim Mills Ltd., there
is a separate 40-ton capacity
arrangement for re-coning indigo
dyed yarn. There is a huge market
for such kind of yarn which is
used in knitting and sometimes
in weft yarn also. As rope dyeing
arrangement is a costly set-up
and NDML has a strong position
here, the buyers directly buy
such yarns from them rather
than manufacturing these yarns
themselves. As a result, NDML can
sell such dyed yarns which is a
lucrative side-business for them.
A strong touch of automation:
Beam stacker, Auto leasing and
Auto drawing
Nice Denim Mills Ltd. is perfectly
in line with the wave of the fourth
industrial revolution. They have
a computerized beam storage
system: Beam Stackers where
they can store 220 beams and
Figure 4: Indigo dyed yarn cone.
find any specific beam with the
push of a button, they have fully
automated Auto leasing and Auto
drawing machines which save a
lot of working hours and increase
efficiency. Most importantly they
are error-free and have given
NDML the room to take more
orders and offer greater quality.
Efficient weaving
With an arrangement of the huge
loom set up, NDML is meeting
6 million capacity /month. For
producing perfect beams in the
previous section, NDML gets a
competitive advantage in weaving.
Their weaving efficiency generally
reaches up to 92% per shift. They
also have an online monitoring
system of loom efficiency.
Figure 5: Neat and clean production floor with enough space.
Bangladesh Textile Today |
Industry Best Practice
Finishing with state-of-the-art
machines
NDML has all branded finishing
machines including mercerizing,
stenter, sanforizing, singeing
and Ozone finish machines. The
Ozone finish machine (Jeanologia,
Spain) has two Ozone generators
that generate Ozone from the
atmosphere in a sustainable way
and substantially reduce the
consumption of water, energy and
chemicals.
Thorough inspection
At the final stage, Inspection
takes place and if any problem
is found NDML employees take
the necessary steps to solve it.
Nice Denim Mills Ltd. has STT
Inspection machines which
can meet the daily production
capacity.
R&D Department- a collection of
energetic and youthful people
After asking the question- why
NDML’S R&D stands out from
others, Md. Ismail Hossain,
Manager, R&D at Nice Denim Mills
Ltd. said in one sentence “Team
spirit!”.
He said, “We have young,
energetic people, all below the age
of 35. We work as a team.”
He further added, “We give
feedback in the fastest possible
time. Moreover, our capacity,
production and delivery- all are
much more than others. Our
sample lead time is only 3-7 days.”
He informed that NDML’s R&D
department has two Turkish, one
Italian and one Pakistani employee
January 2021 65
Industry Best Practice
for technical support which makes
them more competitive. Moreover,
they have a subscription to WGSN
which enables them to be ahead
of time in trend analysis.
Ismail shared staggering
information that after COVID-19,
their order quantity and efficiency
have been drastically improved.
He explained, “This is because we
started scrutinizing ourselves and
focused on the accuracy. Rather
than sending too many options
and waiting for comments from
the buyers, we became more
focused and began to send only
one quality option. This made all
the difference.”
A well-equipped Laboratory
NDML has a laboratory for quality
assurance that is equipped with
the latest equipment needed to
meet buyers’ requirements. They
have Wrap Reel, Electric Twist
Tester, Board Winder (Electric),
Universal Strength Tester (Titan5),
Crock master, Gyro Wash,
Incubator, Mettler Toledo (pH
Meter), Orbital Shaker, Flexi Frame,
Elmartear Digital Tear Tester,
Shrinkage Scale with Template
35cm, Maxi-Martindale Abrasion
and Pilling Tester, Stiffness
Testers, Digital Weight Balance,
Perspirometer, Acrylic Palates,
Weight Piece (AATCC & ISO) and
a lot of other testing equipment
demanded by the buyers.
Sustainable good practices
Nice Denim Mills Ltd. has
established a world-class Biological
Effluent Treatment Plant having
a capacity of 3600 m3/ Day that
ensures environmentally compliant
effluent conforming to standards
set by the Bangladesh government.
They also have Aniline free, salt-
free, advance, cradle to cradle,
waterless and laser friendly dyeing
facilities to promote sustainability.
They also make organic products
and follow zero cotton concepts to
take part in ensuring the wellbeing
of people and the planet.
Compliance issues and other
managerial good practices
66 Bangladesh Textile Today |
Figure 6: Nur E Yasmin Fatima, DMD of
Nice Denim Mills Ltd.
In Nice Denim Mills Ltd., the
designated storage areas are
separated from each other to
allow for easy movement of
personnel and movement devices
like trolleys, forklifts, etc. The
movement areas are marked.
Moreover, the factory has separate
unobstructed and marked
emergency exits.
The factory also has a well-
managed rejected area where they
can store all the rejected goods
and can find them when needed.
It also has proper ventilation,
health and medical facilities, prayer
room, dining facilities, proper
parking area, training facilities, first
aid, machine, electrical and fire
safety, child care center, etc.
An effective ERP software is on
the trial-error phase and on the
way to full implementation in the
mill. The top management believes
