Fabric with Foresight: Five Companies Launch New Takes on Seasoned Products
December 18, 2009
OSSINING, New York - This year has proven to be a Darwinian challenge for the textile industry as companies have had to reevaluate their products and restrategize, surfacing newfound ways to counter the economic turmoil. While leather and velvets remain timeless staples of hospitality design, the following five companies offer these fabrics with a bright new vision, both high-tech and fashion-forward, illustrating the tenacity and foresight that is necessary to not only survive, but succeed in today's economic climate.
Tiger Imports/Appian Textiles Announces New Icon Collection
GREENSBORO, North Carolina - Tiger Imports started 10 years ago and is still going strong, boasting higher sales in 2009 than 2008, thanks to its impressive tanneries and increasingly provocative designs.
''Our tanneries are in Northern Italy in the foothills of the Dolomites north of Venice,'' explained Matthew Dehnert, Vice President of Sales. ''[Our leather] is more durable than automobile leather, it's waterproof and stiletto-proof but looks sumptuous enough to be boots and bags.''
Tiger began designing fabrics for the hospitality industry five years ago doing fashion-inspired contract grade leather in jewel-like colors and high-gloss finishes. The newest collection is called Icon and has everything from iridescent crocodile to lizard in a dusty platinum color. ''We're a year ahead of fashion,'' insisted Dehnert.
Appian Textiles, in its second year as the sister company to Tiger, designs strictly for the hospitality industry, most recently collaborating with Laurie Bell on a line of rugs and fabrics.
Appian and Tiger's president Tommy Lee attributes his companiesf success not only to innovative new designs but also location. ''We have competitive price points and higher-end design looks because we don't have NYC lease rates,'' said Lee. ''It's custom-focused with fashion-inspired cues.'' ''We've been the best kept secret in hospitality but we don't want to be a secret anymore,'' said Dehnert.
Valley Forge Embraces a New Collaboration and Eco-Friendly Business Model
POMPANO BEACH, Florida - While some companies rely on new designs to bolster sales, Valley Forge has rethought the very way it makes its fabric, embracing high-tech techniques for a new velvet collaboration with Jonathan Adler as well as with TENCEL plus, a eucalyptus-based fabric. Valley Forge has succeeded in profoundly greening their practices and gaining sizable profits, a combination that is difficult to achieve.
''2009 has been, like its been for everybody, a challenge,'' said Diana Dobin, Senior Vice President. ''But we're weathering the storm better than the big guys because we've been fiscally conservative. We've saved and been careful.''
The coupling of the velvet line with the new eco-savvy TENCEL+PLUS has offered a successful launch model for other companies to follow illustrating both technological and stylistic progressions.
Volumes of Velvet is a three-part collection featuring 18 patterns in 17 colorways complete with playful graphics, bold stripes, and somber solids. ''I'm blown away by Valley Forge's technological know-how,'' said Jonathan Adler, potter-turned-reknown interior designer. ''The fabric feels like the highest grade velvet in the residential market but with better colors and hospitality performance requirements.''
Valley Forge has also seen success with their newest fabric offering, Tencel Plus, which is a high-end bedding line comprised of eucalyptus tree pulp that is spun into fibre. Eucalyptus trees reach full maturity in eight years rendering them ''rapidly renewable,'' growing up to 120 feet in those eight years. All of Valley Forges trees come from forests protected by the FSC (Forestry Service Council) who make sure that only 10 percent of the forest is cut down at a time.
Tencel Plus is currently being beta tested by six different hotel brands but Dobin is confident in its success. ''Our 300 count feels like 600,'' said Dobin. ''It looks delicate but its very hearty. The best part is the mills are also 100 percent off the grid. And, believe it or not, the water is so clean that comes from the mill, you could drink it.''
''We are watching the world, not just the industry fall apart,'' continued Dobin. ''In 2007, we implemented some costly changes and by 2008 we had launched FRESH and eighteen months later we have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent and we had a 20 percent revenue increase.''
Edelman Leather Announces New Showroom, Upholstery Line and President
NEW MILFORD, Connecticut - Edelman Leather is countering an uncertain market with a new showroom, new upholstery which uses supple bookbinding leather and a new President.
John Edelman has officially left the company with new President Amy Harrah, taking over the helm. Two years ago this October, Edelman leather was sold to Knoll textiles for a reported $70 million.
Edelman's new space in the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour in London is the company's twelfth showroom to date. With a lengthy history beginning in the 1950s sourcing leather for the fashion industry with Andy Warhol as graphic designer, Edelman has continually evolved to reflect the times currently boasting leather in more than 750 colors and 60 textures.
