AW 26–27 Preview: Denim in the Works
The AW 26–27 denim season ventures into new dimensions of workwear, pushing the boundaries of silhouette and fabrication. A preview of the season, as observed by the Première Vision team, reveals dynamic contrasts in construction, fabric blends, and weave structures, propelling denim into realms of fresh imagination.
Hybrid Workwear
New tailoring creates sculpted silhouettes with precise cuts and technical innovation. Brutalist shapes provoke and seduce, with contrasted overstitching and outsized forms that challenge the body’s natural lines. Blends with lustrous wool and cashmere bring warmth and tactile comfort.
This season’s denim explores linear patterns and textured weaves. Herringbone patterns produce soft zigzag effects, while mottled structures add depth and tactility. Oversized checks and blue-grey plaids nod to lumberjack heritage, reinterpreted with a modern clarity.
Deep indigos and near-blacks dominate the AW26-27 color palette, with grey-indigo emerging as a new staple—a subtle twist on utility.
Authentic & Innovative
Ongoing fiber innovation expands denim’s expressive range. Natural and eco-blends enhance cotton’s properties, infusing denim with comfort, functionality, structure, and sustainability.
Alternative stretch solutions like Ecomade Lycra® with 20% recycled spandex provide relaxed fits while preserving flexibility and strength.
THERMOLITE® EcoMade introduces heating properties to denim, offering invisible warmth while remaining lightweight and breathable. Composed of 85% recycled content, it embraces circularity and reduces environmental impact.
Exhibitor Xlance Fibre redefines workwear with sustainable elastic fibers produced via a clean melt spinning process, free from harmful solvents like DMAc or DMF traditionally used in spandex.
Wool enhances thermal regulation and brings a cozy feel to denim, making it ideal for colder seasons. Our new exhibitor, The Woolmark Company’s soft wool blend replaces some cotton weft yarns with machine-washable wool, marrying luxury and practicality.
Leveraging the soft, lightweight properties of cashmere, this season’s premium denim offers exceptional comfort even in the most rugged constructions.
Hemp brings a renewed sense of purpose to denim, blending sustainability with performance. Requiring significantly less water than cotton, it enriches the soil and sequesters carbon. Through cottonization, hemp fibers are standardized in length and texture, enabling higher percentages in denim blends. Distinctive in texture yet familiar in use, hemp honors denim’s traditions of softening and fading with wear.
With its naturally thermoregulating fibers, hemp provides warmth in winter and breathability in summer, adapting seamlessly to the rhythms of the seasons. Our exhibitor, Kombinat Konopny, harnesses this potential, transforming local crops into blankets and bags designed for year-round use.
Join us at the Denim Première Vision show to discover these exceptional pieces, on 21 and 22 May in Milan.
