Join us as we look back at Kingpins’ history, the iconic denim industry event. From the the first show, to the international expansion, events, partnerships and much more…
FIRST SHOW
The first Kingpins Show was held in 2004 in an art gallery on Mercer Street in New York’s SoHo neighbourhood. Andrew Olah, owner of textile marketing company Olah Inc., wanted to throw an intimate party to highlight the four textile collections of Olah’s Japanese supplier Kurabo: Kurabo Denim in Japan, Kurabo Piece Dyes in Japan, Kurabo Denim in China and Kurabo Piece Dyes in Thailand.
With advice from denim design maven Adriano Goldschmied, and help from Jane Ibarra (who was, at the time, with Gap Inc.), Olah invited other companies to join the exhibitor roster, including several Italian companies: Martelli (laundry), Cobra (hardware), Cadica (labels) and Olympias (piece-dyed fabric), as well as other suppliers from around the world, including Tunisia-based Sartex (now called Denim House), Portugal-based A2 from Portugal, Brazil-based Suape, Hong Kong-based Asia United and Canada-based Western Glove Works.
Goldschmied’s other recommendation to help the show’s launch: a graphic designer working with several Los Angeles-based denim brands, Vivian Wang, who designed the Kingpins logo and the first invitation. She continued to work as a graphic designer for the company, as it quickly established itself as the go-to denim supply chain trade show — as well a venue to connect the denim community.
FIRST EXPANSION
Wang joined Kingpins full-time in 2006 to produce the first Los Angeles edition of the show. Although Wang had never produced a trade show before, Olah told her to think of it as throwing a party for family and friends, which is exactly what she did. That first show was at the Marvimon House, a modernist indoor-outdoor space north of Downtown LA.
For several years, the Los Angeles edition moved around several venues, including the Smog Shoppe in Culver City, Calif., a 100% solar-powered former smog-certificate station, as well as other industrial venues before settling into the penthouse of the Cooper Design Space.
Vivian Wang and Andrew Olah
NEW YORK MOVES
Like the Los Angeles show, Kingpins New York bounced around several venues and neighborhoods including loft studio spaces and the city’s famed former nightclub The Tunnel in Chelsea, before landing at its longtime home at Pier 36 NYC (Basketball City) in 2015.
New York 2011
INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION
Kingpins brought its concept overseas, beginning in 2009, with the launch of Kingpins Hong Kong, followed by shows in Delhi, India, and Shanghai, and then two more shows in India, in Bangalore, and Mumbai.
Delhi 2011
CONNECTING THE INDUSTRY
Early in the show’s history, Olah brought members of the supply chain together to discuss burgeoning issues for the denim industry, including cotton prices, supply chain transparency, sustainability and circularity. Originally dubbed Cotton Talks, these discussions became in 2014 the Kingpins Transformers, a summit series spotlighting environmental and socially responsible efforts at every stage of the jean supply chain.The series ultimately was spun off into the separate and independent Transformers Foundation in 2020.
REFLECT, REFOCUS, REINVENT
By the end of 2012, there were multiple Kingpins shows happening around the world in seven cities: New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Delhi and Bangalore. For each show, organizers wanted to recreate the distinctive atmosphere of a Kingpins show, while also exploring what made each city special. For example, the first Shanghai show was held in a converted 19th-century factory overlooking the Suzhou River.
A new show in a new city, Kingpins Dhaka, was in the works when Olah and Wang decided to rethink Kingpins’ growth strategy. Instead of being everywhere, all the time, they decided in 2013 to focus on just a few cities: New York, Hong Kong and one other.
That location was up for debate until Wang (with introductions from Michelle Branch) traveled to Amsterdam, where she met Adriana Galijasevic, Jeans School’s Mariette Hoitink and James Veenhoff, and marketing agency Wink. Those connections —and encouragement from local officials —convinced Olah and Wang to select Amsterdam as it’s newest city.
Shanghai 2011
A SECOND HOME IN AMSTERDAM
The first Kingpins Amsterdam debuted in 2014 at the Gashouder Westergasfabriek, a former 19th-century coal gas factory, which has been converted into an events venue with an unusual round space. It wasn’t just the floorplan that was distinctive. Kingpins Amsterdam also joined forces with Denim Days, a city-wide consumer-facing celebration of all things denim. Now the B2B trade show was followed by a B2C event spread across the city. Concurrently, the Global Denim Awards paired innovative denim designers with forward-looking denim mills and the resulting collections were presented in a runway show for the denim and fashion communities.
One of Kingpins’ proudest moments occurred in the days leading up to that first Amsterdam show, when the city’s Mayor, Eberhard van der Laan, hosted an event for our exhibitors at his home to show appreciation for Kingpins’ arrival and to thank exhibitors.