that it will assist them to increase
efficiency, create managerial
transparency and keep them one
step ahead to achieve their goals.
Certification and awards
Nice Denim Mills Limited has
achieved different awards and
certifications like SEDEX, BSCI,
GOTS, OCS, OEKO-TEX, C-TPAT,
RCS, GRS, certificate of COVID-19
Management System by GIZ and
recognitions from a lot of other
recognized institutions. NDML
has also got the certificate of
achievement from LIDL and Baycity.
This denim mill got first place
January 2021
Figure 7: Abdullah Mohammad Saad,
Managing Director, Nice Denim Mills Ltd.
from 28 textile participants of the
Supplier Qualification Program.
Recently Saad group of industries
/Nice denim Mills ltd. achieved
USCTP (United states cotton Trust
Protocol) certification which is very
important because most of the USA
customers ask for this certification
before order confirmation.
“For superior quality and
commitment customers knows the
name Nice Denim Mills Ltd. From
the beginning, we only focused
on quality and that’s why we
installed all world-class machinery
and recruited experienced team
members. We are working for the
nation and we want to contribute
more in the future by our good
work,” said Nur E Yasmin Fatima,
DMD of Nice Denim Mills Ltd.
Overall, Nice Denim Mills Ltd.
stands out as one of the most
sustainable, eco-friendly denim
manufacturing mills in the world.
And undoubtedly, on their way to
achieving their goal of becoming
one of the top mills in the world.
Abdullah Mohammad Saad,
Managing Director, NDML
concluded, “We are already
catering a large volume of denim
fabric orders with high efficiency
and quality (weaving, dyeing &
finishing). Now we are sincerely
focusing on Spinning and Printing
production also. Our target is to
be a complete solution provider
as we are always concerned about
customer satisfaction and ensure
business sustainability.”
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Dyeing Updates
Commercialization process of
natural indigo dye in Bangladesh
Apurba Deb Roy
Indigo is a leguminous plant that
can add nodule in the soil for
nitrogen fixation. Indigo leaves
are dropping and adding as green
manure for the soil. Unfertile
soil becoming fertile because of
continuous indigo cultivation.
Spent leaves after extraction is a
good source of compost which
decomposes quickly and turned
into good organic matter. This
compost is very good for kharif-2
season when vegetables start to
cultivate in most of the areas in
Rangpur and Nilphamari districts.
Compost can also be preserved for
potato and other field crops.
Indigo shibori dying is a
fashionable and artistic design on
the textile is known to western
countries including Africa and
Asia. Indigo dyeing has very good
effects on Bangladeshi silk fabrics,
Comilla's khadi, hand oven and
hand span fabrics for developing
scarves, dress, shawl, home décor,
RMG’s yarn, and products and
hand-stitched quilts and other
fashionable product ranges.
Indigo comes from a plant species
indigofera tinctoria, which is also
known as ‘true indigo’, native to
the northwest of Bangladesh, the
famous indigo producing region of
Bengal. Nilphamari was renowned
Figure 2: Indigo dye collection from the Tank. Courtesy: Collected
68 Bangladesh Textile Today |
Figure 1: Leaf collection for indigo
extraction. Courtesy: Collected
for "nil farming" by the British and
Rangpur are the key areas where
this superior indigo is grown.
All the indigo used for dyeing
purposes in this textile collection
has been produced in Bangladesh
and is of the highest quality, with
the indigotin content of Indigo.
Traditionally this plant has been
cultivating by the farmers for
the last two decades in most of
the fellow and unfertile lands in
Rangpur and Nilphamari only for
the consumption of firewood/fuel.
It was quite a mystery to every
January 2021
farmer before indigo extraction
that this plant can be used as
making a famous natural indigo
dye color other than fuel.
However, in 2007 in Rangpur,
the author was then assigned
by CARE Bangladesh to work
on extraction which was turned
into a commercialization process
through Nijera Cottage and Village
Industries (PVT) limited, a social
enterprise-a project of CARE
Bangladesh funded by Shree
of DFID. It was a long journey
to entail research on indigo
extraction and production using
comprehensive technologies.
This action research has been
brought out a new mileage in
indigo extraction as commercial
production in Bangladesh so far.
The initiative of the indigo
commercialization process has
greater scope to create numerous
vocations and jobs creations
for plant cultivators, harvesters,
extraction manufacturers and
dyers as well as shibori and
khanta artisans in rural areas
especially in northwest districts
of Bangladesh. Each of these
activities can add value and the
actors are cross-connecting and
collaborating with each other’s’
specialties, thereby creating a
foundation for small and medium
enterprises.
This initiative has a greater role
to meet the government’s recent
priorities for regional economic
development as with a link to
SDGs goal and objectives.
The objectives for
commercialization of indigo
extraction and production are
a) Create sustainable agro-based
business opportunities through
manufacturing indigo dye and
indigo dyed products for textile in
 Dyeing Updates

