Performance fabrics remain a consumer darling in the upholstered furniture category, a natural choice for households with children, pets or even messy guests.
But along with the hottest colors and textures for upholstery, the 2023 trends for the category include some factors that might surprise buyers.
The PFAS puzzle
PFAS-free fabrics are top of mind for many textile suppliers in 2023 as new regulations banning PFAS chemicals from the category roll out in select states this year.
Described as a class of chemicals that don’t naturally break down, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroakyl substances) are used in a variety of products including carpets, nonstick cookware and textiles, including some performance fabrics.
Currently, Maine, New York, California and Colorado are the first states to enact legislation restricting the use of “intentionally added or regulated” PFAS in textiles, and as the industry and legislative representatives work to further define the exact parameters for compliance on eliminating PFAS from performance fabrics, textile companies including Crypton, Nassimi, Revolution and others say they are ready for the new legislation.
“We like to think Crypton has helped lead a trend that will be happening all through 2023, to end the use of PFAS chemistry in performance fabrics,” said Crypton CEO Lance Keziah. “Every Crypton fabric made since Oct. 1, 2022, is 100% PFAS-free.
“And it is a fluorine-free technology that we’ve offered as an option for the past six years, so we’ve long since created this fantastic alternative that is state-of-the-art in its function,” he continued. “This is part of an overall trend that manufacturers must and are adopting: a deep care about wellness and wellbeing as well as concern for transparency and the use of mindful materials and work practices for the lifecycle of the fabric.”
“Sustainable performance is part of the ethos of our company,” Nassimi said. “As such, we always try to find ways to reduce the environmental impact of our products, without sacrificing any of the performance that people have come to expect and that we believe will extend the material’s useful life.
“We started researching PFAS-free alternatives about five years ago, long before there was any talk about regulatory changes,” he added. “About three years ago, we introduced Supreen liquid barrier fabrics, which feature a PFAS-free, silicone-based stain repellent. This is applied through a proprietary production process, which embeds the stain-repellent into the fibers of the material for added protection.
“Most PFAS-free alternatives work well with water-based stains but offer limited protection against oil-based stains,” Nassimi continued. “We test all of our fabrics at independent labs and include oil-based foods such as mayonnaise or salad dressing and tough, everyday stains such as ketchup, mustard and wine.”
At Revolution Performance Fabrics, Chief Marketing Office Anderson Gibbons said that Revolution’s line is stain-resistant, bleach cleanable and PFAS free without the use of any after-market treatments.
He added that he believes the conversation about performance fabrics in the future is going to be a story about innovations in fiber technologies and noted that Revolution will continue to work toward its goal of making a 100% recycled fabric.
“We all have a cost, also stewardship and responsibility, to support sustainability,” Gibbons said. “For example, we buy all yarns within 300 miles of our plant to reduce our carbon footprint, and no water is used in our production process. Our 10-year goal is to go closed circuit, to continue to look at the energy usage of making something.
“Not a lot of people do what we do,” he continued. “The conversation we are having with retailers is that STI won’t change. We stopped using PFAS chemicals 20 years ago and built a better mousetrap.”
Sustainability and environment
Valdese Weavers began partnering with the Seaqual Initiative — described by organizers as “a community of individuals, organizations and companies working together to help clean our oceans, raise awareness of the issue of marine litter and highlight those helping to fight it” — in early 2021 to “be part of its mission to make a positive impact on the environment and, more specifically, to help solve the issue of marine plastic pollution,” said Christy Almond, vice president of product development and marketing.
“Sustainability is more than a practice at Valdese Weavers,” Almond said. “It is a commitment to employees, customers, community and our environment. We have always had our sights on an even more sustainable performance option.
“After a significant testing period, we took steps in early 2021 to partner with Seaqual Initiative,” she added. “This included a major investment in yarns to set up a product development toolbox that would position us for a successful launch of this product.
“The positive and passionate reaction to the first Seaqual Initiative collection drove the Valdese Weavers team to develop and engineer fabrics made with Seaqual Yarn that would meet the high-performance criteria for InsideOut Performance Fabrics,” Almond continued. “The result is a Greenguard Gold-certified, PFAS free, all-in-one performance fabric that has the core performance qualities of being cleanable and durable, but is also bleach cleanable, fade resistant and made with yarns that are a part of a huge initiative to help solve a major global issue.”
