Denim mills using Monforts systems dominate eco-focused fabric displays
At the recent Kingpins Amsterdam exhibition held on April 16-17 at the Sugar Factory, Monforts customers took centre stage with their advanced, sustainable denim offerings. Eight of the ten fabrics highlighted in the 2025 Most Sustainable Product (MSP) showcase were developed by companies using Monforts resource-efficient technologies, underlining the machinery manufacturer’s strong influence in driving denim innovation.
These mills - Arvind (India), Diamond Corduroy (Pakistan), Isko and Orta (Turkey), Naveena Denim (Pakistan), Saitex (Vietnam), Soorty (Pakistan), and Textil Santanderina (Spain) utilise equipment such as the Montex stenters, Monfortex shrinking ranges, ECO LINE finishing systems, and Thermex dyeing ranges. “Monforts Montex stenters are the industry standard in denim finishing,” said Hans Wroblowski, Monforts Head of Denim.
He noted that over 900 Monforts Thermex dyeing systems are operational globally, many dedicated to denim production. Innovations such as multifunctional spray coating, thermo-stretch, and skew technologies are helping customers achieve more efficient production and higher energy savings.
Students explore stretch denim innovation
A highlight of Kingpins 2025 was the 'Stretch Yourself' exhibition, a collaborative design project led by the House of Denim Foundation’s Jean School, the world’s only dedicated denim education institute. Thirty students created garments using fabrics from seven Monforts customer mills: Bossa, Calik and Orta (Turkey), Naveena and Soorty (Pakistan), DNM Denim (Egypt), and Advance Denim (China). The project was developed in partnership with The Lycra Company.
“We started with an educational segment on sustainability and innovation and then let the students design freely,” said Mariette Hoitink, co-founder of the House of Denim. The students’ unconventional take on stretch denim highlighted the creative potential of the innovative fabrics provided by the participating mills.
Cellulosic fibres gain ground in denim
While cotton remains the dominant fibre in denim, cellulosics like Lenzing’s Tencel and Ecovero are gaining traction for their soft hand feel and sustainable profile. At Kingpins, Lenzing Hong Kong presented its Application Innovation Collection 25, developed in collaboration with mill partners. This collection featured a variety of sustainable denim styles from Monforts customers including Advance Denim, Naveena, Soorty, TCE Jeans (Vietnam), and US Denim Mills (Pakistan).
“Our team continues to engage with supply chain partners and global brands to drive trend developments,” said Dennis Hui, business development manager at Lenzing Hong Kong. The featured outfits demonstrated varied wash effects tailored to brand expectations and sustainability standards.
Technology enabling greener denim production
Monforts Eco Line range concepts continue to support the production of high-quality, reproducible denim fabrics while enabling gentler processing of sensitive fibres. Their ‘double rubber’ version integrates two compressive shrinkage units and two felt calenders in line, ideal for elastic and bi-elastic materials. The ThermoStretch unit allows combined drying, stretching, and skewing functions, and when combined with the EcoApplicator, ensures minimal chemical usage.
Monforts customers are also adopting the Econtrol and Econtrol TC-A continuous dyeing processes, allowing one-step dyeing and drying of cotton, cotton blends, and cellulosics like Tencel. These methods fix dyestuffs in just 2-3 minutes using controlled steam and air at 120-130°C, drastically improving energy and water efficiency.
“Many of our denim customers are using our existing technologies within integrated finishing mills to enhance their ecological performance,” Wroblowski added. “We continue to collaborate with them on innovative projects that shape the most progressive denim styles seen at Kingpins exhibitions worldwide.”
