Key Trends at Blue: Selvage, Organic, Raw
NEW YORK—Blue’s upscale denim exhibitors and a boutique- style venue drew a discerning crowd of buyers to the show, produced by ENK International and held July 23–25 at Pier 92 in midtown Manhattan.
Blue is the brainchild of the producers of Fashion Coterie, The Collective and Accessorie Circuit. For Blue, ENK offered a sophisticated open-floor plan filled with a sea of white furniture and fixtures. The show featured more than 75 exhibitors displaying cutting-edge denim as lifestyle brands.
Although ENK did not release attendance figures, returning exhibitors said traffic appeared to be up from the previous show in January.
Blue’s July show ran concurrently with the Project Global Trade Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and new trade show Capsule, held the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center in New York’s Lower East Side.
For many exhibitors, Blue’s point of difference was its denim focus and immediate deliveries.
“We are showing Holiday 2007 because there will be opportunities in the future for us to show our later collections,” said Orly Dahan, owner of Los Angeles–based TAG Jeans. “We want to fill a niche, and our buyers are more concerned with their immediate needs.”
Dahan said TAG Jeans is using more-distressed and heavier fabrics in men’s denim. “We do a lot of the work by hand, and our core business focuses on the fine features in our pieces,” he said. “Our brand has become synonymous with insert details, side-seam top stitches and unique buttons.”
Selvage and Japanese denim dominated the show, and Evisu set up a striking booth that showcased both fabric trends.
“There is a difference with Japanese denim because it is made by true denim artists,” said Chad Jackson, marketing manager for Osaka, Japan–based Evisu. “Indigo dying is a part of the Asian culture, and it is reflected in the jeans. Our buyers really love it.”
The focus on tradition extends to the manufacturing of the cloth, according to Jackson, who said Evisu makes some of its denim on looms in Osaka that are more than 50 years old.
Jackson said Evisu’s decision to show at Blue had a lot to do with ENK. “This is our first year here, and ENK has been really supportive of our brand,” he said. “I think this show brings about good relationships with buyers because we are writing a lot of business.”
Like many of the exhibitors at Blue, Evisu showed raw denim styles made from organic cotton. The raw styles are appealing because they develop a patina over time, Jackson explained.
Buckler also showed organic, raw and selvage denim. The company offered a variety of rinses, including an acid wash that was directly inspired by the 1980s and a “gunmetal rinse” that featured a deep-gray wash on white denim.
Los Angeles–based Paige Denim has made a name for itself in the women’s premium-denim business, but the company showed at Blue to emphasize its men’s line, Paige Premium Denim, said company representative Wendi Cohen. Among Paige’s new men’s styles offered at Blue were two new pocket treatments: the “Sunset Strip” and the “Skyline.”
In addition to denim, there were also exhibitors showing denimfriendly options. Of note was Toronto-based new media graphicdesign firm Her Majesty’s Secret Studio, which recently launched a new T-shirt collection called Avenj.
“Blue has given my company more trade support than any other venue,” said designer and co-owner Sean D’Anconia, who parlayed his prior experience working at film studio Miramax into a T-shirt line that features film-inspired imagery. HMSS’ designs are featured in a new exercise shoe created in collaboration with New Balance.
“My experience working at Miramax inspired me to create pieces that are a combination of ’70s music, British mod, French new wave and Japanese art,” he said.