The new bookbinding leather is incredibly soft and treated with a special vegetable dye that heightens the grain dramatically. There are also nine new colors in somber shades like Whiskey and Burnt Orange.
Fabricut Announces New Collaboration with Lillian August
TULSA, Oklahoma While Fabricut has more than five decades under its belt, evolving from a two-man partnership to a renowned fabric distributor, itfs still been a challenging year, forcing the company to focus on the epicenter of its success: designers.
''Business is harder to get and certainly it's indicative of the economy,'' said Harvey Nudelman, President. ''The wave lifts all the boats the same. It didn't at first, but now it's a bit slower. On the good side wefre up to the same rate in memo sampling. We feel that no matter what the economy is, we must inspire designers.''
Not only are Fabricut's velvets being used in MGM Mirage's new CityCenter on the Las Vegas Strip, but the company also has a new collaboration with Lillian August, ''Townhouse,'' which has two books featuring patterns in sumptuous velvets and chenilles, textured wovens, damasks and silks with a touch of whimsy and bold jacquards. The Neutral Palette has a range of chocolaty browns as well as off-whites, linen tones and grays, while the Colour Palette celebrates the brights of nature in sky blues, rusty oranges and moss greens.
Nudelman explained that Fabricut stocks excessive yardage to satisfy immediate needs, catering again to the designers who may need something quickly to satisfy a client.
Swavelle Mill Creek Relies on Recycled Materials to Boost Sales
NEW YORK, New York - While Swavelle/Mill Creek Fabrics has suffered significant revenue drops during 2009, the company is composed and confident for 2010 due to the release of a new line, the ReUse Collection, which features a polyurethane face and a recycled leather backing, due to emerge in December.
''It was awful for the first six months of the year,'' said Ed Marquez, sales manager for Swavelle/ Mill Creek Fabrics. ''June saw some stabilization but nowhere near what enormalf was in '07 and '08. It's been steady now.''
The recycled leather line will come in eight patterns, 120 colors and 54-inch-widths. ''Instead of new resources we incorporate recycled leather from throughout the industry,'' Marquez explained. gItfs grinded up into granules and we plaster it to the back of the fabric. It gets flocked to cotton. The backing is what makes it feel supple.
In conjunction with the release of the ReUse Recycled leather program, Swavelle is also launching a ''Think'' campaign that will encourage designers to more closely consider their ecological footprint. ''We hope this will inspire designers to look at the best alternatives and if a recycled product is available and meets their projects demands that it be specified,'' said Marquez. ''All of our products that contain recycled material will be tagged with a 'book mark.'''
Tiger Imports/Appian Textiles Announces New Icon Collection
GREENSBORO, North Carolina - Tiger Imports started 10 years ago and is still going strong, boasting higher sales in 2009 than 2008, thanks to its impressive tanneries and increasingly provocative designs.
''Our tanneries are in Northern Italy in the foothills of the Dolomites north of Venice,'' explained Matthew Dehnert, Vice President of Sales. ''[Our leather] is more durable than automobile leather, it's waterproof and stiletto-proof but looks sumptuous enough to be boots and bags.''
Tiger began designing fabrics for the hospitality industry five years ago doing fashion-inspired contract grade leather in jewel-like colors and high-gloss finishes. The newest collection is called Icon and has everything from iridescent crocodile to lizard in a dusty platinum color. ''We're a year ahead of fashion,'' insisted Dehnert.
Appian Textiles, in its second year as the sister company to Tiger, designs strictly for the hospitality industry, most recently collaborating with Laurie Bell on a line of rugs and fabrics.
Appian and Tiger's president Tommy Lee attributes his companiesf success not only to innovative new designs but also location. ''We have competitive price points and higher-end design looks because we don't have NYC lease rates,'' said Lee. ''It's custom-focused with fashion-inspired cues.'' ''We've been the best kept secret in hospitality but we don't want to be a secret anymore,'' said Dehnert.
Valley Forge Embraces a New Collaboration and Eco-Friendly Business Model
POMPANO BEACH, Florida - While some companies rely on new designs to bolster sales, Valley Forge has rethought the very way it makes its fabric, embracing high-tech techniques for a new velvet collaboration with Jonathan Adler as well as with TENCEL plus, a eucalyptus-based fabric. Valley Forge has succeeded in profoundly greening their practices and gaining sizable profits, a combination that is difficult to achieve.
''2009 has been, like its been for everybody, a challenge,'' said Diana Dobin, Senior Vice President. ''But we're weathering the storm better than the big guys because we've been fiscally conservative. We've saved and been careful.''