local and international markets.

b) Develop an advanced
technology-based extraction
method that can derive natural
dye-indigo production from
indigofera tinctoria that is being
grown in Rangpur and Nilphamari
district.
c) Generate an innovative idea that
maximizes the optimum skills of
local people to address poverty,
unemployment and create a social
enterprise development using
natural resources.
d) Establish village industries
concept under a regional
Figure 3: Different grades of Indigo cakes. Courtesy: Collected
economic development approach.
In the Bangladesh market, indigo stole to the nature Bazar trade fair the world market. Right now
usages are very limited but in New Delhi in which they earned this enterprise has become a
increasing and only to some Local BDT 1.7 million. In recent years shareholding company of CARE
level organizations/companies Living blue has sold 1-ton indigo Bangladesh as Living Blue.
(such as Probortona, Aranya Dye to an international market.
However, most recently Super
craft, Arang, Kumudini and some Income from the large-scale indigo Enterprise Limited, a registered
others). All these organizations/ cultivation and harvesting for farm from Joint-stock company
companies are producing craft & commercial production in a social of Bangladesh government,
craft-based products for which enterprise can ensure monetary has already been started to
they have some sort of year-round benefits that go to savings, provide technical assistance to
demand for natural indigo dye insurance, medical expenses, old other interesting enterprises,
powder for their dyeing process. age pension, employment creation, organization, companies to setting
Indigo-dyed home décor and education, homestead repairs and up Indigo plant, dyeing facilities
fashion accessories are the new repaying debts, to ultimately exit on shibori, home décor and textile
product for Bangladeshi markets the cycle of poverty. design in East Africa and South
under SME of a new entrepreneur. East Asian countries. Very recently
NCVI- is one of the social
RMG buying house are also Super Enterprise has been started
enterprises is renowned for
interested to work on Indigo work with an international buyer
making indigo dye and dyed
dyeing materials, fabrics and yarn for indigo.
stuff produce in Bangladesh for
for their clients.
In International Markets; Indigo
dye is very famous in terms of
natural color and blue Jeans. Jeans
fabric’s cotton is very feasible for
indigo dye and a great demand
all over the world. Other than
Jeans, indigo-dyed products that
have bigger demand in high-end
markets especially in UK, USA,
France, Australia and Japan.
Hermes-France, Miwa Handprints
–Canada, Refushe-Kenya are also
the potential buyer of Bangladeshi
Indigo dyestuff and indigo dyed
products (produced in Living
Blue) since 2010. In 2008 & 2009,
NCVI has sold indigo-dyed silk and
Figure 4: Income from the large-scale indigo cultivation and harvesting for commercial
cotton scarves, kantha, shawl and
production in a social enterprise can ensure monetary benefits. Courtesy: Collected

