While the primary purpose of Kingpins is to bring people from the denim industry together, the event’s creators also want to use it as a platform to promote higher standards of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the global denim industry.
With 15-years in the industry, Kingpins has established various programs to showcase the minute – rivets made from bottle caps – to big picture issues like cleaner business practices and supply chains. Their most prominent initiative is the Kingpins Show, a grand bazaar of denim, held several times in a year, from Hong Kong to New York and other locations.
The first Kingpins show of 2019, held in Amsterdam in April, hosted over 100 exhibitors from different countries, such as Unifi, Lenzing and Jeanologia. Interestingly, this year and for the first time, all of the Kingpins shows will require the invitees to meet certain standards of CSR, chemical usage and environmental policies, in order to eliminate mills and companies that indulge in greenwashing (making a misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product), and to improve quality in the apparel industry. The list of invitees to exhibit this year includes companies such as Artistic Fabric & Garment Industries, The ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme, and Tonello.
The next Kingpins Show in Amsterdam, at the Gashouder at Westergas, will be held from October 23-24, while the show in New York will be held from November 19 – 20. Exhibitors at both shows will be able to partake in sessions conducted by industry experts and visionaries. At the Amsterdam show, industry leaders Archroma, Bluconnection and DyStar will be moderating a session on “The Present and Future of Indigo in The Denim Industry”, to discuss how indigo is evolving and whether or not it is sustainable, while Denim Dudes’ Amy Leverton – expert denim trend forecaster and consultant – will be presenting “Kingpins Denim Trends for S/S 2021”. While Kingpins is yet to reveal the complete list of speakers for the New York event, it is safe to assume that exhibitors will be exposed to a plethora of educational and networking opportunities at the event.
Meanwhile, other initiatives that Kingpins operates include Kingpins Transformers – various conferences for members of the denim industry who are dedicated to making the jeans industry more environmentally viable, increasingly socially responsible and financially sound through education and discussion, the Global Denim Awards, a “first-of-its-kind runway show and competition”, which aims to connect talent and industry from the industry, and Kingpins Media, an in-house media company which creates video content for suppliers, mills and companies in the denim industry.
The Kingpins shows are a series of eye-opening events which not only educate members from the denim industry, but also provide a space for members to interact, connect and get inspired by other international industry leaders. Kingpins is much more than simple trade shows for denim; it is an event which educates, connects and inspires denim makers from around the world to help raise the standards of the global denim industry.
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