Denim Days NY 2019
EXPERIMENTATION & MEASURED GROWTH
As Kingpins consistently worked to curate the best, most innovative lineup for its shows in New York, Hong Kong and Amsterdam, organizers continued to test new markets and opportunities, including Why, a show for branding, featuring label, button and zipper suppliers, held in 2016 alongside Kingpins Amsterdam, as well as an introduction to the Latin American market in 2017 with Kingpins Miami.
ROAD SHOW
Kingpins headed further into mainland China in 2019 with the launch of the China City Tour, a traveling trade show that made stops in several key denim cities.
China City 2016
A PLACE FOR COMMUNITY
Early in the show’s history, it was clear that Kingpins was more than a place to exhibit products, it also became a meetingplace for the denim community to come together and share their knowledge and experiences. So it was only natural that Kingpins became the place to celebrate important milestones. In 2013, the show marked the 75th anniversary of Candiani with a party and a cake in the shape of a life-sized pair of jeans. To celebrate Cone’s 110th anniversary in 2015, there was a cake in the shape of a loom machine. Over the years, Kingpins celebrated many significant anniversaries — including Rudolf (100 years in 2022), Bossa (72 years in 2023) and Orta (70 years in 2023) and — at Kingpins events.
This year, as Kingpins marked its 20th year in business at Kingpins New York, Lycra joined in the festivities, celebrating its 20th year exhibiting at Kingpins. When Lenzing celebrated the 20th anniversary of Tencel in 2012, Andrew Olah and many members of the Kingpins community were on hand in Mobile, Ala., the site of the company’s Tencel production factory, to mark the occasion. This is one of the many traditions show organizers plan to carry into the future.
Vivian Wang and Andrew Olah
EXPLORING THE VIRTUAL MARKETPLACE
Kingpins began investigating the virtual marketplace with a partnership in 2020 Material Exchange, which allowed Kingpins exhibitors to present their products through Material Exchange’s digital platform, allowing buyers to source denim products year-round. A year later, Material Exchange acquired the textile agency portion of Kingpins’ parent Olah Inc. Today, Kingpins exhibitors and attendees can access Material Exchange offerings such as Deadstock Depot, a digital market of excess fabric inventory, and Frank, an AI sourcing assistant.
PARTNERING FOR BETTER DENIM & A BETTER WORLD
Sustainable development and social responsibility has been core to all Kingpins shows since the early days. In 2020, Kingpins was named an official partner of the Conscious Fashion Campaign, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, in support of the UN’s 2030 agenda, the global roadmap aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet and tackling inequalities. As a partner, Kingpins committed to promoting and supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals within the denim industry at its events globally.
LA 2012
PANDEMIC-DRIVEN SHIFT
The COVID-19 pandemic slammed on the breaks for businesses around the world and Kingpins was no exception. With great sadness, organizers in 2020 made the tough decision to cancel shows — first Amsterdam, then New York and then China. While travel and in-person meetings were canceled, business went on and Kingpins organized and launched Kingpins24, a virtual event that included live and streaming content that kept the community connected, informed and at work.
Although Kingpins remained virtual for two years, the show continued to explore new markets by hosting special regional editions of Kingpins24 for Canada and Australia.
KP 24 virtual
BACK TO (IN-PERSON) BUSINESS
Post-pandemic, Kingpins returned to in-person exhibition in 2022 with shows in Amsterdam and New York.
For Amsterdam, the return meant a new location, SugarCity, a converted sugar refinery with a multi-level, industrial vibe. Now called Sugar Factory, it remains Kingpins’ home in Amsterdam, where the company will celebrate its 10th year in the city during its Oct. 23-24 run.
Amsterdam 2022
CONNECTING THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY
Show organizers continued to connect with denim communities around the world, starting in 2023 with an intimate event in Medellin, Colombia, followed by a pop-up event in Hong Kong, where attendees explored a mix of B2B and B2C activities and events.
Kingpins Medellin
NEW PARTNERSHIPS
Messe Frankfurt became a shareholder in Kingpins in 2023. Under the agreement with the 800-year-old trade show organizer, Kingpins continues to operate independently as a platform for the industry to meet, network and share information and insights — all with the same blueprint and atmosphere.
For the trade show giant, it meant the addition of the premiere, boutique denim supply chain show to Messe Frankfurt’s portfolio of 250 annual events. For Kingpins, it was an acknowledgement of the show’s success and an opportunity to connect with a wider audience in other industries.
BACK TO CHINA
After a four-year-hiatus, Kingpins returned to China in 2024 with a B2B and B2C format in Hangzhou.
PLEASE READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY