Performance Fabrics Fair Well in Las Vegas
June 8, 2006
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – The best of the best came to the Sands Expo Center for HD Expo in April and proved that to stay alive in this business, your options need to have a wide appeal in order to keep a designer's attention.
We walked the halls of the biggest hospitality show in the U.S. to find that the need for performance is running high as well as for boutique-style fabrics that offer a sexy edge to any design project.
"A big focus for us is all our performance fabrics – high abrasion, heavy wear," said Jim Ennis, president and CEO of J. Ennis Fabrics, Ltd., a wholesale distributor in Edmonton, Canada.
Their Crypton products, as well as their Sunbrella indoor/outdoor program are popular pieces for them. "So we have some real strong brands we distribute for the hospitality market," Ennis said. "Everybody's pushing performance fabric. All of the mills are. In North America, everybody's looking for fabric that can withstand day-to-day rigors."
Woven goods have also become a popular commodity and texture. Kristin Harris, product development for David Dee Hospitality Textiles and Prints said that the company is very excited about their new woven goods which are coming out. With the company's print capabilities that they are known for applied to the new wovens, Harris said customers are in for some neat options to choose from.
Kathleen Schuch, contract sales representative for Brunschwig & Fils who was manning their booth, said their newest introduction for contract is their Outdoor Living collection. "But when I show it I call it indoor/outdoor living," she said of the line that has great capabilities for both indoor and outdoor applications. She said it is most appropriate for spas and hotels in more humid, hot climates.
Their selection of wovens is also popular she said at 100 percent acrylic with a Teflon coating. "I think they're friendly," she said.
"It's something you can sort of melt into and feel more comfortable about. A woven reminds you of comfort."
One of Brunschwig & Fils newest vendors – Kirkbrummel – recently had many of its designs completely rewoven into 100 percent Trevira CS in order to meet the needs of contract customers.
"We try to find more cutting edge, boutique-type fabrics," said Richard Foss, vice president of sales for Maharam. A good example of that is Ply, a textile with multi-colored yarns running vertically through an embedded polyurethane.
Maharam displayed a number of unique collections from a number of well-known textile designers in the industry, such as Tord Boontje and Paul Smith. Both Boontje and Smith are a good example of the fashion industry crossing over into contract, said Foss.
These collaborations have brought fresh design perspectives to Maharam collections, according to Foss and Leah Greavu, sales rep.
"I think the trend right now is there is no trend," said Cliff Goldman, president of Carnegie Fabrics. He said a number of products have proven to be popular, including a contemporary, graphic line called Tattoo, which was shown in Vegas. Their Trevira CS sheers, knits, laser cut fabrics as well as classic plushes and velvets are also evoking good reactions from customers. Kathy Marold, director of contract development for Bergamo Contract said that they've seen the market getting a bit more sophisticated, with more of a downplay of bright colors. To react to that, many of their fabrics were shown in darker, deeper colors, such as rich purples and browns.
We walked the halls of the biggest hospitality show in the U.S. to find that the need for performance is running high as well as for boutique-style fabrics that offer a sexy edge to any design project.
"A big focus for us is all our performance fabrics – high abrasion, heavy wear," said Jim Ennis, president and CEO of J. Ennis Fabrics, Ltd., a wholesale distributor in Edmonton, Canada.
Their Crypton products, as well as their Sunbrella indoor/outdoor program are popular pieces for them. "So we have some real strong brands we distribute for the hospitality market," Ennis said. "Everybody's pushing performance fabric. All of the mills are. In North America, everybody's looking for fabric that can withstand day-to-day rigors."
Woven goods have also become a popular commodity and texture. Kristin Harris, product development for David Dee Hospitality Textiles and Prints said that the company is very excited about their new woven goods which are coming out. With the company's print capabilities that they are known for applied to the new wovens, Harris said customers are in for some neat options to choose from.
Kathleen Schuch, contract sales representative for Brunschwig & Fils who was manning their booth, said their newest introduction for contract is their Outdoor Living collection. "But when I show it I call it indoor/outdoor living," she said of the line that has great capabilities for both indoor and outdoor applications. She said it is most appropriate for spas and hotels in more humid, hot climates.
Their selection of wovens is also popular she said at 100 percent acrylic with a Teflon coating. "I think they're friendly," she said.
"It's something you can sort of melt into and feel more comfortable about. A woven reminds you of comfort."
One of Brunschwig & Fils newest vendors – Kirkbrummel – recently had many of its designs completely rewoven into 100 percent Trevira CS in order to meet the needs of contract customers.
"We try to find more cutting edge, boutique-type fabrics," said Richard Foss, vice president of sales for Maharam. A good example of that is Ply, a textile with multi-colored yarns running vertically through an embedded polyurethane.
Maharam displayed a number of unique collections from a number of well-known textile designers in the industry, such as Tord Boontje and Paul Smith. Both Boontje and Smith are a good example of the fashion industry crossing over into contract, said Foss.
These collaborations have brought fresh design perspectives to Maharam collections, according to Foss and Leah Greavu, sales rep.
"I think the trend right now is there is no trend," said Cliff Goldman, president of Carnegie Fabrics. He said a number of products have proven to be popular, including a contemporary, graphic line called Tattoo, which was shown in Vegas. Their Trevira CS sheers, knits, laser cut fabrics as well as classic plushes and velvets are also evoking good reactions from customers. Kathy Marold, director of contract development for Bergamo Contract said that they've seen the market getting a bit more sophisticated, with more of a downplay of bright colors. To react to that, many of their fabrics were shown in darker, deeper colors, such as rich purples and browns.
