Nilorn rides denim wave

With sales of jeans soaring as they continue to be a staple of the British wardrobe, one company – Nilorn UK – is thriving on the back of the denim revolution.

According to a recent report from market analysts Mintel, three pairs of jeans will be sold every second of every day this year, with 86 million due to be sold by the end of the year in the UK. 

‘Jeans are the ultimate fashion success story,’ says Chris Wildman, brand sales manager at Nilorn UK.  ‘Today, we not only wear jeans lounging in front of the TV, but we are also happy to wear them for a night out on the town or for a day at the office. More recently, we have even seen celebrities wearing them down the red carpet. That’s why many of us have several pairs of jeans hanging in our wardrobe. ‘

No surprise, then, that sales in the UK are set to hit 1.5bn by end of 2007, an increase of over 40 percent in the last five years, reaching 2.1bn by 2012.   This spells good news for the label industry.

‘There isn’t just one label on a pair of jeans,’ says Wildman.  ‘Apart from the main labels (inside the jeans, leather tag, hang tag and back pocket flasher), you have stitching on back pockets; a flag/tab, the small but important signature label normally sewn to the side of the back pocket and a fly label, a woven label sewn to the fly of the jeans.’

Labels and hang tags do the talking, serving as the first connection between consumers and the product by playing an important role in strengthening the brand and capturing the attention of customers in a store setting.  The label communicates the message the manufacturer wants to get across. An expensive label will draw the eye of those looking for quality whereas an eccentric label is more likely to capture the attention of someone who is quirky.
Over the years Nilorn has seen an increase in more exciting raw materials being requested – from rubber and molded plastic’s – to make a brand label stand out from its rivals.  Leather and leather-look labels still remain popular especially for the patch on the waistband.

Says Wildman: ‘Brands are becoming much more discerning about the labels and opting to choose materials or colors that make their labels more appealing.  Plastics and rubber are particularly common on jeans that are targeted at the younger, funkier end of the market.’