Kingpins New York, held January 21–22 at Pier 36/Basketball City, once again positioned itself as one of the most influential and tightly curated platforms in the global denim ecosystem, bringing together innovation, sustainability, and creative experimentation under one roof.
The show provides brands and retailers with direct access to leading international denim mills, while also serving as a trend laboratory for the next generation of fabrics, finishes, and manufacturing practices that shape denim collections worldwide.
Trend Intelligence at the Core
Beyond sourcing, visitors are engaging with the latest denim trend forecast from Be Disobedient, whose analysts are presenting Trend Picks informed directly by fabric innovation, manufacturing techniques, and finishing developments on display at the show. This reinforces Kingpins’ role not just as a marketplace, but as a strategic planning hub for denim product development.
S|Style Denim Lab: Luxury Meets Sustainability
One of the most notable initiatives this season is the S|Style Denim Lab, backed by luxury group Kering, which operates as an independent platform for emerging creatives working under strict sustainability criteria.
For this edition:
- Candiani collaborated with Kering’s Material Innovation Lab
- The focus is on responsible water management in denim
- Designers explored:
- Advanced dyeing technologies
- Innovative washing processes
- Regenerative cotton solutions
These developments were enabled in collaboration with PureDenim and Tonello, highlighting how luxury groups are increasingly using denim as a testing ground for scalable sustainability.
Kering’s involvement also reflects its broader portfolio of luxury houses, including Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and Brioni.
Creative Collaboration & Circular Craft
Kingpins’ “In The Boxes” area continues to highlight artistic collaboration and circular thinking:
- AGI Denim partnered with fibre artist and master weaver Mahmoud Kosyaem and his Brooklyn-based studio CreativeMindsBK
- The collaboration transforms discarded denim scraps into highly tactile woven tapestries
- The installation reframes waste as narrative material, blending craftsmanship with sustainability storytelling
Meanwhile, Tonello collaborated with US-based textile artist Maegan Neubeck of MN Natural Dye Studio on “Botanical Alchemy”, an installation exploring:
- Botanical dyes
- Responsibly sourced raw materials
- Low-impact coloration techniques
Why Kingpins Still Matters
Kingpins New York continues to differentiate itself by:
- Curating quality over quantity in exhibitors
- Connecting mills, brands, artists, and technologists
- Positioning sustainability as a creative enabler, not a constraint
In an era where denim must balance aesthetics, compliance, and environmental responsibility, Kingpins remains a critical convergence point where future-facing ideas are tested, refined, and made commercially relevant.