Bangladesh Textile Today | January 2021 69

S u s t a i n a b l e Wa s h i n g

Sustainable solutions for stone

and acid wash in denim industry
MM Uddin

Denim is a popular fabric all over

the world. According to research,
at any one time, approximately 50
percent of the global population
is wearing a pair of jeans and
at least 3.9 billion pairs of jeans
are produced globally per year.
The overall denim jeans market
worldwide was valued at US$
69.50 billion in 2018.

However, the color of the jeans

is mostly light blue and vintage
in appearance, which is a great
problem for denim lovers.

Industrial wash and finish is one of

the primary stages in the denim
supply chain that has become
a key focus for denim brands to
reexamine their ecological impact.
It is well documented that during
the wash and finish process there
are traditionally vast amounts of
water and chemicals used to bring
a faded look.
Chemicals like chlorine, potassium
permanganate (PP) and sodium
hypochlorite are just a few of the
hazardous chemicals used at this stage.
Many casual garments are treated
by a washing process—like stone-
washing of denim jeans – to
give them a 'worn appearance'.
The blue denim is faded by the
abrasive action of pumice stones
in stone-washing.
Readymade vintage jeans have
been the standard since the late
60s when stone washing was first-
come, however, nowadays, stone-
washed looks are the go-to for
pretty much every style of jeans
out there.
While stone offered a readymade
vintage appearance, acid wash
championed an even bolder and
sharper contrast, which made it an
instant hit for punks, pop-stars and
Figure 1: Industrial wash and finish is one of the primary stages in the denim supply chain
that has become a key focus for denim brands to reexamine their ecological impact.
rebellious youth of the time.
In the past that in certain denim-
producing nations like China,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc., toxic
indigo sludge has entered rivers
and streams, creating destruction
to the local environment.
Potassium permanganate (PP) and
acid washes are acid-based.
So, they need to be properly
neutralized to bring jeans back to a
neutral PH otherwise the garments
will irritate consumers’ skin.
Also, bleach/chlorine/hypochlorite
kills the good bacteria in
freshwater streams.
Traditional stone wash requires
70+ liters of water simply to
eliminate sand residues, and to
achieve acid wash with light base
color it requires 2/3 baths. As the
bleaching agent needs rotation to
work successfully. The root of the
problem lies with brands who are
developing jeans to be retailed
below 50USD.
If brands want to drive sustainable
production, they need to consider
buying a product at the right price.
If the right price is missing then
sustainable jeans production will
be a dream, not a reality.
Saitex, a Vietnam-based cleanest
denim factory in the world,
98% of the water is recycled
with the other 2% loss due to
evaporation. The factory supplies
to big players such as J Crew,
Everlane, Madewell, G Star Raw
and Outerknown uses a filtration
unit which ensures all the
contaminated water is recycled
and cleaned before it is funneled
back into the space age laundry.
It utilizes vertical washers, ozone
technology and lasers to finish
jeans, which is sustainable as well
as profitable.
Big player Levi’s introduced FLX
technology in 2017 and already
they are seeing the return on
investments from the technology.
The computer-driven laser
technology uses nothing but
energy to replicate localized wear
patterns without water, chemicals,
or stones.

70 Bangladesh Textile Today | January 2021

S u s t a i n a b l e Wa s h i n g Brands Collaboration

The company aimed to roll out the

program across the brand's entire
denim range and go completely
chemical-free by 2020.
There are some other alternatives
to achieve that stonewash look
for Boyish’s jeans-a sustainable
women's denim line focused on
quality, fit, and authentic washes. Fux
stone made from clay or polymers,
e-flow and nano enzyme bubble
technology as just some of the
innovations available in the market.
Of them, E-Flow and nano enzyme
bubble technology are a form
of ozone technology, which
harnesses the natural bleaching
capabilities of ozone gas to
give a range of overall bleach
effects with substantially reduced
environmental impact.
A leading international company
has been developing responsible
Reality At least 3.9 bn pairs of jeans are produced globally per
year, most of these are produced unsustainably
Root of problem lies with brands who are developing
jeans to be retailed below $50
To drive sustainable production, whole supply chain
Solution
needs to consider buying products at right price
Adopt technology that ensures sustainable wash in denim
production
Figure 2: Current root reality and solution to establish a sustainable wash in
denim production.
bulk production stonewash manufacturing process. However,
finishes by using simple spraying what needs to make sure
technology and enzyme on 2.3 sustainable washing is brands have
used fabrics. The trick is to fill the to get into the topic and better
machine with less water so that educate themselves.
the weight of the wet garments
Brands need to extend their hands
themselves create abrasion against
to increase cooperation with
each other while spinning in the
chemical companies and laundries
machine. The wash is also known
to increase innovation to ensure a
as ‘bubble wash’.
sustainable denim wash process.
In conclusion, there are so many And brands working with factories
ways to ensure sustainable in developing countries need to
wash during the denim/jeans take responsibility.

H&M joins Lee for a sustainable

denim capsule collection
Stella Martinez

Swedish fashion apparel giant H&M
has exposed another partnership
with denim heritage label Lee.
The two household names have
teamed up for a sustainable
denim collection that includes
womenswear, menswear as well as
kidswear, and will be releasing at
the end of the month.
The capsule collection marks
H&M’s first 100% recycled cotton
jeans, and echos the Swedish
label’s push for sustainability and
innovation. The retailer will also
share the Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA) data on its website, which
indicates the water, CO2 and
energy impact of each denim
garment from raw materials
through the end of use.
“The Lee and H&M collaboration
clearly shows our efforts in
making fashion sustainable and
transparent. From the use of
materials to water saving methods,
we are pushing the boundaries and
opening our doors for how you
can design and produce denim
garments. And we will also for the
first time will share data indicating
the water, C02 and energy impact
of each denim garment during the
production process,” said Pascal
Brun, H&M’s Global Sustainability
Manager about the collaboration.
The Lee and H&M collection will
be available online and in store
starting February 4.
To integrate women’s collection
with Lee’s heritage denim designs
for the H&M audience, the range
has taken inspiration from archives,
and authenticity is at the heart
of the Lee and H&M collection.
Integrating knowledge and
passion when it comes to driving
positive change in the apparel
industry through commitment to
sustainability that this partnership
will explore the best possible ways
to achieve their shared vision.
In producing circular denim
garments, Lee and H&M took a
holistic approach, looking at every
stage of denim production starting
with the fabric – including H&M’s first
100% recycled cotton jeans, made
from 80% post-industrial waste and
20% post-consumer waste.
For both brands innovation is
in our DNA, so we have relished
the opportunity to bring these
products to a new audience.

