When it comes to denim in Europe, no city is quite as a blue as Amsterdam. The Dutch capital is home to major denim brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Denham, Scotch & Soda and G-Star as well as a gaggle of upcoming brands and start-ups that have flocked to the denim capital of Europe. What’s more, lovers of jeans in the Dutch capital claim the average Hollander owns at least seven pairs of jeans.
As Europe’s premier indigo purveyor, Amsterdam has been living up to its name as of late through its annual denim programme ‘Amsterdam Denim Days’. Each year in spring, Amsterdam’s streets turn a deeper shades of indigo blue as the city plays host to a series of denim-related events for fashion-forward aficionados of denim. Professionals from the denim industry and all denim enthusiasts get together to celebrate all things indigo through a week long celebration of industry fairs, city centre retail events as well as a two day denim show dedicated to jeans culture.
Now in its third edition, Amsterdam Denim Days kicked off last week (April 11-17) with the seasonal Kingpins fabric fair, and the newborn trade show WHY by Kingpins, which both now counts Amsterdam as one of its international homes alongside New York and Hong Kong. The two day, invite-only, trade show draws denim designers and fabric specialists from the world over to flick through the latest denim fabrics from the top denim mills from around the globe. Throughout the vast hall of the Gashouder building in Westergasfabriek, you’ll find specialist denim providers like Cone Denim from the US, Kuroki from Japan, and Calik from Turkey amongst many others who showcase the latest technologies and fabric advancements that will be shaping your jeans in the next two years. Alongside this, the show hosts a number of industry-focused denim seminars that highlight everything from new technologies and consumer insights to discussions on sustainability.