The 94-Year-Old Denim Maker That Survived the Fast Fashion Collapse

This episode of The Turnaround Podcast examines how Cone Denim, a 94-year-old textile manufacturer from Greensboro, North Carolina, survived the brutal collapse of fast fashion and the shuttering of its largest customer. When Levi's and other jeans brands slashed orders in 2023, Cone lost roughly 40% of its revenue almost overnight. Lucas and Luna walk through the specific moves CEO Kim van der Weerd made: converting a mothballed mill into a premium selvedge denim line for independent brands, negotiating a sale-leaseback on its flagship plant to avoid bankruptcy, and tapping into the heritage denim revival that pushed its White Oak plant to capacity again by late 2025. They connect the story to today's market context, noting the S&P 500's 2.8% weekly drop and the broader shift away from disposable fashion. Listeners learn one concrete lesson: how a century-old company bet on scarcity and craftsmanship to outlast a demand collapse. #ConeDenim #KimVanDerWeerd #SelvedgeDenim #FastFashionCollapse #TextileIndustry #Restructuring #Turnaround #HeritageBrand #MadeInUSA #WhiteOakPlant #Levis #SupplyChain #Manufacturing #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TheTurnaroundPodcast #DistressedBusinesses Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo