The third edition of the Global Denim Awards will take place on October 26 in Amsterdam at De Hallen Studios. The event links progressive design with technical innovation by partnering 11 emerging fashion designers with 11 of the most progressive denim mills worldwide.
Instead of a traditional runway show, models will present themselves on three spectacularly lit stages. It will be attended by a carefully selected audience of 500 international denim professionals from mills, wash houses, suppliers, brands and retailers.
In two years, Global Denim Awards has almost doubled its number of participants and has become the world’s premier platform for the future of denim design, innovation, sustainability and craftsmanship.According to co-founder Mariette Hoitink (CEO of fashion recruitment and consultancy agency HTNK), the unique thing about the Denim Awards is that it puts some of the most innovative mills worldwide front-row. In this process, the Global Denim Awards is also a preview to the future, since brands will have to offer transparency regarding where and how their products are produced within the next few years.
A selected few designers travel to a number of destinations like Turkey, Taiwan, Thailand, Spain, India and China. They will spend at least one week at their partnered mills in order to develop an in-depth understanding of the mill’s latest technological possibilities related to fabrics, washes, finishes, treatment and sustainable manufacturing processes.
The designers will work together with the mill to develop on the spot a capsule collection comprising of five total looks which will be presented during the Global Denim Awards show. The collections will be judged by a panel of international denim experts who would evaluate the overall look that has resulted from the fusion of design and the innovative nature of the denim fabrications.
The winning designer will be awarded €10,000. An additional award would go to the mill with the most innovative fabric. The winning collection would then travel to Kingpins Shows in New York City and Hong Kong before returning to Amsterdam for Denim Days 2017.