At Sunbrella, representatives agreed that “sustainability will play a critical role in the future of performance fabric,” and the company has rolled out initiatives to support the effort.
“Consumers are more mindful of the entire product lifecycle and increasingly invested in sourcing high-quality products that last longer and need to be replaced less often,” said Sarah Dooley, director of upholstery. “Preferences have evolved, and people are seeking the beauty of repurposed or recycled materials that are timeless.
“This idea defines the newest designs from renowned designer and artist Richard Frinier,” she noted. “These fabrics showcase artisanal variances by combining recycled acrylic, recycled polyester and virgin acrylic yarns for distinct fabrics with a handcrafted look. These fabrics contain at least 50% recycled material and are part of our growing Sunbrella ReCycled fabric offering.”
Like several other performance fabric manufacturers, Sunbrella also focuses on recycling products as well.
“As important as using recycled materials is the ability to recycle your products,” Dooley said. “From fabric scraps found on the manufacturing floor to fabrics collected from furniture, our Recycle My Sunbrella program provides our manufacturing partners and consumers with an alternative outlet for disposal so they can help contribute to the circular economy. Since the inception of the program, Recycle My Sunbrella has collected more than 1 million pounds of fabric that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill.”
The selling point
Performance fabric suppliers offer a strong talking point for furniture retailers looking for the “must-have” feature to offer consumers.
Valdese Weavers has “a new generation of consumers with purchasing power that are more thoughtful of the products they purchase and their impact on our environment,” Almond said. “They are inquiring about the products and the story behind them more than ever, which is causing retailers, manufacturers, distributors, etc., to reimagine their impact in the chain.”
Valdese’s vice president of sales, Patrick Shelton, agreed that Seaqual Initiative provides an impactful tool to retailers.
“Merging these two brands together is something that our company is really excited about because of the incredible opportunity it provides our customers,” he said. “They will be able to offer a performance fabric that is beautiful and reliable, but that also has an incredible sustainability story that is making a legitimate difference to our environment.”
Jack Eger, senior vice president at Crypton, said that partnering with retailers to explain the message to consumers is crucial.
“We’ve seen success with our retail partners that make a commitment to what their brand or company stands for in regard to what performance means for them and really getting behind it from a storytelling and collaborative education standpoint,” Eger said. “Consistently adding to the program and not offering too many performance stories is also important, so that we don’t dilute the message and commitment and make things a bit confusing to the shopper.”
At Crypton, Keziah added that he thinks evolving technologies will support continued growth in the performance fabric category.
“Exciting developments to us for the category are really the idea of elevating what the word ‘performance’ actually means,” he said. “Yes, it is of course spill repellency and stain resistance, but it can also be fabrics that help you perform better as a person because the fabrics can help improve circulation, help you get better sleep, or even recover faster, like our Celliant Wellness Textures at Kravet.
“To us, performance fabric as a term is about what’s invisible, the protection or the unseen properties, but the aesthetic is also paramount as is consideration of our planet. You can see this in our assortments that we are able to utilize different types of yarns or constructions of fabrics like recycled cotton or recycled wool and achieve textures, colors and patterns that take sometimes years to perfect. It all matters.”
At Sunbrella, Dooley thinks that a “redefinition of the state of luxury” is occurring that is more inclusive, less about the price tag or status of an item and instead about high-quality, “cherished” products that people connect to on a personal level. With that in mind, she said that performance fabrics have an impactful marketing message that retailers can embrace.
“Consumers continue to seek beautiful and functional spaces to enjoy with family and friends, and performance fabrics provide homeowners with both style and peace of mind,” Dooley said. “Retailers can help merchandise performance fabrics by explaining not just the attributes of the product, but also the real difference to a household’s lifestyle that performance fabrics can bring.
“Whether it’s a sofa, an accent chair, an upholstered bench or dining seating, performance fabrics can be applied to nearly all elements of a space for styles that last.”
Source: https://www.furnituretoday.com/