72 Bangladesh Textile Today | January 2021

 Recycled Denim

Denim market to grow

globally with growing
demand for recycled
and new materials
SN Abdullah

One of the trendiest and popular

fashion items, denim market will
register a growth rate of 6.20%
for the forecast period of 2020
to 2027, according to a report by
databridgemarketresearch. Fueled
by the globally growing demand
for recycled denims which are
manufactured using plastics and
other materials is likely to create
new opportunity for the denim
market.

While another analysis by

psmarketresearch.com, the global
denim market valued at US$56.1
billion in 2017 and projected to
witness 5.8% CAGR by 2023.
While it says Asia-Pacific (APAC)
is anticipated to witness the
fastest growth in the market,
during the forecast period. This
can be credited to the rising
disposable income of the people,
easy availability of raw materials,
and increasing govt. initiatives
for manufacturing of products
in the countries such as China,
Bangladesh, Vietnam, and India.
Forces governing the denim
market
The fluctuating disposition of
consumers toward distressed,
cropped, and patched jeans is a
key trend in the market.
People across the globe are
more and more focusing on
trending jeans, including those
with cropped hems, as well as
boyfriend jeans, two-tone jeans,
Figure: Denim market growth will be fueled by the globally growing demand for recycled
denims.
and skinny jeans.
These styles are gaining huge
drive among consumers, especially
the younger population, owing to
their casual look and promotions
through media. Additionally,
decorative denims with details
such as patches, laces, and
embroidery are also being rapidly
sold in the denim market.
Proper disposal of used clothes
and plastics is becoming a
major concern for global
environmentalists. The use of large
quantities of hazardous chemicals
and high emissions of greenhouse
gases during the production
of denim have been creating a
negative impact on the climate.
Owing to this, denim
manufacturers are now
concentrating on effectively
controlling the consumption
of chemicals, to reduce the
degrading environmental effects,
by adopting sustainable practices,
which is raising the demand for
denim recycling across the globe.
The concept of sustainable denim
clothing is not only gaining
popularity in developed nations,
such as the U.S. and Germany,
but also in developing countries,
including China and India. Hence,
the growing production of denim
from plastic and other recyclable
materials is a major opportunity
for the denim market players.
Denim market segmentation
analysis
The online distribution channel is
expected to register the fastest

Bangladesh Textile Today | January 2021 73

Recycled Denim Brands Acquisition

growth in the denim market during
the forecast period. This can be
attributed to the rapidly growing
e-commerce industry around the
globe, with the populace inclining
toward online shopping.
Additionally, customers now want
convenient on-demand shopping,
via a platform that lets them
choose from a variety of products.
Owing to this, the online market
for denim clothing is expected to
witness robust growth, globally, in
the coming years.
Men held the largest share in the
market in 2017, due to their high
demand for rugged-material and
casual clothing.
Geographical Analysis of the
Denim Market
Globally, North America was the
largest market for denim, in terms
of revenue, during the historical
period (2013–2017). The growing
demand for superior-quality
clothing, rising disposable income,
and increasing promotion of
denimwear by celebrities are the
key factors driving the growth of
the market in the region.
However, the denim market in
APAC is projected to witness the
highest CAGR during the forecast
period, owing to the improving
manufacturing process, swift
urbanization, bettering standard
of living, increasing disposable
income, and expanding working-
class population.
Recent strategic developments of
major denim market players
The denim market is fragmented
in nature. The key players
operating in the market include
Levi Strauss & Co., The Gap Inc.,
Major denim markets growth
by 2023 (CAGR)
(In $bn)
20
16.1
15
10
5 2.7
0
USA Germany
VF Corporation, H & M Hennes &
Mauritz AB, PVH Corp., Kering,
Pepe Jeans, S.L., Bestseller A/S,
and U.S. Polo Assn.
In recent years, the major players
in the global denim market have
taken several strategic measures,
such as product launches, mergers
& acquisitions, partnerships, and
facility expansions, to strengthen
their position in the industry.

