SFI Inks Denimville Deal to Manufacture in Guatemala
A new strategic partnership enables Star Fades International (SFI) to double down on its effort to support nearshoring in the Americas.
The Artistic Milliners-owned laundry facility headquartered in Commerce, Calif. announced Monday an agreement with Denimville, a Guatemala City-based garment manufacturer owned by Denimatrix LLC, extending its nearshoring network deeper into Central America.
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SFI customers can now take advantage of Denimville’s speedy close-to-market production. Known for quick turns on samples and production, the more than 750,000-square-foot facility can produce 400,000 units and 1,500 samples per month. The factory offers garment sewing, washing and dyeing, sustainable ozone and waterless finishing, and dry processing.
The agreement follows the June announcement that SFI had opened its first office in Guatemala City under the direction of Alejandro Arias, SFI’s vice president sourcing, Central America. The former Li & Fung and Gap Inc. executive has over 20 years of supply chain and operations experience in Latin America.
“At SFI, we recognize the need for quality textile sourcing, garment manufacturing and denim finishing in close proximity to the United States,” Arias said. “We are establishing relationships with the best factories in the region to allow our customers to realize speed, flexibility and ease of doing business, while maintaining high-caliber standards for production and sustainability.”
The agreement with Denimville builds on SFI’s existing partnerships with sourcing partners in Mexico and the U.S. The nearshoring network includes a supply of fabric sourced in the U.S., Mexico and Central America, allowing manufacturers and brands to reduce costs by importing products under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the Dominican Republic-Central America FTA (CAFTA-DR) trade agreements.
“Our customers can count on localized expertise and the latest technology to help usher their products quickly through the production pipeline,” said Sergio Turbay, SFI’s EVP of global sales and strategy. “We have experienced teams in the U.S., Mexico and Central America to help guide customers’ products through the design, development and production process.”
The network can save six to seven weeks of transportation time compared to production coming from Asia, SFI reports, allowing customers to respond to trends, avoid retail markdowns and offer just-in-time deliveries. Additionally, SFI’s digital product creation team further streamlines the sampling and production timeline by using 3D design software such as Browzwear and CLO to help clients perfect their designs and fit.
“Premium denim brands and retailers come to us for our experience and expertise,” said Daniel Hernandez, Denimville CEO, adding that the partnership with SFI expands the company’s reach internationally while giving the manufacturer a presence in L.A.
As part of the agreement, Denimville will have access to SFI’s state-of-the-art development center and expert team in California.
Denimville is working on several sustainable initiatives to reduce water, energy and chemical usage. It has implemented Jeanologia’s EMI metrics to measure the environmental impact of garment finishing processes. The manufacturer is also incorporating Denim Forward’s wash technology and is looking to invest in automatic cutting technology to raise quality and improve efficiencies.
Artistic Milliners’ nearshoring journey began in 2020 when it acquired the California laundry facility. It provides custom wash and finishing services, as well as full-package production for a customer line-up that includes large international retailers as well as niche luxury labels.
