High Point — A new day is dawning for residential upholstery as technology brings the juiced-up performance properties of contract fabrics into the average American home.
Microfiber upholstery and apparel fabrics are fueling the consumer demand for easy care. From the high-end Ultrasuede and Sensuede to opening price point microfibers from the Far East, the goods are easy-care and soft, but they don't fill every bill, and the world is ready for more patterns and more constructions that are equally easy-care and soft.
Chemistry, engineering and imagination have teamed up to create contract-worthy performance in residential fabrics — a dream come true for everyone from mill to manufacturer to retailer — all of whom are trying to please this fickle consumer who wants kitten-soft, yet maintenance-free, upholstery.
A consumer concern
"To hear our retailers tell the story, today's consumer is more concerned with overall fabric performance than ever before," said Jack Arthur, vice president of merchandising at Norwalk Furniture. "I also think some proof of this is the fact that retailer-applied fabric treatments continue to be sold successfully, at attractive profit margins.
"I really thought these treatments would have become a standard method of closing the deal by now ('we'll throw in the fabric treatment if you buy today') but this isn't the case. For more than 20 years now, these spray-on treatments have been profitably sold, sometimes on top of fabrics that were already mill-treated. Consumers must really perceive value in this."
Norwalk has offered a two-year, non-prorated warranty for years, said Arthur, adding that he believes the company has sold a lot of furniture because of it.
"We test every fabric; we have a two-person staff that does this full time," Arthur continued. "We find consumers are willing to pay more for furniture with a meaningful fabric warranty."
New performance fabrics have the potential to solve some problems at retail and possibly create others. Some upholstery fabrics require a backing to make them sufficiently stable to use on upholstery. The spray-on chemicals used in the after-market treatments can sometimes react badly with some of the backing, compromising the fabric's integrity and causing seam slippage, which leads to returned merchandise and conflict between retailer and manufacturer about who is responsible for the problem.
Although the performance fabrics aren't likely to overtake the market immediately, they also could create conflict at retail when sales associates see themselves losing the "spiffs" they get on the sale of after-market treatments. After all, sales associates sometimes make more on the sale of the after-market treatment than they do on the sale of the upholstery itself.
On the other hand, some retailers may welcome the chance to exit the fabric protection business, said Keith Feuerhaken, vice president of sales, home furnishings, at upholstery producer Flexsteel.
"If they are given an environmentally healthier alternative, I think retailers might love to get rid of those barrels of chemicals in the back room and all the liabilities that go along with that," he said.
The market must address the needs of the aging baby-boom generation as well.
"Performance is coming up on everybody's radar screen," Feuerhaken said. "Crypton is raising the awareness level and I think that's very exciting. Quaker is making a chenille for Crypton that holds a lot of promise for a soft hand plus the value of Crypton. And for applications that don't require the moisture-barrier, we are buying Quaker Ultra, which has a stain and cleaning story."
Feuerhaken said Flexsteel is getting into the performance arena first with "lift chairs because it adds another whole value to the equation as the population ages."
The same graying baby boomers who may need lift chairs soon also are buying homes in the warmer, sunnier parts of the country.
Outdoor trend moving in
"We've had some success with the Sunbrella story, through our Joe Ruggiero collection," Arthur said. "In warm-weather climates, where people move to live in homes that celebrate the sun, they are so excited to hear of fabrics that don't have to hide from the sun, that can be cleaned with most anything, including raw bleach, if necessary.
"And again, consumers prove they are willing to pay more for this kind of performance. Sunbrella fabrics cost more than other fabrics that look similar to them, but that don't have the sun-resistant, cleanable story."
The current versions of performance fabrics clearly do a better job of appealing to the consumer's demand for softness as well.
"Recent introductions have been much softer and more cotton-like," Arthur said. "In our experience, consumers won't sacrifice much in 'hand' for extra durability or cleanability, in fabric or leather. They want it all!"
"There is an increasing demand for more design-driven performance products within our product mix," said Michelle Clarke, a senior designer at Sunbury Textile Mills, which offers both Crypton and Sunbrella fabrics. "We can fulfill this trend by using these unique finishing processes in addition to enhancing the design, color, hand and drapeability."
Tom Muzekari, vice president of sales and marketing for Quaker Fabric, agrees that softness is key. "The consumer wants fabrics to be soft. Being a vertical operation, Quaker can develop the yarn to be soft, then we put it through our Plush finishing process and then apply the Ultra process."
Christopher Lowell, decorating guru from television and designer of a lifestyle upholstery line for Flexsteel, believes that performance properties can help ease a consumer's anxiety in the buying process.
"Any time people feel like (a product) will last, that allows them to feel like they can rationalize the purchase," Lowell said.