Artistic Milliners acquired LA denim factory to make a

state-of-the-art denim design and production hub
Hima Khar

Pakistani textile company Artistic ranges from large international

Milliners has acquired LA denim
factory in Commerce, California,
with plans to invest in the facility
to make it into a state-of-the-art
denim design and production
hub based on Supply Chain
4.0 principles and 360 design
development solutions.
The new factory acquirement rises
Artistic Milliners’ global footprint
and fast-tracks the company’s
speed-to-market capabilities
while providing design-at-source
at a time when global businesses
have cut travel amid the Covid-19
pandemic.
Artistic Milliners is the first
Pakistani denim company, with an
operational factory in Los Angeles,
it is raising the profile of Pakistan
as a sourcing destination.
The company said in a statement,
with the new name Star Fades
International (SFI), the business
endures providing finishing
services to a customer roster that
retailers to specialty premiums.
Murtaza Ahmed, Founder SFI
and Executive Director Artistic
Milliners said, “The acquisition
gives us a strategic foothold in the
USA, in a region with noteworthy
geographic and demographic
advantages.”
California has historically been
a vital cornerstone for the
international denim industry. It is
estimated that in 2021, there will
be a noteworthy rise in demand Figure: Artistic Milliners has acquired LA
denim factory in Commerce, California,
from international retailers and
with plans to invest in the facility to make
brands for near-shoring capacity, it into a state-of-the-art denim design and
production hub. Courtesy: Collected
digital design services, and
sustainable solutions.
become one of the topmost denim
“Our investment in this factor manufacturers in the world.
gives us a launch platform in the
Ranking third on the top 10 list
USA to meet the demand as we
of Pakistani textile exporters in
build the factory for the future,”
the year 2017-2018, AM employs
added Murtaza.
19,860 people in 17 factories and
Artistic Milliners has developed mills in Korangi Karachi and other
from a small retail store, industrial areas, with a total annual
established in Pakistan in 1949, to turnover of $256 million.

