Last Kingpins China-Hangzhou taking place at ADM More on May 21-22 closed an edition closed two days that brought together various international brands, new sustainable innovations, a hand-dyed custom gown created live at the event and a packed runway show.
While B2B exhibitors included top denim manufacturers like Advance Denim, Cone Denim, Dinghui Fashion, Dynamic Denim, Foison Textiles, GKL Denim, Hengfeng, Isko, Jeanologia, Prosperity Textile and Tencel by Lenzing, among the brands in attendance they welcomed Levi’s, Zara, H&M, Jack & Jones, Fila, Decor, 12 Storeez, Gap, Next, Gloria Jeans, and Toyou.
The show’s hybrid format delivered both a dedicated B2B sourcing floor for industry professionals, and a full public program of workshops, retail activations and inspirational initiatives.
The Denim Talks seminars ran throughout the event. Among others, trend forecaster Be Disobedient hosted “Denim Forecast: Curating The Market” given for the first time in Chinese.
Among the highlights of the event they hosted a runway show featuring styles from Toyou and Jack & Jones China, alongside pieces from Kingpins’ MSP (Most Sustainable Product) collection, which spotlighted sustainable innovations from show exhibitors.
Dinghui also designed several looks for the show, including a showstopping finale gown.
An indigo tie-dye workshop by Simwood and WeiShan San-Yi Tie-Dyed Industria hosted visitors who could transform everything–from shirts to shoes—while organizers simultaneously hand-dyed the Dinghui gown that closed the runway.
While Panther Denim and Tat Fung Textile invited guests to customize tote bags using botanical dyes, creating floral designs rooted in natural materials, 37°North by Dynamic Denim launched a limited-edition selvedge collection at the show. They sold 365 pairs of raw denim jeans and encourage buyers are encouraged to wear them daily for a year, letting body and lifestyle shape a truly personal wear pattern, then return to Hangzhou next year to show off the results.
The Vintage Showroom presented rare garments salvaged from a 19th-century shipwreck, telling the story of California Gold Rush-era prospectors, farmers and laborers through the clothes they actually wore.
“Our show in China keeps surprising us,” said Vivian Wang, CEO, Kingpins. “We continue to see energy, enthusiasm and a shared love of denim from the brands, the mills, the students, the public all showing up with genuine curiosity and creativity. We’re excited to gather and grow the Kingpins community, and that is why we keep coming back,” she added.
Wang also led two panel discussions in the Denim Talks seminar series. She moderated “Fiber to fabric: How China’s integrated supply chain is redefining denim innovation” and “The new China consumer: Beyond price, toward value and culture.”