Infinesse® Fabric Featuring Dupont XtraLife™ Nylon Fiber Is Best Selling Faux Suede On The Market

Furniture World News

Since its introduction only two years ago, the lnfinesse® fabric by Microfibers®-featuning DuPont™ Xtra Life™ brand nylon fiber with a fiveyear wear warranty-has become the best-selling faux suede upholstery fabric on the market. Consumers love the array of fashionable fabric colors and textures that deliver style, comfort and durability. In addition, Infinesse® is easy to clean and is an excellent value versus most faux suedes or leathers. Durable faux suede fabrics are also a hit with retailers and furniture manufacturers such as Berkline , La-Z-Boy , and Flexsteel®, who confirm strong consumer sales. These manufacturers and others featured the upholstery on their new motion and stationary piecesbeing shown at the Spring International Home Furnishings Market. "Our research shows that consumers prefer upholstery fabrics that wear well and are easy to maintain but are also fashionable, cozy and comfortable," says John Gorcyca, DuPont furniture textiles business manager. "Infinesse® faux suede fabric is everything consumers are looking for, plus it's backed by a limited-wear warranty that's second to none in the industry. We are pleased that lnfinesse® fabric made from DuPont Xtra Life ™ nylon fiber has gained such wide consumer acceptance." To meet the growing popularity of faux suede and leather, the Infinesse® fabric is offered in a wide array of colors and textures. In addition to the highly successful "Fairview" and "Jaguar" fabrics, newer faux leather offerings include "Canyon," "Franchise" and "Horizon." The newest fabrics, unveiled for Spring Market 2001, are "Lazer ... .. 'LeMans" and "Meteor." All of these faux suede fabrics differ in their amount of graining and surface texture, are offered in a virtual rainbow of popular plain-shade colors, and carry the Xtra Life™ five-year wear warranty. Another top-selling group of Infiness® fabrics comprises animal prints. Offerings such as "Bobcat ... .. Lynx" and "Ocelot" provide decorating contrast to the plain-shade fabrics, allowing consumers to create their own personal style. Popular colors of the animal prints include neutral tones such as beige, khaki, tan and oyster. The hottest growth segment in furniture upholstery has been leather; consumers love the look of leather. Recent developments in Europe and South America affecting the availability, quality and cost of leather and leather suede used for upholstery make the Infinesse® faux suede fabric even more attractive to consumers. Not only is it a cost-effective, durable alternative to leather and suede, it requires little of the constant care associated with leather. Plus it's the only faux suede good enough to carry the DuPont Xtra Life TM five-year wear warranty. Each piece of furniture covered with Infinesse® fabric comes with a warranty brochure that provides details on the coverage and claims process, a registration form, and an explanation of how to properly care for the fabric and furniture. All Infinesse® fabrics from Microfibres® pass the most stringent industry performance standards for fiber abrasion, pilling and seam tears. The warranty program is a convenient, easy process for retailers and consumers to register their furniture and handle adjustments. Microfibres® the Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based fabric manufacturer, creates extensive offerings of softened and washed velvets that deliver high, fashion and high performance. Founded in 1926-and celebrating its 75 th anniversary this year-Micro fibres"-" operates five plants in three countries with more than a thousand employees. DuPont is a science company, delivering science-based solutions that make a difference in people's lives in food and nutrition; health care; apparel; home and construction; electronics; and transportation. Founded in 1802, the company operates in 70 countries and has 93,000 employees.