The future of denim fits at Kingpins: 'Clothing should shape the wearer, not the other way around'

A panel discussion on the first day of denim trade fair Kingpins put forth the topic of the future of denim fits to visitors. Dubbed 'Future Fit Forum', the discussion, moderated by Michelle Branch, founder and creative director of US-based Markt & Twigs, Inc., a global creative company specialising in denim innovations, took place between Carme Santacruz (Jeanologia, Spain), Esther Knight (Fanfare Label, England) and Ruben Jurriën (independent designer, the Netherlands).

The panel focused on innovative denim fabrics, the importance of stretch and the ‘supersize’ trend as a counter to the worrying ‘size zero’ trend. As 'the future' is such an abstract concept, Branch noted, fabrics, technologies and societal trends that will influence jeans fashion over the next five years were at the core of the topic at hand.

Santacruz, creative director and senior denim designer at Jeanologia, emphasised the importance of fabrics and technologies such as Creora’s biobased stretch fibre (an elastic fibre made from natural resources) and polyurethane elastomer, better known as Lycra or elastane, for comfort. Lycra is often used in stretch jeans and allows the pants to move with you, which is increasingly less of a reason for consumers to downsize. “A noticeable trend is the shift towards looser-fitting clothing in general,” said Santacruz. Examples of this include the ‘baggy fit’, a style that flares out from a fitted waistband, and the ‘relaxed fit’, a style with a loose cut.

Knight also predicted that consumers will increasingly live up to the sustainability mantra of the late designer Vivienne Westwood: “Buy less, choose well and make it last.” This means that consumers will invest in jeans that not only fit well and are trendy now, but will also still fit well and remain fashionable in five years’ time. Stretch fabrics and their impact on comfort were discussed here. “Bodies change and people want jeans that stay comfortable,” Jurriën emphasised.

One concern touched upon is the return of the 'size zero' trend, which is linked to the Y2K aesthetic, inspired by fashion from the early 2000s. The panelists instead emphasised the need for a future in which comfort and inclusive fits are key. Jurriën, who makes clothes that fit (almost) everyone because they are adjustable, closed the conversation with the quote: "Clothing should form to the wearer, not the other way around."

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.NL. It was translated to English using an AI tool called Genesis and edited by Rachel Douglass..

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