Ultrasuede’s ‘Innovation for Living’ Creed Inspires World’s First Partially Plant-Based, Suede-Like Fabric

SHOWROOM: MSTT 5th Floor, Coming May 2021, 305 West High Street, High Point | CONTACT: Helen Brier h.brier@toray-intl.com

For decades, Japan-based Toray Group, the parent of Ultrasuede®, has believed that materials can changes our lives. “Since our establishment, the focus of our mission has been to enrich lives and contribute to society,” said Helen Brier, sales and marketing manager for interiors at the company’s U.S. division.

While actively engaged in socially relevant collaborations with industry and academia, the company seeks to reduce its environmental impact with a chemical recycling program and a shift toward plant-based polymers, while staying on the leading edge of materials innovation.

It all began with the invention of Ultrasuede® in the 1960s, pioneering the first use of ultra-fine fibers that form the basis of a proprietary manufacturing process. The result was a unique, non-woven fabric. Ultrasuede® is an unexpected combination of luxuriously soft and extremely durable material with a variety of applications across many industries, including fashion and interiors.

“There’s no other product like Ultrasuede® in the marketplace,” says Brier. “The combination of a luxurious touch with high performance benefits is unparalleled, and it remains an ideal alternative to natural leather.”

The latest innovation for Ultrasuede® is a new product line, Ultrasuede® HP, that is the world’s first, partially plant-based, nonwoven suede-like material. Following a significant period of investment in research and development, 30 percent of the material’s polyester fiber component is now made from inedible, non-GMO raw materials.

The suede-like upholstery-weight fabric is available in 97 solid colors ranging from soft neutrals to bold bright hues, and every shade in between. Offering an important competitive edge in today’s highdemand environment, Toray stocks all Ultrasuede® HP SKUs in its U.S. distribution facility, ready for shipment within two business days.

The plant-based fiber component used in Ultrasuede® HP upholsteryweight fabric performs equally well as its non-plant-based predecessor in all cleaning, durability, and color-fastness tests, with the additional benefit of reducing reliance on petroleum-derived ingredients. And by continuing to invest in its R&D efforts, Toray expects that Ultrasuede® eventually will be a 100-percent plant-based fabric.

Due to COVID-19 considerations, Toray will not exhibit during November’s Showtime market. The Ultrasuede® branded showroom presentation will launch in May 2021.