'C' word returns in the 'F' business
Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, August 2, 2004
What a difference a year makes!
The decorative fabric business has taken a 180-degree turn in color, fabrics and design, and that was quite evident last week at Showtime in High Point.
Color was clearly the most important statement — lots of color! The more color the merrier!
It's amazing how long it takes this country to react to global trends. The color explosion began at least three years ago in Europe. Today, the American market is awash in pinks, fresh greens, turquoise, oranges, and blues in clear tones. In fact, there are few muddied colors.
There's even a hint of the "C" word creeping back into the fabric game. The "C," of course, refers to chintz. But not the heavy glazed chintz of Mario Buatta fame. The new chintz has a light sheen used already on cotton and linen base cloths. It could well be a fashion element in the emerging English cottage look, as well as a part of the fun and fanciful looks that are spreading across the market.
But it was the combination of changes in design, color and fabric that created the most excitement at Showtime. Happy and energetic colors, retro and preppy designs, and dressy looks adapted for 21st century lifestyles were seen in abundance.
An interesting twist is the emergence and extension of tweener-directed designs.
Initially targeted to that young age group, the wide spectrum of fabric offerings appeared to attract buyers who planned to use many of the looks on product targeted to older age groups.
That's a sure signal that happy and fun looks are believed to be right for everyone.
