Two industry powerhouses, Cone Denim® and Westex by Milliken, the flame resistant (FR) textiles business of global manufacturer Milliken & Company, are pleased to announce they have extended their exclusive partnership to provide innovative flame resistant denim apparel fabrics for the industrial workwear market through 2025. 

The partnership began in 2015 with a joint collaboration to merge fashion with protection and supply an unmet need for guaranteed FR denim to provide the same comfort and style of everyday denim clothing for industrial workers.

Under the extended agreement, Cone Denim is the sole supplier of indigo, dyed greige denim fabric for Westex by Milliken to engineer to be flame resistant. Westex Indigo® fabrics combine market-proven FR protection with upgrades in look, feel and comfort, and advancements in fabric design that offer better mobility and durability for premium performance, without compromising safety. 

“This partnership has been very well received by the marketplace and has grown consistently every year since it began,” says Steve Maggard, president of Cone Denim. “It is rare that you find a partnership between two U.S.-based companies where each has such a long and steeped history of innovation that spans more than 125 years for Cone and 153 years for Milliken. We are very excited to expand our relationship with Westex by Milliken and continue our collaboration to create innovative protective denim fabrics.”

“FR denim is a needed option for everyday FR apparel - promoting safety on the job in a comfortable and preferred garment that mirrors streetwear,” commented Tom Moore, national market director for the Westex by Milliken business. “Our partnership with Cone Denim allows us to provide quality denim fabrics with guaranteed FR protection that make adopting everyday FR apparel easy.”

About Cone Denim

A leading denim innovator for more than 125 years, Cone Denim delivers unparalleled expertise and advanced denim capabilities that service and inspire the global market. Cone promotes both sustainable practices in its operations and development of new denims. From performance denims and superior SGENE® technology to vintage re-creations of CONE® Deeptone Denim reaching back to the early 1900s, Cone offers unique collections of PERFORMANCE, STRETCH, SELVAGE, and NATURAL INDIGO denims crafted out of the Cone®3D R&D incubator.  Cone Denim operates aspart ofElevate Textiles, Inc., formerly International Textile Group, Inc. (ITG), with manufacturing capabilities in Mexico and China and a global network of sales, product and merchandising professionals based out of Greensboro, NC.  Learn more at www.conedenim.com, instagram.com/conedenim, and facebook.com/conedenim.

About Westex by Milliken

Westex by Milliken, a Milliken & Company business, has more than 60 years of experience manufacturing flame resistant fabrics. Millions of garments made with Westex® brand FR fabrics are in service globally in the utility, electrical maintenance, oil and gas, and metals industries. With a strong commitment to the FR clothing marketplace and a deep understanding of the needs of the FR supply-chain and end users, Westex by Milliken has a proven track record of offering FR fabrics with an excellent balance of protection, comfort and value. For more information, visit www.westex.com, and join us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 

About Milliken

Milliken has been solving everyday problems with innovative solutions for more than 150 years. Our research, design and manufacturing expertise reaches across a breadth of disciplines including specialty chemicals, floor covering, and performance and protective textiles. An unwavering commitment to ethics guides our work to redefine how we add strength and protection to products, how we infuse vibrancy and color into our surroundings, and how we care for the environment. For us, success is when discoveries made within Milliken help us all have more meaningful connections with the world. Discover Milliken at www.milliken.com, and join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.