While newer mills can produce some very good denim, there’s nothing like the ‘real thing.’

Trendy, authentic vintage denim is not that easy to source. Few of the original denim mills are still in operation. While newer mills can produce some very good denim, there’s nothing like the ‘real thing.’

Cone Denim has the unique advantage of being able to leverage its over 100-year history in the denim business. The company’s White Oak mill, which was established in 1905, is still operating. Brands and retailers can actually purchase authentic selvedge denim that is made ‘the old fashioned way.’

Heritage & Authentic Denim

“When people want quality, authentic, vintage denim, they think of Cone Denim,” said Kevin Reardon, managing director at Cone Denim. Customers all over the world value Cone’s rich heritage. In Asia, Cone has partnered with several international jeanswear brands including the Gap, Esprit and Muji to develop heritage denim garments.

Denim and the U.S. West have a strong image in the minds of consumers. Brands using Cone Denim often add a hangtag on the garments that let consumers know that the jeans or jackets are made from high quality, authentic U.S. denim. In a crowded market, fabric can be an important point of brand differentiation.

Traditional Denim Goes Global

In 2007 Cone joined forces with Chinese textile giant Novel Group and established a state-of-the-art mill in Jiaxing, China. Cone Denim took over complete ownership of the facility in 2011. The vertically integrated facility combines the latest textile producing technology with Cone’s legacy knowledge of denim. The result is authentic looking denim that is strategically located near China’s gigantic jeans manufacturers.

Jeans manufacturing is an increasingly global business and Cone Denim is uniquely positioned to support an international supply chain.

“We are one of the few mills that can cater to global customers. Through our global production network we can deliver consistent quality and truly achieve speed to market,” said Carmen Chan, director, sales & market, Asia. “We have facilities in Mexico, the U.S. and China, each with the same quality of fabric. Customers can get delivery from whichever mill is nearest to where they are manufacturing the jeans.

“For example, customers can manufacture in Mexico for quicker response [to U.S. market], or manufacturer in Asia to take advantage of lower prices. We can provide the same denim to them from mills that are close to where they are making the jeans. This reduces lead times and transportation costs. We can provide this service for about 80 percent of our products.” Mr. Reardon added.

Eyes on the Market

Part of remaining successful in a competitive market like denim is having access to good information.

“Having accurate market feedback and intelligence is really critical. In our business we need to watch the market very closely,” said Mr. Reardon. “I look to Inside Fashion for accurate industry information about sourcing, what’s selling and what brands are doing,” he added.

Innovating the Future

As the demand for more sustainable fabrics increases, Cone has introduced several eco-friendly products such as its Sustainblue™ range that contains yarn made from recycled PET bottles, as well as using more sustainable chemicals and investing in waste water processing to insure that their mills are good environmental citizens.

In response to market demand for stretch denim, Cone introduced its SGene® denim that features its patented core spun stretch yarn that provides better stretch and recovery.

Last year, the company also started a new department focusing on developing innovative and unique products catering for different markets. “We started Cone 3D which stands for ‘Denim, Design, Development’. We have a dedicated group working on new development. In a sense, it is our own incubator. We are now working on CONEgard™, which is water repellant denim,” said Mr. Reardon.