74 Bangladesh Textile Today | January 2021


Figure 1: Textile Today Associates, KRB International joins the journey of ‘Innovation Hub.’
Optima Kimya joins Textile
Today in the road of innovation
Staff Correspondent
Optima Kimya has teamed up to
innovate in the textile and garment
industry by becoming one of the
‘Textile Today Associates’ like
Chromotex Auxi-Chem, Fatullah
Dyeing & Calendering Mills Ltd.
and RAAS Biotech Sdn. Bhd.
Habib Monzur Hasan, Director of
KRB international sole agent of
Optima Kimya and Tareq Amin,
Founder & CEO, Textile Today
signed an agreement on 7th
January 2021 at KRB International
Office premise at House 279 (level
3), Road 3, Avenue 1, DOHS Mirpur,
Dhaka - 1216.
Optima Kimya is a leader in
specialized support that provides
a large portfolio of chemicals with
a large number of applications
and over 20 years of technical
knowledge. The company is
working in the textile field of yarn
dyeing, woven dyeing, knit dyeing
and washing.
Optima Kimya improves its
manufactures consistently in
its high-tech R&D laboratories
providing full support to human
health, environmental protection
and occupational safety.
The conventional Textile
industries are one of the major
industries in the world which
causes environmental pollution
(20 percent of the world's
wastewater). Now, this is high
time for the Bangladesh textile
and garment industry to go for
sustainable, economical, efficient
and safe chemicals. Optima
Kimya has come up to solve this
problem through proper research
and innovation. Kimya’s success
is based on responsible, seamless
communication strategies with
customers and employees, and the
judicious use of resources around
the world.
Textile Today is an effective and
efficient ‘Innovation Hub’ that
regularly supports and assists
innovates, and improves factory
suppliers, product suppliers,
professionals etc.
New developments in the textile
Bangladesh Textile Today |
Innovation Steering
and garment industries are
essential. However additional
development for a single
product wastes an exceptional
amount of time and resources.
Also, these lab exercises are
surprisingly expensive. Many
clothing brands struggle with
overdevelopment, wasting time
and effort. For brands to transition
from this, color is an important
Multifunction wetting agent
Rapid wetting agent
Wetting, deaerating agent
Oil based anticreasing agent
Sequestering & iron chelating agent
Mercerizing agent
Reduction cleaning agent
Figure 2: Some major products of Kimya.
January 2021 75
Innovation Steering
consideration, explains Dustin
Boersox, DataColor’s textile and
apparel market manager. Here,
Optima Kimya continues its
activities such as manufacture,
R&D and quality control
laboratories research and storing
in the Corlu plant. Optima Kimya
presents innovative solutions for
the problems faced in the textile
Calik Denim Team up with Good American to
create jeans that ‘always fit’
Hima Khar
Prevalent American brand,
Good American, launched a new
sustainable collection of Turkish
mill Calik Denim.
Calik Denim and Good American
kicked off a collaboration: Always
Fits. The Good American collection
carries the legacy of “perfect fit”
with the most sustainable fabrics,
provided by Calik Denim.
Good American is working
towards a more sustainable long-
term future in reducing its impact
without sacrificing its superior fit
and stretch. This includes using
ethically produced fabrications in
its denim, eco-friendly packaging,
and environmentally safe washes.
The company aims to procure 90
percent of its denim fabrics made
from sustainable components by
the end of 2021. Similarly, Calik
Denim, with its Passion for Life,
Passion for Denim sustainability
strategy, focuses on the purpose
of making a positive impact for a
better life.
Calik Denim is encouraged
by its passion to become the
leading denim brand that
triggers the sustainability-driven
transformation in the industry.
Collaboration between these
two companies on making the
sustainably made, perfect fitting
denim will make a great example
to the industry by showing how
valuable partnerships are. The
collection itself will have a lower
environmental footprint and will
76 Bangladesh Textile Today |
sector for customer needs with its
expert staff. The core philosophy
of “Optimum Chemistry” is the
principle that had been defining
us and that guides our success
worldwide, dedicated to optimum
in every part of our lives.
Textile Today Innovation Hub
is ready to offer all possible
Figure: Good American, launched a new sustainable collection of Turkish mill Calik Denim.
meet the expectations of the
responsible and conscious denim
customer.
Innovation meets sustainability
With Selfsized, Calik Denim aims
to minimize the risk of buying
the wrong size jeans through
e-commerce channels, which was
launched in the SS ’20 season.
The Selfsized concept amazed
people with its unique feature that
one single size jean can fit a wide
range of different sized wearers
perfectly due to its ultra-high
elasticity and cotton for maximum
comfort and softness.
Selfsized fabrics are produced
using Denethic, which is developed
with a sustainable approach for
the whole supply chain of denim
garment manufacturing. Denethic
technology offers rinse washed,
rinse+enzyme washed as well as
bleached-look fabrics. Since the
fabrics are produced at the mill
January 2021
Brands Collaboration
assistance to Optima Kimya. Being
a part of this 'Innovation Hub'
Textile Today Associates will help
the platform to work effectively
and enable associates to place
their knowledge, communication,
and networking leverage on the
market as an innovation-driven
business.
with a look of washing effects,
customers who wish to get clean
look garments can use these
fabrics even as cut and sew.
For the rinse look, rinse+enzyme
look and bleached-look fabrics;
water-saving amounts are 44
percent, 15 percent and 32 percent,
respectively.
Furthermore, fabrics used in
partnership between Good
American x Calik Denim have
been specially developed. While
it is almost impossible to achieve
such high saving values in fabrics
with high elasticity; this has been
possible thanks to the technology
specially developed for this project
by Calik Denim.
The Always Fits collection,
launched in cooperation with Calik
Denim and Good American, can be
purchased at www.goodamerican.
com and is coming soon to retail
locations across the U.S.