Showtime accents bright, bold colors

Cinde W Ingram & Alexa Boschini -- Casual Living, 12/5/2012 2:18:03 PM

Much like at the fall High Point Market, shades of blue were the colors of choice at Showtime. These indoor/outdoor pillows by Liora Manné display two popular palettes – indigo blue paired with contrasting lighter hues, and aqua blue paired with spring green.HIGH POINT, N.C. -- This week's Showtime fabric fair revealed a range of bright colors as outdoor furniture fabrics continue to be invited indoors.

"We're pushing a little more color out there in accent form," said Greg Voorhis, design manager of Sunbrella fabrics manufacturer Glen Raven. "Neutrals and grays will continue to be important, but they will be balanced by really bright color accents. We're also making a strong push into the artisanal, handmade, one-of-a-kind type look."

Abercrombie Textiles introduced Ecovation fabrics, made from 100% post-consumer recycled clear plastic bottles.

"We're getting a fabulous reaction to the whole idea of recycled polyester as well as to our colors and designs," said Debbye Lustig, director of sales and marketing. "These fabrics have a great soft hand, which is not what recycled fabric has been known for. We're taking the inside out rather than the outside in. We're very proud to be American made and to be partnering with Unifi in this venture." Unifi's Repreve brand is recognized for recycled fibers, now appearing in both the residential outdoor and hospitality furnishings segments. Each yard of Ecovation fabric saves an average of 40 plastic bottles going into landfills, Lustig said.

Outdura introduced seven new collections and five colorways - hibiscus, iris, lime, emerald and tangerine.

Johnny Jones and Natalie Scott present Outdura’s fabric lineup for the 2014 season to furniture manufacturers and designers."We've had a great response," said Natalie Scott, VP of sales and marketing. "We're all about color this season; we're addressing colors where we had voids. We're big on texture, too. It's a fashion-forward line. We're excited, and we think it's one of the freshest Outdura lines we've ever had because of the new yarns we've added."

Covington Fabric & Design expanded to the outdoors and introduced 68 SKUs of fabrics, constructed of solution-dyed polyester with polypropylene welts. "Some of the designs can coordinate and some are made to stand alone," said Chari Voehl, design director. Covington's coordinated designs include nautical-inspired prints of starfish, barrier reef and Caribbean, Tide Pool and Zig Zag plus Marley, Ziggy and Reggae Stripe patterns.

Blue was the dominant color trend across the market, particularly a deep indigo blue and a bright aqua blue. Charles Zaberto, VP of Solarium, said blue can be a hard sell because there are so many shades available, but it's a color many buyers want to explore. Poufs, floor cushions and outdoor throw pillows provide ample opportunity to incorporate bright pops of color against more neutral furniture pieces, he said.

"Everyone loves blue. Everyone wants to see the blue, in particular mixing the kiwi with the blue... We're getting a fantastic reaction to it," Zaberto said.

Though beige and chocolate brown were still on display, gray appears to be emerging as the new neutral of choice. Nellie Derocher, senior designer, Victor Group, said gray was a strong neutral shade for the company at Showtime, from light gray to charcoal.

"(Gray) has sort of replaced brown, I think," said Donna Rinaldi, senior manager, sourcing and studio management, The Robert Allen Group. "Gray with yellow, gray with blue,"

See Casual Living's complete report on Showtime in our January issue.

	Bright color accents and trim add interest as fabric buyers enter Glen Raven's showroom to see the full Sunbrella collections.
Designer Stacey Hamner presents new neutrals and sophisticated stripes as Phifer debuts its fabrics at Showtime.
	Ikat, chevron and small geometrics were among the popular designs at David Rothschild Company, shown here in an on-trend aqua blue.
Devo, a lattice pattern from Victor Group's Terrazzo line of outdoor fabrics, showcases a gray color scheme and angular, geometric pattern.