It’s time to change, and stop the old, traditional techniques of denim fading.
Over the past 30 years or so, the denim garment industry was using dangerous products such as potassium permanganate and hypochlorite to achieve fading effect and vintage looks. Consequentially, in the last few years, the research made by several players for a substitute to those chemicals showed many alternatives in the market.
These were mostly products based on oxidizing agents, but they also had many inconveniences—damaging the metal parts of the equipment used in the process, reducing the fabric tearing strength, requiring complicated procedure which include heating, and last but not least, providing a harmful environment for the operators. In other words, they were not viable solutions.
“That’s why in Soko, we turned the page and created Lumia, a brand-new concept with nothing in common with the previous techniques,” said Matteo Urbini, Soko’s managing director. “But this isn’t just a mere upgrade, it’s actually a revolution.”
In short, Lumia is not a substitute—it’s not an oxidizing agent, it’s not acid and it doesn’t need heating to react. Lumia is not an alternative product, but rather an alternative method performed in a totally different way.
Lumia does not generate a reaction until it is activated by ozone, which is a unique and innovative concept. It’s easy to control because it works in dry conditions and can be applied full-body or locally for more targeted applications. It can also be used to highlight specific details like laser or distressed parts, or give an all-over bleach effect once it is nebulized inside the machine. In addition, for maximum fashion versatility, Lumia reaches high-quality results both on blue indigo and sulphur black denims.
Adding gravitas and proof to its green claims, LUMIA is certified by GOTS, ZDHC Level 3 and ECO-PASSPORT by Oeko-tex. Soko also filed an exhaustive patent application to secure its innovation within the industry.
Rising interest
Interest in Lumia is rising, both from an ecological and a process standpoint.
With Lumia, a single eco-friendly product is now replacing two hazardous ones, Urbini noted, adding that Lumia exalts contrasts and laser patterns so it can also replace other steps of a washing formula. This further reduces time and costs.
“What surprises our customer the most is the ability to bleach the garment in dry conditions,” Urbini said. “Have you ever seen a denim fade in 15 minutes without water or even humidity? And without the complications due to the use of hypochlorite? This is truly revolutionary.”
On the branded side, Soko’s Lumia has been used in Tejidos Royo’s denim collection, a unique denim dyed with one of the most sustainable system on the current market: Dry Indigo® / Dry Black® and the results have been optimal and surprising.
With Rojo, as per other fabric mills, Soko collaborates in research and in creating sustainable collections. “We believe in the combination and synergy of the entire supply chain from the fabric to the finished product, so that the whole process follows a single line and objective aimed at a product with a lower impact on the environment,” Urbini said.
For more information on Soko and its Lumia process, click here.
