GenovaJeans: The Sustainable Transformation of Denim

Sep 17, 2021

Between Research was invited to the first edition of “GenovaJeans”, held in Genoa, Italy, the birthplace of jeans, from the 2nd to the 6th of September. This is the World's first global event for consumers and companies with a strong focus on sustainable jeans. The event is sponsored by the City of Genoa and jointly organized by the City Council with various authoritative associations, companies, and professionals in the fashion industry.

Angelica De Vito

Partner of Between Research and CEO, attended the event.
The spirit of the GenovaJeans is consistent with the idea of sustainable fashion that Between Research is committed to promoting. During the event, she had the chance to show and share our sustainable fashion platform - Between Conscious Program - with several stakeholders. Top professionals can find and share sources related to the sustainable fashion industry, while submitting their profile on it, they can build connections and become part of a benign network, thus making it grow and allowing it to promote further sustainable developments in the fashion industry.

Located on "Jeans Street", the future "Carnaby Street" of Genoa, the event was presented in a variety of ways, including exhibitions on the history and evolution of jeans, forums on sustainable fashion concepts for the future of jeans, and immersive sensory experiences of entertainment and performance. Shuttling through this historic street, you can deeply feel the different charm of jeans from ancient times to today.

Nowadays, Jeans is one of the classic clothing categories loved by people of all social classes, all ages, and genders. Dating back more than 500 years to the city of Genoa in the 16th century, or to be more precise, the ancient port of Genoa, the blue canvas was first created to make sails and tarpaulins because it was durable and easy to clean. Later, local villagers and workers began to use jeans for daily clothing.

Starting from the beginning of Jeans Street, the exhibition "The Myth of the Origin of the Jeans", through a combination of multimedia and historical exhibits, described in detail the story of the origin of Genoa's jeans and its evolution over the centuries.

Here, you can see a perfect replica of how people in that era designed and wore jeans in this figurine wearing a denim jacket.

This is a window display for the upcycling and recycling of jeans as well as a way to show the sustainable application of denim in the future.

One of the highlights of the event was the DIESEL Denim Heritage: Walking in the Archives, which featured a collection of 1980s and 1990’s pieces from the company’s commercial line, paying homage to Italian craftsmanship and repurposing the timeless design of Italian jeans.

The DIESEL founder made his first suit at the age of 17. He gave it to a friend as a gift who later gave it back to him on his 50th birthday. This 70's suit consists of a tailored blazer and flared pants.

"The fabric of Genoa revolutionized the fashion industry, becoming a generational symbol. However, due to the increased awareness of their environmental impact, more and more industries are getting involved in sustainability, which further explains why jeans need to be part of such efforts.

Made in Italy, innovation, and sustainability are part of the DNA of Candiani Denim, a denim manufacturer founded in 1938, which has been committed to innovation and environmental protection for more than 80 years. Since the 1980s, in fact, they have kept implementing new environmental protection policies with a 100% commitment to zero waste and zero pollution targets at the production stage. The connection between Candiani and Genoa is an opportunity to turn the past into reality and create the future, with a focus on innovation and sustainability. Denim originated 500 years ago on the docks of Genoa, and now Cancdiani has developed Coreva™, the first compostable denim to replace synthetic fibers with rubber yarn, making denim finally a sustainable product and opening a new chapter in sustainability for the denim industry as a leader in sustainable textile innovation.

More and more people are aware of the importance of environmental protection, and the fashion industry is no exception. The denim products need a tremendous amount of water and chemicals and are one of the less sustainable textile products. Main actors are strongly aware of the importance of upgrading the industry with sustainable transformations, and all need to continuously make further efforts to achieve such goals.

GenovaJeans and Between Conscious Program are both helping people to further enhance sustainability awareness and sustainable transformation of the fashion industry.

At the same time, through this event, GenovaJeans sent invitations to denim brands and denim fabric manufacturers all over the world, hoping that more denim brands can join their ranks. As the birthplace of denim, the local government and related organizations in Genoa have a lot of relevant policies to promote the development of the industry to help promote and develop the denim industry. 

If you want to seek more cooperation opportunities, contact us!

BETWEEN can assist you to establish links and will become your best partner on the road of future development!

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