PERFORMANCE READY BY TARYN PEARCE
There was a time when you had to sacrifice comfort if you wanted fabric that offered a high level of performance. Stain and fade resistance came in the form of stiff, scratchy fabrics that elevated function over feel. Performance fabrics were used predominantly outdoors; indoor applications remained infrequent outside of doctor’s office waiting rooms and the occasional playroom bench cushion. Happily, those days are long gone. Performance fabrics have grown in popularity as they have become softer and more comfortable while still offering clients the durability they need for both indoor and outdoor use. Here’s what you need to know about performance fabrics in 2021.
performance fabric, but why they call it a performance fabric is because they put a certain coating on it.” This coating will wear out at some point. “Like a radish, when the red is gone, it’s white inside, and you will see that. So, the performance of Sunbrella fabric is really true to its core.”
THE CARROT AND THE RADISH
The same applies to Outdura’s line of performance fabrics. “Since we make our fabrics from 100 percent solution-dyed acrylic, our performance starts with the fiber,” says Haynes King, product manager for Outdura in Hudson, NC. “The color runs throughout the fiber and yarn, which gives our fabric superior lightfastness. Our fabrics are not only UV fade-resistant after 1,500 hours of testing, but also stain-, water-, mold- and mildew-resistant. Cleaning is a breeze. They are all very kid- and pet-friendly.”
Not all performance fabrics are made equal. A good rule of thumb is to look for a solutiondyed acrylic like products offered by Sunbrella. “Sunbrella (fabric) is like a carrot,” says Franck Seguin, former sales manager for Trivantage in Glen Raven, NC, and current market director for Trivantage’s sister company, Glen Raven Custom Fabrics in Burlington, NC. “You can take the yarn and peel it and peel it and peel it and it will still be orange to the end. Other fabrics dye a fiber and can call it a
60 | JULY + AUGUST 2021
| wf-vision.com
While the tactile appeal of performance fabrics has definitely increased, it may have hit a ceiling, at least for now. “There is a certain feel of a very soft fabric that we can’t achieve even though we’re doing a lot of research on that,” says Seguin. “Real velvet, for example, is super soft. We would not be able to achieve that feel with any performance fabric.” For designers trying to decide if a performance fabric is going to have the right textural quality, the best advice he can give is to feel it yourself. “It’s hard to explain with just words. This is why we have a lot of showrooms. People need to touch the fabrics.”
PATTERNS, TEXTURES AND NEUTRAL COLORS ARE ALL THE RAGE For performance fabrics, just like for traditional fabrics at the moment, neutral tones are in—especially when combined with supple textures. “Both velvet and linen textures are more in demand inside,” says Seguin. As for colors, brighter shades such as paprika are more popular for outdoor use, while grays, beige, off-white and darker blues such as indigo are in demand for the indoor. He also suggests that sustainable fibers, like
