"Denim industry, valued at more than $57 billion, will experience an annual growth rate upward of 6 percent till 2023, according to the recent P&S Market Research report. The reason for this stupendous growth is the innovative and advanced status of manufacturers and buyers as they look for denim that does more while leaving a lesser impact on the environment. Lot many countries are making a growth headway into denim. Here’s a look at them:"

Denim industry, valued at more than $57 billion, will experience an annual growth rate upward of 6 percent till 2023, according to the recent P&S Market Research report. The reason for this stupendous growth is the innovative and advanced status of manufacturers and buyers as they look for denim that does more while leaving a lesser impact on the environment. Lot many countries are making a growth headway into denim. Here’s a look at them:

Bangladesh

The Southeast Asian nation known largely for its low-cost manufacturing, Bangladesh contributed the third most denim imports to the US last year. In 2017, Bangladesh shipped $508 million worth of denim apparel to the US, clocking growth of 10 percent from the past year.The strong growth rests on two pillars: highly competitive costs and innovation.The focus for Bangladesh has been sustainability. Though lower cost than other countries, Bangladesh doesn’t seem to withhold on machinery, employing the latest iterations of high-tech equipment to improve products and processes. More and more, circularity is coming into the conversation, too. According to manufacturers, Bangladesh will be looking to go green, using more eco-friendly materials, like organic and BCI cotton, looking into cleaner dyeing technologies, and turning to technical denim that does more while using less.

China

Last year, China shipped $922 million worth of denim apparel to the US, nearly 2 percent less than what it shipped in 2016, but the country still accounts for more than 25 percent of overall US denim imports. Ruyi Zhong, VP, Foshan Season Textile and Garment Co. based in Guangdong, highlighted that eco-fabric has become a big trend. His company develops ‘Ecology Denim’ collection, which is including pre- and post-consumer recycled cotton/poly, but it is the only player in the market using the post-consumer yarn for warp. According to him, the Chinese Government will continue to execute the strict environment protection, therefore, only those good mills who have strong R&D, a high-quality control system and the ability to control costs will be able to survive. And those not able to meet the environment protection standard will be closed down.According to him, China’s denim industry will transform to a better and more high-end level.

Mexico

Mexico is known for high-quality fabrics and the convenience of speed to market when shipping to the US, which has been key for fast fashion brands looking for quicker turn denim. Mexico contributed $793 million worth of denim apparel to the US last year. And though its share dropped more than 8 percent over 2016, Mexico still makes up nearly 22 percent of overall US denim imports.Roughly 40 percent of men’s and boy’s jeans in the US come from Mexico, where leaders like Levi Strauss & Co., VF Corp., Lee and Wrangler have supply chains set up. According to a report released by the United States Department of Agriculture last year, Mexico is the 7th largest exporter of denim worldwide, and it’s held that spot for 15 years.

AlvydaKupinas, design director, Kaltex America, informed that manufacturers in Mexico are using eco-friendly blends like Tencel Modal and Repreve recycled polyester with moisture management properties. Thrust has been on developing performance stretch denim with CoolMax, ToughMax, DualFx and bi-stretch denim with 360-degree comfort. When it comes to finishing, the focus has been on foam coating, ozone finishing, overdyeing, digital printing, and waterless and low energy laundry applications.

Italy

Italy just gained its place into the top 20 list of those supplying denim to the US, supplying $18 million worth of denim apparel in 2017, a nearly 10 percent dip from what the previous year. The country accounts for just half a percent of overall US denim imports. Alberto Candiani, a denim expert who runs leading Italian mill Candiani Denim, said that ‘Clean denim’, in terms of both look and content, has been among the latest developments coming out of Italy for denim. Performance is a given factor to all stretch denim nowadays, so the focus is more on sustainable fibers, eco dyes and finishing. Taste, creativity, innovation, a finer aesthetic and hand feel have always been part of what sets the Italian denim industry apart from others.Cost has contributed at least in part to fewer Italian denim imports coming into the US, where an overwhelming majority of mass market retailers can’t pay the prices for Made in Italy denim and ever expect to meet their already thin margins.

Pakistan

The country is the fourth largest supplier of denim to the United States, and in 2017 the country shipped roughly $214 worth of denim apparel to the US, a nearly 20 percent jump over what it shipped in 2016.Henry Wong, director – product development & marketing, North America at Pakistan’s Artistic Fabric & Garment Industries (AFGI), said that suppliers in Pakistan are continually investing in innovation and sustainability. AFGI is turning to old materials to make new ones, rather than depleting more of the world’s resources sticking solely to virgin inputs.The company recently added a post-consumer waste tearing plant to its facilities, allowing it to transform old jeans into new fabrics entirely in house, which has served to reduce what would have otherwise ended up in landfill. According to Wong, more and more, European retailers are sourcing from Pakistan to take full advantage of the speed, flexibility, and quality many producers here offer.