Since the last time I sat down to write an editor’s letter, the denim industry lost two influential designers, Adriano Goldschmied and Roy Slaper. It has also witnessed significant changes in its manufacturing landscape, with Cone Denim winding down production in China to focus on Mexico and Orta, one of Turkey’s pioneering mills in sustainability and fashion, closing its doors. The frequent LinkedIn updates of sales reps moving from one mill or brand to the next have ramped up. Meanwhile, the cadence of special drops and capsule collections has slowed.
In short, you could say the denim industry is feeling the blues. Sourcing Journal’s inaugural executive sentiment survey, which polled 142 executives across the apparel industry this summer, found that 46.7 percent of them have a “cautiously optimistic” view of their supply chain operations heading into 2027, and just 2.9 percent are “highly optimistic.”
Much of that unease stems from mounting costs, and the pressure is being felt across the supply chain. In “Producers Under Pressure,” we examine the tough financial and climate picture cotton growers are facing. In “Energy Shifts,” denim manufacturers discuss how rising energy prices are forcing them to rethink production and efficiency.
Yet despite these challenges, jeans remain a cornerstone of consumers’ wardrobes, a creative canvas for emerging designers and an incubator for innovation. With this issue, we hope to restore some of the joy that has kept consumers coming back to denim for decades—and inspired generations of creative and technical talent to make the industry their home.
In “The Accidental Denim Artist,” designer Ksenia Schnaider shares how denim has been a source of stability through turbulent times. In “Big Lessons, Micro Factory,” we revisit Candiani Denim’s Milanese microfactory five years after it opened to see what lessons the mill has learned about the bespoke denim consumer. We also break down the key trends in color, prints and trims bringing fresh energy to the market.
Few understood the power of color, prints and embellishments—or how to delight the masses—quite like Dolly Parton, the subject of our archival story, “Big Dreams & Faded Jeans.” While her legacy extends beyond fashion, Parton’s playful approach to denim serves as a fitting reminder of this issue’s central theme: Even in difficult times, there’s still plenty of joy to be found in a great pair of jeans.
Click here to download the fall issue or grab a copy at Kingpins Amsterdam Oct. 14-15.