LOS ANGELES — In the competitive high-end denim field, brands from Bella Dahl to Paper Denim & Cloth rely on innovative washes and finishes to make their jeans stand out in a crowded field and inspire consumers to shell out three-figure sums.
These apparel vendors turn to specialists in denim processing, artists whose tools include industrial washing machines, chemical mixes and bags of stones to get the newest washes.
Laundries are moving beyond basic washing-machine techniques and developing finishing processes that range from laser etching to dragging jeans behind race cars. These approaches can push the cost of a wash to $35 a pair.
“We’re not a laundry — we’re a denim development center,” said Keyomars Fard, founder of The First Finish in El Segundo, Calif. “They come to us with the ideas and concepts, and we help them create something proprietary. There’s a real drive for authenticity.”
With the market’s focus on increasingly involved washes, Fard said his company is remaining competitive by reducing the volume of jeans it handles to allow it to spend more time on each pair. It now works with 15 clients, down from about 45 a year ago.
“Customers usually outgrow us when they hit $3 million,” he said. “We want to be micro and very niche.”
These centers are also pushing up prices as they push the limits. Costs can hit $35 a garment because of the level of detail and the smaller orders spread out across multiple styles. As a result, the reaction of a fabric to the finishing process is growing even more important.
Steven Jolna, president and design director of Bella Dahl and Bartack, and also a partner at wash development house International Manufacturers Alliance, said he tests 15 to 20 fabrics a week and develops 20 to 30 washes weekly.
“It’s probably my largest expense in the company besides people,” he said.
Jolna said the trend market in the next year will be split between jeans “beaten to death” or “extraordinarily clean.” He said he’s seen plenty of chevrons on jeans applied with potassium spray, but said one of his most successful washes in the last three months has been the “home wash.” It’s one that simply involves a spin in the home washing machine, creating a dark, dressy feel.
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“It had no marking, no grinding, no sanding, no spraying,” he said. “It just looks more sophisticated.”
The less-is-more approach is popular at The First Finish as well. Fard said his customers aren’t so interested in tinting regular blue denim anymore, but have moved on to using different-colored fabric and washing it to create a new look. Overspraying and overgrinding are also passé, he said.
“It you want a crisp look with deep darks and high contrasted lights, then get a coated fabric and chip it off for effect rather than overprocess it,” he said.
Damaged jeans with repair stitching have kept operations humming at Sights Denim Systems in Henderson, Ky. Owner Bart Sights said he expects that trend to continue, but said most of his business still comes in providing the classic wash of “medium blue.”
The art of treating denim isn’t limited to running jeans through washing machines, either.
At International Garment Finish Inc., which counts Juicy Couture, Armani Exchange, Yanuk and Paige Premium Denim as customers, the recent launch of a lasered device has created a buzz. The $200,000 computer-run machine can whisker jeans for a three-dimensional effect and can replicate pictures onto the garment.
“When you create washes, there are limits to what humans can do, but when you combine human intelligence with the latest technology, you can create something beyond the imagination,” said Richard Kim, owner and president of IGF.
APS Laundry and Finishing in Los Angeles has launched a wash processed with ozone to give fabrics a worn-in, faded appeal. Usually, the look is achieved through cycles in machines loaded with stones and enzyme applications. The rough chemical treatment, however, can weaken fabric, said Genaro Hernandez, APS owner and president.
“Instead, the ozone will be piped in washing machines for a gentler treatment,” he said.
Still, some wash houses take a simpler approach to creating a worn look. They’re taking their craft out of the plants and into the streets.
Los Angeles Dye & Wash Co., which counts Blue Cult, Sanctuary and Citizens of Humanity on its customer list, has begun testing its jeans on the racetracks by actually dragging them on the asphalt. The result is a naturally destructed garment, stained with oil and other ground debris. The idea came from company owner Tom Stanton, who manages Grand National West, a NASCAR team out of Glendora, Calif., and plans to first pitch the concept to NASCAR.
“There are 90 tracks in the country, and we’ll market it as track-tested from each track,” he said. “It’s a unique idea and will appeal to a niche market.”