Bella-Dura inks Asian licensee

Staff -- Casual Living, 6/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Wearbest Sil-Tex Mills named Zhejiang Babei Textile in China as its first Asian licensee for its Bella-Dura performance fabric brand.

Irwin Gasner, president and CEO of Wearbest, said the partnership has a two-fold purpose — to enable manufacturers producing furniture in China quick access to the performance fabric and to serve the fast-growing Asian hospitality market as it prepares for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The overwhelming response from outdoor furniture manufacturers after Bella-Dura's 2005 introduction prompted his search for a Chinese partner, Gasner said. By using a proprietary fiber developed with American Fibers and Yarns, Bella-Dura combined performance characteristics with the jacquard design capabilities of the Wearbest design team.