Product Forecast

Denim Fabric, Wash &

Finish Forecast A/W 22/23:
Supercharged Simplicity
Supercharged Simplicity takes a sustainable approach to
core denim design, where regenerative fibres, durable
fabrics and everyday comfort create essentials with long-
lasting appeal

Sam Trotman
02.09.21 · 11 minutes

Fear of God
Introduction
Supercharged Simplicity champions democratic design, with intelligent,
durable and life-enhancing products made for all. Comfort and quality
go hand in hand here, and core items become covetable new classics.
As the home continues to transition to a hub for work, wellness and play,
consumers will be taking a more curated approach to the products they
surround themselves with. Everything from fashion and food to beauty
and interiors will be appraised for how it can fit together and add value
within a more fluid, interconnected lifestyle.
Modular, multifunctional and made-on-demand products will offer
versatility and adaptability, and the joy and ingenuity of DIY design hacks
will also be celebrated – itʼs all about making smarter rather than more,
whether through sophisticated design systems or simple repurposing.
Colour and material will have a stronger purpose too, as designers
harness them to create continuity across seasons and collections.
At its heart, this optimistic direction is all about well-designed basics that
bring personality and pleasure to the everyday. It celebrates the warmth,
quirkiness and reassurance of designs that will be loved for the long-
term, and the lightness that comes from letting go and living with less.
Rivet Mag

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Action points
Promote circularity via
recycled bres and
creative customisation
Cater to thri y and eco-conscious
consumers with #zerowaste
design. The pandemic has
inspired a new wave of cra ers
and supercharged the DIY
economy. Prioritise repurposed
materials and form creative
collaborations to open sourcing
channels for deadstock. Use
upcycling as a new design code,
using customisation to create
newness
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Prioritise well-designed,
good-quality textiles that
boost durability and value
The pandemic has given
consumers time to reassess their
wardrobes, shi ing habits towards
highly considered purchases.
Develop core denim essentials to
appeal to value-driven customers.
Phase out blends that cannot be
recycled at end-of-life, favouring
recycled cotton, synthetics and
regenerative cellulose fibres
Design for the indoors,
with comfort in mind
Consumers are staying at home
now more than ever, and they will
be seeking comfortable clothing to
fit this new lifestyle. Offer denims
with a so er touch and limitless
movement, allowing wearers to be
truly relaxed at home. Invest in
quality stretch fabrics with a
strong recovery to maintain shape
and mitigate the need to discard
jeans that no longer fit
Bank on timeless classics
and vintage looks with a
modern twist
Evolve core denim with new
engineered weaves and stretch
fabrics that have the look and feel
of vintage denim, but come
infused with extra comfort and
invisible stretch. The emergence of
self-sized denim also presents
brands with the opportunity to
better manage sizing and
inventory issues by offering jeans
that fit across multiple sizes
Compatible core
The concept: Core vintage-look denims
are engineered with closed-loop
cellulosic fibres for so comfort.
Fibre and yarn: Focus on natural
traceable fibres such as GOTS-certified Realteks
cotton, responsible cellulosics, Refibra
by Tencel, and recycled polyester such as
CiClo or Repreve with a so handle.
Composition: Offer comfort stretch by @simply.cie @bottegaveneta

using special yarn and constructions to

emulate 3D marble looks found in
traditionally rigid fabrics with high
shrinkage. Orta's new Marble X and ISKO

Memoria ranges offer a throwback

vintage look with a so er handle in
recycled cotton and Refibra by Tencel.
ISKO's Euphoria offers authentic vintage-
look fabrics that can be worn at home or
on the move. Cone's Estuary comfort
stretch fabrics use Tencel to create clean
twills, while Elona features spun post- @levis Fear of God Black Peony
consumer recycled cotton to create a
retro marble character, finished with the
company's new Flash Finish.

