Exclusive Research: 2011 Fabric Survey

Retailers project hottest fabric choices

Dana French -- Casual Living, 2/15/2011 11:25:09 AM

2011 Fabric SurveyBrown with a little blue, orange, green and neutral colors thrown in - that's the specialty retailer color forecast for this year. Specifically, retailers responding to Casual Living's 2011 Fabric Survey say terra cotta will be the hottest color for cushions in 2011; beige will be the best-selling sling and strap color; and rust-colored cushions will sell the best during the coming year.

Fielded in October, Casual Living's annual fabric survey presents 2011 fabric color, texture and pattern projections for more than 100 outdoor furniture retail stores. Four-fifths of responding retailers are outdoor furniture specialists, one-tenth are direct-to-consumer and the remaining tenth are full-line furniture stores, garden specialists and designers. Most operate a single store. Nearly one-fifth have annual sales of less than $1 million; 54% have sales between $1 million to $5 million; 28% have annual sales exceeding $5 million. The survey was conducted by Casual Living's research team, led by Director of Research Dana French.

For the entire reort see the January print issue of Casual Living, or click here for the electronic report.