Creative design will evolve denim in unlimited ways
Andrew Olah has been in the denim business for more than two decades. As founder of Kingpins, he was among the first to identify a need for a specialised denim tradeshow, bringing together all elements of the global business. Here, he talks to Regina Henkel about the global denim industry, how it is changing, and the specific role of Kingpins.
In 2004 you founded Kingpins as a show for the denim tribe. In the meantime, it has become an international event across several locations worldwide. What would you say about the last 13 years?
In 2004, we founded the first denim supply chain show. Kingpins created a new genre of shows that has since been emulated the world over. My own conclusion is that copying ideas in some industries is against the law and in other industries we are forced to consider it as a compliment. I am of course very proud that we have something worth copying and something industry people enjoy attending. Kingpins makes everyone in our company happy and smiley, but most of all we are genuinely excited about the future of the denim industry and our possible role in its evolution.In 2004, we founded the first denim supply chain show. Kingpins created a new genre of shows that has since been emulated the world over. My own conclusion is that copying ideas in some industries is against the law and in other industries we are forced to consider it as a compliment. I am of course very proud that we have something worth copying and something industry people enjoy attending. Kingpins makes everyone in our company happy and smiley, but most of all we are genuinely excited about the future of the denim industry and our possible role in its evolution.
What none of us know exactly is how consumers will buy their jeans in the future and who these consumers are. Your comments?
The internet is like a wild truck roaring down the highway aiming at our old historical paradigms, threatening to blast what "was" or "is" into pieces. I find this process fascinating and a very interesting opportunity for those that hear the vehicle coming and like watching accidents about to happen. I am also excited about the new consumers coming into our world from China, India and new generations in the developed nations. None of these people share our past, our culture or our assumptions, and their approach to jeans will be new and add a provocative new element to our industry. What is sure, and eternal is that jeans will continually make those that really love denim and the products that come from denim happy. The fakers, those that only see denim and jeans as a means to a financial end will be "outed" and these people and companies won't last.
For a long time it was not conceivable that stretch will conquer the denim market. Will the trend continue or is it already on the decline?
Stretch is here to stay and while it's percentage in the marketplace might oscillate, stretch is not going anywhere. It's like our little doggie on a long leash. We always know where it is even if we can't see it.
Why was it at all important to establish a special denim trade show? How can a $110 billion industry not have its own forum with activities and self-analysis?
That was the question that helped start Kingpins, and more than that we wondered why do people from New York city need to get on a plane to see a textiles show in Europe? Why were textile shows not the rage in New York with Europeans coming to our nice city? Paris? Frankfurt? Why not New York? Seemed odd.
What distinguishes Kingpins NY from Kingpins Amsterdam or China?
I've learned to accept that each show is like a child, and no matter what you do, each child is different from its siblings. Each market is different in demand, style, enthusiasm, culture and manner-so all four of our shows (including Hong Kong), while produced with the same intent and intellectual considerations, are received differently and perceived individually. I should also say that venues alter our show's image. The Gashoulder-our venue in Amsterdam-is a magnificent building, and our other venues are not because Gashoulder buildings don't exist in the rest of the world (We keep looking).
Who are the new influencers on the denim scene?
The real influencers will always be the creatives in the denim mills, the creatives in the chemical and dye companies, without whom we can't operate. And we can never forget those that develop and design machines like lasers, ozone machines and robots-these people have a lot to influence in the future. And lastly, we have the creative gods and goddesses who churn out styles and ideas at the brands and retailers. I suppose we also need to pay some homage to the internet blog influencers who might create demand for a look, but not for the long-term changes that denim scene won't live without.
Which are your favorite trendspotting areas?
I think Amy Leverton, Piero Turk, Adriano Goldschmied or Jason Denham should answer this.
How has Kingpins developed in China?
Our plan is simple. We do road shows in China, visiting three cities in five days, going to the customer. Our shows are in what can be classified as B cities in China where others might not focus their attention-but these cities contain up to 1,500 brands and retailers and our intention is to work diligently to serve these brands by coming to them and bringing global denim suppliers, perspectives and issues to their neighbourhoods. Who else would go to Zhenzhou or Xiamen other than Kingpins? Hopefully in 2018 or 2019 we can stop the road shows, which are gruelling (but fun) and settle down in a couple of locations like a normal event business.
Would there be new locations in the future?
We are still mourning Kingpins Miami. Our next location is unclear and undefined. We can say it won't be Bangladesh, Vietnam, India or anywhere in Asia. Right now our focus is on our current cities, our road shows and our beloved Kingpins Transformers which might hit the road in 2018. Kingpins Transformers, is a summit series spotlighting members of the denim community who are committed to creating, implementing and sharing changes that need to happen in the jeans industry to make it more environmentally viable, socially responsible and financially sound by 2029. The Transformers were developed by Kingpins Show organisers in collaboration with House of Denim. Our aim is to target and engage a participating audience of denim professionals, educators and government officials with panels and presentations featuring exceptional industry transformers in each stage of the jeans supply chain.
