GLOBAL DENIM AWARDS MADE POSSIBLE BY e3 ANNOUNCES
DESIGNERS / MILLS / JURY
AMSTERDAM (Oct. 20, 2014) When it debuts on October 29, the Global
Denim Awards 2014 will be the first-of-its-kind runway show/competition
that spotlights the latest / greatest innovations by the world’s top denim
mills as imagined by six emerging designers. The result is an
unprecedented collaboration between talent and industry that creates a
directional platform for the future of denim design, innovation,
sustainability and craftsmanship.
Sponsored and made possible by e3, the Global Denim Awards will take
place at Denim City - Amsterdam’s brand new denim innovation campus.
A truly collaborative developed by HTNK Fashion Recruitment &
Consultancy, House of Denim and the Kingpins show, the six selected
designers were each paired with a progressive mill and given the
opportunity to visit their designated mill to develop an in-depth
understanding of fiber, fabric, wash and denim development. Armed with
these new skills as well their mill’s best fabrications, each designer has
developed a 5-look collection which will be judged on the merits of the
design and the innovative nature of the denim fabrications.
The Mills + Designers:
Bossa (Turkey) + Gizzem Turan (Istanbul)
Bossa has 63 years of experience in the textile industry and offers a wide
range of high-quality denim and non-denim formal and smartwear
fabrics, with an annual total production capacity of 84,5 million meters in
spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing.
Designer Gizzem Turan will showcase Bossa’s denim textiles in her
presentation. Born in Turkey, Turan received her training at Istanbul
Technical University and Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. After
graduating in 2013, Turan cut her teeth while working for several brands in
New York, including Rag & Bone, Marchesa and Bergdorf Goodman. Now
back in Istanbul, Turan is designing and teaching sewing at the Istanbul
Technical University.
Candiani Denim (Italy) + Stefano Ughetti (Milan)
The 75-year-old, vertically-integrated Candiani Denim mill is Europe’s
largest denim mill – but it prides itself in being what it calls the world’s most
sustainable denim mill. Candiani innovates constantly developing and
patenting new technologies, which allows the mill to improve its products
and increase its sustainability. Very often, Candiani’s new technologies
have been adopted by the rest of the denim industry.
Designer Stefano Ughetti has been active in the Italian fashion industry
since 2005, when he started at an interior design company before
transitioning to fashion design. Ughetti launched CAMO, his own brand, in
2007 and work has been showcased in Italy, France and China.
ITV Denim (Italy) + Jonathan Christopher (Rotterdam)
A 42-year-old vertical denim mill, ITV Denim currently produces 16 million
square meters of denim fabric and similar items ranging from 5 to 14,5 oz.
weight. With a focus on new technologies and techniques in spinning,
dyeing, weaving and finishing, ITV has invested in modern systems while
maintaining its rich heritage of high quality and stellar service.
Designer Jonathan Christopher is a recognized young designer and stylist,
with notable awards and clients to his name. Since earning his bachelor
degree he received an MA fashion design at ArtEZ Masters in Arnhem and
had his work showcased in Brussels, Hong Kong, Amsterdam Fashion week
and Germany. Currently, Christopher designs his own collection and
freelances for clients such as Karl Lagerfeld.
Orta Anadolu (Turkey) + Bhavesh Samji (London)
Established in 1953 as a spinning and weaving company, Turkey-based
Orta Anadolu shifted to denim production in 1985. Since then, Orta has
established two denim mills in Turkey and Bahrain as developed a global
presence with its offices and showrooms in New York, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Amsterdam, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Bangladesh,
Tunisia, Hong Kong, Colombia, Japan, Australia and Istanbul. In 2009, Orta
used 3% of organic cotton in all of its production without quoting an extra
cost. Currently, Orta uses 5% better cotton in all its production.
Bhavesh Samji is a UK designer and graduate from London College of
Fashion. He is influenced by craftsmanship, functionality and simplicity. His
philosophy is to evoke a disciplined sense of style through from to create
timeless yet contemporary garments. Workmanship has become an
integral principle of his design process, in which he would like to merge
sustainability with durability, emphasising the authenticity of natural
materials.
