Pakistani denim specialist Artistic Milliners, an integrated producer with spinning, weaving, dyeing and garment manufacturing capabilities, is drawing closer to US customers, by buying a factory in Commerce, California. The new unit has an output capacity of 100,000 units per month. The factory’s new name is Star Fades International (SFI).
This acquisition gives the company a strategic foothold in the US, a region with significant geographic and demographic advantages sates Murtaza Ahmed, Founder of SFI and Executive Director of Artistic Milliners. California has historically been an important cornerstone for the international denim industry. In 2021, the company anticipates increased demand from international retailers and brands for nearshoring capacity, digital design services and sustainable solutions. The investment in this factory gives them a launch platform in the US to meet that demand, as they build the factory of the future.
The Pakistani group plans to rapidly step up SFI’s production capacity to 300,000 units per month, having retained part of the factory's technology know-how, as a base to expand its output. SFI acquisition serves as a major leap in Artistic Milliners’ evolution as a truly global denim company, since it adds multiple dimensions its operating model. Not only does it give their brand partners a US-based manufacturing option but also serves as a nucleus for co-creation and collaboration from fibre to garment at a scale and depth never witnessed before in the industry.