Denim has infiltrated the high-fashion spectrum. Will catwalk designers' interest in denim last?
No.
That premium denim comes from Italy or Japan was the rule for a long time. Is this still true today? Which countries are leaders in premium denim today?
I thought the words "premium denim" were placed in a tiny coffin and buried at the dead word cemetery. Everyone says they are "premium denim" suppliers. No denim mill at Kingpins or any other show says, "We don't have premium denim." So, if the words have become pointless, the question is unanswerable. More interesting is to ask you back, if you believe all Italians in our industry are creative in denim just because they live in Italy? Same question for Japanese. Are all Japanese people who work in denim creative? Is this really a believable concept? It is entirely reasonable and necessary to think in terms of individual excellence, regardless of someone's passport. A good person is a good person, a good idea is a good idea. I am not sure we need to break this down nationally. What is clear is that many more good creative ideas come from Italy than Bangladesh and Japanese selvege denims have something undefinably more interesting about them than most selvege denims that come from developing nations or even Italy for that matter. But developing nations are frequently creating super cool new things that are beautiful, excellent and as good as anything from anywhere. Why not? They have Italian and Japanese consultants if we wish to go back to the ethnic theme. And, by the way, many Turkish denim mills think they are part of the former "premium denim" supply base, as do a few in Thailand and Brazil.
Other trade fairs developed their own denim formats. What do you value more compared to others?
What separates us from other shows (other than our friends at Bangladesh Expo) is that Olah Inc, which owns Kingpins, are in the jeans business on a daily basis working with denim fabrics, brands/retailers. Our company worked 25 years for Legler in the US. Legler is considered by many as the first denim mill ever outside the US. We worked 27 years for Kurabo, one of the best denim mills in Japan. And today we handle marketing and sales for Prosperity in China, a fabulous denim mill. This historic and current "connection" to the industry means we have now and have always dealt (since 1979) with daily denim issues. All this love for the industry and experience is manifested through Kingpins or Kingpins Transformers. I suppose if I am honest, Kingpins Transformers is the future for Kingpins. It is where we can make a change in the world-a change for the better and where we can truly be proud of what Kingpins can accomplish.
Jeans are part of the fashion world like the little black dress. Nevertheless, the industry is constantly reinventing new looks. What are the most important trends and innovations in denim now?
I am not the one to answer this question. Like the little black dress, denim & jeans will always exist (at least in the foreseeable future) with nuances.
Especially in the male denim market, there is a certain nostalgia for old traditions and techniques. Are there signs that production will come back to the US or Europe?
There are two new denim mills percolating down in the US. Will they succeed? I think they will face the same issues that closed mills in the past. The problems have not gone away, but rather intensified. However, if mills approach our industry planning on a "new" landscape they will succeed. Those who guess the future right always win in blackjack, betting on professional sports games and denim. I have not heard of new mills popping up in Europe or Japan.
Previously, the big denim brands were the trend and innovation leaders. Today, small brands or fast fashion retailers are at the front. What did the Diesels, Replays and Levi's do wrong?
I am not sure the brands you mention did anything wrong or right. I mean, what did Levi do in 1964 to create demand? I think they did nothing. Society was changing and the people doing the changing wanted to do the changing in jeans. Levi benefitted from that and that new wave of demand carried them forward. What did Diesel do in the late '90s? They just happened to have what the world was moving towards, and Diesel was there and available. This is not meant to take anything away from amazing marketing, design or anything else that these companies provided, but it's the "surge" of unplanned or unexpected demand that initiates any brand. In art or any creative medium, the artist needs to do what they believe in and the consumers might or might not like it. That depends on the cultural trend that's ongoing and affected by uncontrollable factors like economy, politics, age, etc.
What is your prediction: how will jeanswear evolve over the next few years?
Creative design will evolve denim in an unlimited number of ways just the way musicians will make new sounds and painters will place new ideas on canvas. Art and creation is a continual series of unstoppable and unpredictable change, thankfully.
Do you see a change in the near future?
I see a change every day. Of course, I see a change in the future. Nothing stays the same. Living in the US, we don't even know what we will read the next day or what can happen to us.
What about your personal denim love? Do you collect jeans or denim items?
I am not really a collector of much other than photographs and knick-knacks. I like the idea of being forced to leave my home or company in a hurry and in four seconds only taking my phone because nothing else really matters that much. This is not to say I don't love my jeans, but they are jeans-not little human beings or pills that save lives. Jeans represent times for me.
What do you find so interesting about denim? What makes denim so different?
Jeans are not different to me because I only wore jeans my entire life (other than a brief period when I started to work where I believed I needed to wear suits). It's the fading that makes jeans special, the evolution of it, the way a face wrinkles as you age. I always get my jeans raw, and like a baby over time they eventually turn into old people.