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Sensorial lightweights
The concept: Home-centric denims will
take on super lightweight and sleek
forms for offline wear.
Fibre and yarn: Opt for GOTS-certified
organic or GRS recycled cotton, and Bossa
recycled synthetics such as Repreve,
Newlife and Circulose. Hemp and
bamboo offer cooling, antibacterial and
antioxidant properties. H&M Tibi

Composition: Denim mills are starting

to develop entirely cotton-free qualities.
Cellulosic fibres such as lyocell Tencel
are key here, along with natural fibres Calik Denim

such as kapok and RWS responsibly

farmed wools. Advance Denim promotes
its no-cotton, lyocell-rich collection as a
compatible fabric offering super-so
stretch denim resembling a vintage jean.
Last year H&M introduced its denim
collection that uses Circulose – a natural
material made by recovering cotton from Advance Denim @apc_paris Advance Denim
worn-out clothes.

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Stay-home style
The concept: Consumers are tuned in to
denims that allow for maximum comfort,
with lounge-inspired fabrics that are
substantial enough to also wear outside.
Fibre and yarn: Develop so denim in Advance Denim
quality natural materials to avoid micro-
fibre shedding. GOTS and BCI cottons
are key, while Tencel Refibra lyocell adds
peached so ness and drape. Explore ISKO AG Jeans
thermoregulating Coolmax technology to
improve comfort.
Composition: Suppleness and lightness
are key for fabrics that slip through AG Jeans

fingers, or that have a fullness and

malleable quality, as well as for plump
constructions offering flexibility for
#stayhomestyle. Bossa's Sweet Home,
ISKO's Comfy and Orta's Cashmere speak
to the demand for at-home fashion,
featuring Tencel-blended denim and
power stretch with degradable elastane. Orta Anadolu Closed ISKO
AG Jeans has reacted to the trend with its
form-fitting Seamless technology, which
was inspired by the demand for more
styles that can be worn around the
house.

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Limitless stretch
The concept: Power-stretch denim
evolves from body-shaping
technologies to new stretchability,
promising to solve sizing issues.
Fibre and yarn: Responsible GOTS- Orta Anadolu
certified and BCI cottons are blended
with performance stretch such as Lycra
Freefit, EcoMade and Lycra T400
EcoMade. ISKO Good American

Composition: Self-sized denim is

emerging across Europe and the US ,with
a 'one size fits all approach in 100%
stretch. Calik partnered with Good Orta Anadolu

American to create Always Fits denim, a

skinny-fit, high-rise jean covering a 3 to 4
size range, between 00 to 32+ in Calik's
Selfsized stretch and Denethic
technology (a wash process that cuts
water use by 15 to 44%). J Brandʼs new
Limitless jeans and Frame's Le One
expand to twice their size and retract Black Peony Isabel Marant Imatex
without sagging. Panther Denim also has
a collection, called Everybody Stretch,
featuring 70-100% stretch, helping
brands minimise size categories and
reduce the rate of online apparel returns
because of fit.

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Elevated marls
The concept: The reverse-engineering
of garments back into fibres to be
remade will drive upcycled aesthetics,
turning waste into fabric made for
circularity.
Arvind
Fibre and yarn: Work subtle fleck
imperfections into natural yarns for
marled and nepped-look denims.
Circular cellulosic innovations such as @craftscotland Louis Vuitton
NuCycl's Evrnu and Re:newcell's
Circulose fibre will gain traction, as will
Lenzing's Refibra.
Construction: Create authentic fabrics Atlantic Mills

in mixed-yarn compositions. For clean

contemporary looks, opt for grey and
ecru hues to create grainy monochrome
texture, and indigo grounds are best
matched with colour flecks. Orta's
Freecycle recycling uses post-consumer
cotton, while Artistic Fabric Millsʼ
Undone collection uses fabrics made Ecological Textiles Agolde Arvind
with zero virgin cotton and zero dyeing.
The fabricʼs blueish-grey shade comes
from the colour of its recycled contents.

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Re-smart classics
The concept: The rise of re-commerce
platforms and archive markets, together
with growing interest in tailoring and
#smartenup design trends, inspires new
sartorial patterns for denim.
Kassim Denim
Fibre and yarn: Focus on certified
GOTS, BCI and recycled cotton, and mix
in ad-hoc pre-loved textiles to reuse
waste. Nihonmenpu Textile Inc. Louis Vuitton

Composition: Emulate the look of

traditional suiting and outerwear
patterns by reframing them with an
experimental #reworkedclassic Coach 1941

approach. Update grid and gingham,

twills and dogtooth weaves with bright
tonal indigo palettes, as seen at Virgil
Abloh for Louis Vuitton menswear. Use
jacquards as a premium alternative to
all-over prints for all-over monogram
logos, as seen at Coach 1941.
Imatex Miu Miu Nihonmenpu Textile Inc.

