Products & Trends
Luxuriously Immaculate
Beautiful, sumptuous, and nearly indestructible – today’s performance fabrics have it all
Long ago, in family rooms not so far away, fussy aunts and overly tidy neighbors would encase their sofas in zippered sleeves of thick, clear plastic. They weren’t very comfortable, but they sure were stain resistant. Now, modern performance fabrics give you a whole lot more than just great stain resistance, and they won’t even make your sofa stick to your legs on a hot summer day.
“Performance fabrics started in the automotive and activewear industries,” says textile chemist and designer Laurie Jenkins. “The car companies wanted fabrics that wouldn’t fade in sunlight, were durable, and stain resistant. Activewear fabrics need to repel water on the outside, but let moisture escape from the inside. For furniture, we want all of these features plus great comfort, and a wide selection of colors, patterns, and textures.”