Fewer people showed up, but more firms did—suggesting the denim supply chain is consolidating around ideas, not footfall.
Denim is no longer short of capacity; it is short of conviction. As brands manage cautious budgets, trade shows are being judged less by crowds and more by whether they generate actionable innovation—new processes, new fibres, and fewer returns.
The denim sourcing show drew 584 attendees from 275 companies, with company participation up even as overall attendance fell 8% versus prior editions. It hosted nearly 70 exhibitors, spanning mills, manufacturers, chemicals and machinery.
Programming leaned into culture and craft. “The Lil Denim Show presents General Experiment” featured an installation by Laurence Wei, built around his collection “In Hopes to Die Like Mold”, reflecting personal themes linked to Alzheimer’s.
The show’s signal was experimentation with a commercial spine. S|STYLE – DENIM LAB—backed by Kering (home to Gucci and Balenciaga)—paired designers with new dyeing and regenerative-cotton concepts via Kering’s Material Innovation Lab, with partners including Tonello and PureDenim.
Expect “invite-only” platforms like Kingpins Show to double down on curated R&D: trend framing (Ana Paula Alves’ “URL to IRL”) and fibre performance debates involving Cotton Incorporated and Supima. The organisers’ challenge is simple: keep the storytelling—but tie it to measurable outcomes mills and brands can fund.