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Responsible retro
The concept: Prioritise a conscious
approach to core qualities by opting into
recycling programmes, lower-impact
dyestuffs and eco finishes.
Fibre and yarn: Use certified GOTS Odak Tekstil
cotton alongside post- and pre-
consumer recycled cotton.
Construction: Maintain an authentic
look for denim with defined twills and Orta Anadolu @weekdayof cial

open-end yarns, resulting in an original

vintage appearance. New innovations by
Cone and AGI offer 1980s old-school
salt-and-pepper character in recycled ISKO

and organic cotton. Backed by its R-TWO

recycling program, SKO's new Denim
Lovers collection takes inspiration from
Japanese indigo and vintage jeans.
Weekday introduced a range of
biodegradable jeans, while H&M teamed
up with Lee for a collaboration made of
both post-consumer recycled cotton and @apc_paris H&M Kipas Casual
organic cotton. Invest in water-saving
dyeing and low-impact denim washes.

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Neutrals
The concept: Neutral colour offers a
sense of serenity, as called out in our
post-Covid Restorative Colour report.
Moreover, natural dyestuffs provide an
earthier alternative to bright whites.
COS
Fibre and yarn: Opt for responsibly
sourced organic GOTS, Fair Trade, BCI
and recycled cottons, and natural
vegetal flax, linen and hemp bast fibres. COS COS

Wash and finish: Tap into the

# twomilewear trend and growing
interest in #neutrals and #beigeonbeige
by offering a range of refined earthy Our Legacy

tones. COS looks to clay-dyed denim

from Orta's Halys collection, which
sources clay from the heart of Anatolia,
where Orta's factory is based. Our Legacy
looks to linen blends using natural
brown hues and textures as a way to
capture a rustic look.
Olderbrother David Catalan Foshan Seazon Textile and Garment Co.

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Modular construction
The concept: Zero-waste and closed-
loop solutions are creating a new denim
style that gives reclaimed denim a more
refined, elevated edge.
Fibre and yarn: Pair classic denim with Our Legacy
coloured deadstock fabrics to create
statement patterns, and use pre- and
post-consumer textile-to-textile recycled
yarns such as Infinited Fiber. @kseniaschnaider MM6 Maison Margiela

Construction: Give chambray and

denim flexibility via woven-in stretch.
Evolve a sporty, colour-blocked look via
patched-in deadstock fabric detailing, Matthias Heiderich

such as the reworked collections by Our

Legacy Workshop or Acne Studios.
Impeccable piecing and patching and
colour-blocking leaves creative space for
personalisation and customisation, as
seen as Sacai. Take a technical approach
by creating intricate patterns, as seen at
Ksenia Schnaider. Integrate design Eleanor Welch Sacai jaywalking.in
elements by devising jacquard designs
that emulate top-stitching and pocket
details, and make contrast selvedge a
feature.

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Joyful expression
The concept: Idle time in isolation is
breeding a new cohort of
#consideredcra hobbyists. Joyful
expression will dictate denim designs
tweaked with artistic and DIY-inspired
Whiston & Wright
detailing.
Fibre and yarn: Use this opportunity to
incorporate deadstock and end-of-roll
fabrics. @julietjohnstone Collina Strada

Wash and finish: The mood for co-

cra ing will define designs with a
repurposed and individual spin. Straddle
the line between newness and heritage Levi's x Tony Tafuro + Kevin Emerson

with hand-rendered details on hero

denim. Placement embroideries, hand-
painted shapes and overdye techniques
are all relevant here. Juliet Johnstone
and Collina Strada tap into the trend for
#artinfashion with considered hand-
painted prints. Levi's collaborated with
artists Tony Tafuro and Kevin Emerson Dr Collectors The Elder Statesman Whiston & Wright
for a series of hand-drawn jackets on
Levi's deadstock white denims.

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WGSN macro forecast 2023
The timeline for WGSN's suite of 2023 trend reports, moving from business
strategy to consumer and product strategy

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The trend matrix
Connecting the dots between the seven Future Drivers, 12 Future
Innovations and ve Big Ideas that will shape the world in 2023

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