Weatherwize®, Weave's Answer to Sunbrella® Will Debut at Decosit.
August 5, 2004
HACKENSACK, NJ—Weave Corporation will launch Weatherwize®, a spun 100 percent performance-enhanced polyester fabric for indoor/outdoor use at Decosit 2004 in September. Weatherwize is Weaves contender in the casual fabric business against the champion in this field, Glen Raven Mill's Sunbrella®.
"Weatherwize is geared to the jobber, furniture manufacturer and retailer whose customers demand more sophisticated and fashion forward options than are currently available in the market place," said Roger Berkley, owner of Weave. ''We are designing custom packages for those of our clients who usually bring their own design and color aesthetics to their product offerings. Our customers have asked for such a product and now we have given it to them." Weave Corporation, with headquarters here, is a family-owned, designer weaver and importer of fine fabrics for upholstery. The company's clients are among the leading distributors and furniture manufacturers in the world.
Berkley believes Weatherwize will have Sunbrella against the ropes. "Unlike Sunbrella, Weatherwize has no limitations on design or coloration. Sunbrella is a solution-dyed acrylic product originally developed for the awning business with limited yarn sizes available. There is no such limitation with Weatherwize,'' Berkley said.
How do Weatherwize specifications compare with Sunbrella's? Berkley says that Weatherwize meets all the technical specs of Sunbrella. "The critical specification that it exceeds is the fashion possibilities. Sunbrella is a solution-dyed acrylic that is very limited in both yarn diversity and color diversity. While Sunbury has done a fine job of maximizing the limited possibilities inherent in such a dramatically limited yarn bank, Weatherwize is only limited by our and our customers' imaginations. We are already developing new directions for the next collection," he says.
Weatherwize will not fade in normal use, since it is 1000 hours lightfast, providing consumers with as much as five colorfast summers of use. It is anti-microbial and anti-bacterial and resists abrasion and pilling. Weatherwize cleans easily with warm water, a mild detergent, and a little non-chlorine bleach. It also has a moisture barrier to help protect cushion material.
The new Weatherwize collection includes 27 patterns in at least 150 SKUs and sells between US$12.00-US$25.00 per meter in transitional, traditional, and contemporary themes. Weatherwize products have a silky hand instead of the wooly hand associated with acrylic based fabrics, making the product suitable for the tropics or summer in colder climates, according to Berkley.
Based on initial reactions from Weaver's customers, the market seems to be much larger than expected, according to Berkley, ''Frankly,'' said Berkley. ''I have no idea what the sales will be in five years, but (I) can tell you that we have some clients who have stayed out of the category because there hasn't been anything worth buying until now and they are planning to enter the arena with Weatherwize collections."
In terms of performance, the Wyzenbeeck rub test results for Weatherwize depend on the variety of weaves in each pattern, says Berkley. He said their initial collection runs from 15,000 to 50,000 double rubs, and the company has not done Martindale tests. The spun polyester product they are using in the weft was manufactured using a process that enhances abrasion performance.
"Weatherwize has superior abrasion resistance to other products in the field. It is anti-microbial and antibacterial. Before weaving, Weatherwize yarn is topically treated with a micro biostatic agent which inhibits the growth of odor causing bacteria that cause staining and discoloration, fungi, mold, mildew and algae. This micro biostatic agent is permanently bonded to the yarn. It cannot wash off," said Berkley.
Weatherwize is aimed at residential use both indoors and out, and some of Weaver's clients are planning to offer it for hospitality and contract—uses that require an effective moisture repellant, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, and extreme light fastness.
"Weatherwize is geared to the jobber, furniture manufacturer and retailer whose customers demand more sophisticated and fashion forward options than are currently available in the market place," said Roger Berkley, owner of Weave. ''We are designing custom packages for those of our clients who usually bring their own design and color aesthetics to their product offerings. Our customers have asked for such a product and now we have given it to them." Weave Corporation, with headquarters here, is a family-owned, designer weaver and importer of fine fabrics for upholstery. The company's clients are among the leading distributors and furniture manufacturers in the world.
Berkley believes Weatherwize will have Sunbrella against the ropes. "Unlike Sunbrella, Weatherwize has no limitations on design or coloration. Sunbrella is a solution-dyed acrylic product originally developed for the awning business with limited yarn sizes available. There is no such limitation with Weatherwize,'' Berkley said.
How do Weatherwize specifications compare with Sunbrella's? Berkley says that Weatherwize meets all the technical specs of Sunbrella. "The critical specification that it exceeds is the fashion possibilities. Sunbrella is a solution-dyed acrylic that is very limited in both yarn diversity and color diversity. While Sunbury has done a fine job of maximizing the limited possibilities inherent in such a dramatically limited yarn bank, Weatherwize is only limited by our and our customers' imaginations. We are already developing new directions for the next collection," he says.
Weatherwize will not fade in normal use, since it is 1000 hours lightfast, providing consumers with as much as five colorfast summers of use. It is anti-microbial and anti-bacterial and resists abrasion and pilling. Weatherwize cleans easily with warm water, a mild detergent, and a little non-chlorine bleach. It also has a moisture barrier to help protect cushion material.
The new Weatherwize collection includes 27 patterns in at least 150 SKUs and sells between US$12.00-US$25.00 per meter in transitional, traditional, and contemporary themes. Weatherwize products have a silky hand instead of the wooly hand associated with acrylic based fabrics, making the product suitable for the tropics or summer in colder climates, according to Berkley.
Based on initial reactions from Weaver's customers, the market seems to be much larger than expected, according to Berkley, ''Frankly,'' said Berkley. ''I have no idea what the sales will be in five years, but (I) can tell you that we have some clients who have stayed out of the category because there hasn't been anything worth buying until now and they are planning to enter the arena with Weatherwize collections."
In terms of performance, the Wyzenbeeck rub test results for Weatherwize depend on the variety of weaves in each pattern, says Berkley. He said their initial collection runs from 15,000 to 50,000 double rubs, and the company has not done Martindale tests. The spun polyester product they are using in the weft was manufactured using a process that enhances abrasion performance.
"Weatherwize has superior abrasion resistance to other products in the field. It is anti-microbial and antibacterial. Before weaving, Weatherwize yarn is topically treated with a micro biostatic agent which inhibits the growth of odor causing bacteria that cause staining and discoloration, fungi, mold, mildew and algae. This micro biostatic agent is permanently bonded to the yarn. It cannot wash off," said Berkley.
Weatherwize is aimed at residential use both indoors and out, and some of Weaver's clients are planning to offer it for hospitality and contract—uses that require an effective moisture repellant, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, and extreme light fastness.
