Tonello expanded the capabilities of Dyemate, a patented indigo garment dyeing technology that creates authentic, vintage looks through a combination of sulfur and indigo dyes. The latest version achieves denim-like effects on ready-to-dye garments. Indigo is added to the sulfur dye process, resulting in garments with rich workwear-inspired colors and indigo contrasts on the seams.
Lenzing updated its Tencel Denim Laundry Manual for the first time in 20 years. Available to laundry professionals, the free manual offers dos and don’ts for using next-gen technologies like laser, ozone and nebulization on Tencel denim fabrics.
B Corp AGI Denim tapped sustainability analytics platform Green Story to measure the environmental impact of its products in a credible and easy-to-understand manner. The partnership enables the Pakistani vertical denim manufacturer to provide digital product passports accessed via QR codes to its clients with footprint assessments and supply chain visualizations. This will allow clients to share transparent sustainability data with their own customers, creating a chain of trust and data.
AGI Denim teams with Green Story.
Jeanologia aligned with the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) and the H&M Foundation by joining the Open Lab initiative, a lab funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong government and housed at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
The Spanish technology company, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of its laser technology in 2024, enhanced the lab with technological solutions that reduce water, chemical, and energy use in the textile industry. Key innovations include the H2 Zero water recovery system, a closed-loop process that allows for the reuse of water without chemicals while minimizing energy consumption.
YKK innovated the design of its Vislon zippers, making them more sustainable in the process. In September, the company launched the Revived Renewal Series, a group of four products that allow zippers to be repaired easily. It includes replacement sliders, pullers and die-cast replacement teeth. Broken pieces can be repaired without needing any special tools.
Fashion tech firm Unspun set its target on Europe in 2024 when it raised $32 million in an oversubscribed Series B funding to scale its waste-reducing 3D weaving technology, Vega. In October, the company announced that Decathlon Pulse would act as a collaborator and industrial partner to bring Vega machines to “pioneer local, low-waste and low-inventory production” in Europe.
Additionally, the B Corp launched a pilot project with Walmart to workwear pants under a Walmart house brand.
With FitSense, The Lycra Company innovated the concept of denim with shapewear-inspired qualities. Using a combination of new yarn and garment processing technology, FitSense allows brands to customize jeans with targeted compression shaping after the garment-making process. A global roster of mills including Calik, Advance Denim, Crystal Denim and more offer fabrics with the technology.
Printing press
Improving the printing process was a key area of focus for companies in 2024.
Italian printing system NextPrinting developed a bespoke printing system that creates realistic and repeatable effects on garments while achieving an authentic aesthetic. The process “drastically reduces” energy, water, and chemical consumption from fabric creation to the final garment, according to Philippe Mignot, NextPrinting’s project manager.
The firm is also testing new color components to reduce the use of chemical binders and focusing on alternative finishing products.
Specialty chemicals manufacturer Rudolf launched the Digital Pigment Printing Toolbox, a package of pre-treatment products to further enhance the quality of pigment printing. The pre-treatments achieve brilliant colors and enhance the hand feel of fabrics with minimal resource consumption.
Rudolf noted that the toolbox has an advantage over other printing technologies because it eliminates the post-treatment step, which means that water required for post-treatment can be saved.
Archroma rolled out NTR Printing System for commercial bio-based pigment printing. The specialty chemical company said it is first system to incorporate renewable feedstock across pigment dispersion, binder and fixing agent.
Archroma’s NTR Printing System.
As bio-based pigments are attracting major interest from the market, NTR Printing System helps apparel and textile brands reduce their environmental footprint while producing brilliant black shades on garments that deliver both comfort and durability. The system ensures good wet-rubbing and dry-rubbing fastness and softness on all kinds of fabrics. Designed to be production efficient, it can apply to printing, coating and continuous pigment dyeing.
San Francisco-based NTX Group introduced Cooltrans, an AI-powered textile colorization solution adapted for the denim industry.
Whereas traditional denim manufacturing requires garments to be washed and rewashed to achieve various levels of colors and fades, Cooltrans’ designated core technology eliminates these repeated washing cycles while maintaining color precision and consistency. Compared to conventional dyeing methods, the indigo-free printing technology eliminates the use of heat, uses 90 percent less water and is two times faster.
Stratasys, a 3D printing company, enhanced its TechStyle printer, the J580, with a direct-to-garment tool that applies colorful, 3D-printed designs onto pre-existing garments. The innovation, which can be used on denim, cotton, polyester and linen, is geared toward brands and retailers that want to offer customization to customers.
Retail improvements
Other innovations aimed to improve consumers’ shopping experience.
Denim Tears took actions to protect its brand by adopting EON’s digital identities for on-product authentication. In the process, the streetwear brand is improving consumer trust and supporting resale partners like StockX to leverage these verifiable QR codes to streamline authentication.
Denim Tears adopts EON’s technology.
In the U.S., Levi’s rolled out BackPocket, an in-store app to support sales associates. The app streamlines inventory information for associates, providing employees with a hyper-specific view into local and digital inventory across the brand’s full catalog. With permission, it can also sync with customers’ Red Tab loyalty accounts to help associates give better recommendations and size information.
Ahead of the holiday shopping season, True Religion upgraded its rewards program so its integrated into the company’s in-store POS system.
Artistic Denim Mills CEO Faisal Ahmed and Robert D’Loren, the founder, chairman and CEO of Xcel, launched Orme, the social commerce marketplace that rewards influencers, brands and consumers for content they’re already producing and sharing. The marketplace seamlessly integrates with the top e-commerce and social platforms like Instagram, making it easy for consumers to buy via in-video checkout without disrupting their viewing experience.