Prosperity Textile (China) + Anneloes van Osselaer (Beijing)
Founded in 1995, Prosperity Textile (H.K.) LTD. is a fast-growing international
textile company, providing R&D, design and manufacturing services to
global garment clients. Prosperity specializes in the manufacture of denim
fabrics, with a state-of-the-art production plant located in Shaoguan,
China, and the marketing centers in Guangzhou and Hong Kong. The
company’s annual capacity is over 50 million yards, and with 19 offices in
countries around the world, Prosperity provides global production
capabilities supported by local customer service.
Designer Anneloes van Osselaer was born in The Netherlands and studied
fashion in both Milan and Berlin, after which she graduated Cum Laude
with a BA in Fashion Design from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute in 2008.
Her work experience includes design stints at brands such as Amsterdam’s
G-Star RAW and ONLY, the Danish womenswear brand she has been
working for while based in Beijing.
Tejidos Royo (Spain) + Fernanda Fernandes ( Brazil/Amsterdam)
A Spanish textile company founded in 1903, Tejidos Royo has grown to
encompass the entire production cycle, from cotton to ready-made
fabric, thanks to its yarn, weaving and finishing divisions. To maintain its
position on the cutting-edge of denim, Royo maintains Color and Laundry
Research and Development divisions to investigate new ways to finish and
dye fabrics as well as innovative washings + dyes and bio-enzimatic
washings to be more sustainable each new season.
Amsterdam-based Brazilian designer Fernanda Fernandes is a recent
graduate of the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, but comes from a family of
artisans and craftsmen. Prior to pursuing her fashion education abroad,
Fernandes worked in a jean factory. During her training Fernandes
participated in a 6-month internship at Hussein Chalayan in London. In her
own work Fernandes relies on a blend of old-world tailoring techniques
and new-world innovation.
The Jury:
Adriano Goldschmied – The godfather of premium denim, founder of
Diesel, Replay, Gap 1969, Adriano Goldschmied AG, and Goldsign.
Rene Strolenberg – Co-founder of Tenue de Nîmes
Norma Quinto – Producer, Fashion Journalist, Managing Director of luxury
brand fashion consultancy QuintoEmilio
Jason Denham – Founder, Denham the Jeanmaker
The winning designer will be awarded €10,000 and have his/her winning
designs displayed at the Kingpins shows in Amsterdam, New York, Los
Angeles, Hong Kong and at the Amsterdam Denim Days 2015.
Global Denim Awards will be preceded by Kingpins’ After Party event and
the Denim City pre-opening.
Doors open at 18:30 for open bar & tasty treats; the Global Denim Awards
show is to begin at 21:30, followed by our after-party.
Stay Updated:
facebook.com/GlobalDenimAwards
instagram.com/GlobalDenimAwards
twitter.com/DenimAwards
************
About Kingpins
The Kingpins Show is an invitation-only, boutique denim sourcing show featuring a highlyedited selection of vendors that include denim and sportswear fabric mills from the US,
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, Hong Kong and Amsterdam and an annual show in Los Angeles.
kingpinsshow.com
About e3
e3 is a transparent, environmentally responsible, economically viable and socially
equitable program that provides stringent guidelines for farmers in the United States who
grow Certified FiberMax® or authentic Stoneville® cotton. e3 takes to the next level the
Certified FiberMax and authentic Stoneville programmes, which allow buyers to identify
where their cotton was grown utilizing a certification database maintained exclusively by
Bayer CropScience.
e3cotton.us
About House of Denim
The Amsterdam-based House of Denim Foundation is a platform for craftsmanship,
sustainability and innovation in the denim industry. Through the development of
education, innovation, enterprise and networking projects, it strives to make the world of
jeans dryer, cleaner and smarter.
houseofdenim.org
About HTNK
Known for its in-depth denim expertise, Amsterdam-based HTNK is a progressive
recruitment & consultancy firm. HTNK’s core values centre on creating business by
collaboration and quality match making. HTNK was founded by Mariette Hoitink in 1997.
htnk.nl
About Denim City
Denim City is Amsterdam's denim innovation campus of the future. It's currently being
realized in a redeveloped old tram depot and is set to debut in late 2014. Denim City is
the home of House of Denim.
houseofdenim.org