The coupling of the velvet line with the new eco-savvy TENCEL+PLUS has offered a successful launch model for other companies to follow illustrating both technological and stylistic progressions.
Volumes of Velvet is a three-part collection featuring 18 patterns in 17 colorways complete with playful graphics, bold stripes, and somber solids. ''I'm blown away by Valley Forge's technological know-how,'' said Jonathan Adler, potter-turned-reknown interior designer. ''The fabric feels like the highest grade velvet in the residential market but with better colors and hospitality performance requirements.''
Valley Forge has also seen success with their newest fabric offering, Tencel Plus, which is a high-end bedding line comprised of eucalyptus tree pulp that is spun into fibre. Eucalyptus trees reach full maturity in eight years rendering them ''rapidly renewable,'' growing up to 120 feet in those eight years. All of Valley Forges trees come from forests protected by the FSC (Forestry Service Council) who make sure that only 10 percent of the forest is cut down at a time.
Tencel Plus is currently being beta tested by six different hotel brands but Dobin is confident in its success. ''Our 300 count feels like 600,'' said Dobin. ''It looks delicate but its very hearty. The best part is the mills are also 100 percent off the grid. And, believe it or not, the water is so clean that comes from the mill, you could drink it.''
''We are watching the world, not just the industry fall apart,'' continued Dobin. ''In 2007, we implemented some costly changes and by 2008 we had launched FRESH and eighteen months later we have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent and we had a 20 percent revenue increase.''
Edelman Leather Announces New Showroom, Upholstery Line and President
NEW MILFORD, Connecticut - Edelman Leather is countering an uncertain market with a new showroom, new upholstery which uses supple bookbinding leather and a new President.
John Edelman has officially left the company with new President Amy Harrah, taking over the helm. Two years ago this October, Edelman leather was sold to Knoll textiles for a reported $70 million.
Edelman's new space in the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour in London is the company's twelfth showroom to date. With a lengthy history beginning in the 1950s sourcing leather for the fashion industry with Andy Warhol as graphic designer, Edelman has continually evolved to reflect the times currently boasting leather in more than 750 colors and 60 textures.
The new bookbinding leather is incredibly soft and treated with a special vegetable dye that heightens the grain dramatically. There are also nine new colors in somber shades like Whiskey and Burnt Orange.
Fabricut Announces New Collaboration with Lillian August
TULSA, Oklahoma While Fabricut has more than five decades under its belt, evolving from a two-man partnership to a renowned fabric distributor, itfs still been a challenging year, forcing the company to focus on the epicenter of its success: designers.
''Business is harder to get and certainly it's indicative of the economy,'' said Harvey Nudelman, President. ''The wave lifts all the boats the same. It didn't at first, but now it's a bit slower. On the good side wefre up to the same rate in memo sampling. We feel that no matter what the economy is, we must inspire designers.''
Not only are Fabricut's velvets being used in MGM Mirage's new CityCenter on the Las Vegas Strip, but the company also has a new collaboration with Lillian August, ''Townhouse,'' which has two books featuring patterns in sumptuous velvets and chenilles, textured wovens, damasks and silks with a touch of whimsy and bold jacquards. The Neutral Palette has a range of chocolaty browns as well as off-whites, linen tones and grays, while the Colour Palette celebrates the brights of nature in sky blues, rusty oranges and moss greens.
Nudelman explained that Fabricut stocks excessive yardage to satisfy immediate needs, catering again to the designers who may need something quickly to satisfy a client.
Swavelle Mill Creek Relies on Recycled Materials to Boost Sales
NEW YORK, New York - While Swavelle/Mill Creek Fabrics has suffered significant revenue drops during 2009, the company is composed and confident for 2010 due to the release of a new line, the ReUse Collection, which features a polyurethane face and a recycled leather backing, due to emerge in December.
''It was awful for the first six months of the year,'' said Ed Marquez, sales manager for Swavelle/ Mill Creek Fabrics. ''June saw some stabilization but nowhere near what enormalf was in '07 and '08. It's been steady now.''
The recycled leather line will come in eight patterns, 120 colors and 54-inch-widths. ''Instead of new resources we incorporate recycled leather from throughout the industry,'' Marquez explained. gItfs grinded up into granules and we plaster it to the back of the fabric. It gets flocked to cotton. The backing is what makes it feel supple.
In conjunction with the release of the ReUse Recycled leather program, Swavelle is also launching a ''Think'' campaign that will encourage designers to more closely consider their ecological footprint. ''We hope this will inspire designers to look at the best alternatives and if a recycled product is available and meets their projects demands that it be specified,'' said Marquez. ''All of our products that contain recycled material will be tagged with a 'book mark.'''
