MIAMI—Fabric Innovations, a leading supplier of luxury linens, bedding and custom fabrics to the worldwide hospitality industry, unveiled a new line of eco-friendly bamboo bedding at Boutique Design New York (BDNY). The inaugural design-centric hospitality product showcase was held at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, November 14 to 15, 2010.
The new bedding line, which includes uniquely textured quilted coverlets and pillow shams in a soft color palette, is crafted exclusively from 100 percent Moso bamboo, recognized worldwide for its superior sustainability and environmentally friendly characteristics. In addition, bamboo fabric’s unique silky texture provides a high degree of luxury and comfort that is unattainable with traditional cotton fabrics.
“Our new bamboo bedding is the perfect balance between providing a luxurious guest experience and being environmentally responsible,” said Deborah Herman, president and CEO of Fabric Innovations. “Bamboo is nature’s most sustainable resource, yet it produces a fabric that is far superior to cotton in terms of softness, durability and comfort.”
Bamboo Grows Very Quickly
Bamboo is grown using no pesticides or chemicals, and is completely biodegradable. It replenishes at a rate of more than three feet per day, making it one of the world’s most prolific regenerative crops. Bedding made from bamboo also contributes to a healthier guestroom environment, since it is naturally and permanently antibacterial. Lab tests show that bamboo fabric is more than nine times more effective at killing bacteria than fabrics treated with chemicals to kill bacteria, even after 50 commercial washings. Additionally, Bamboo fiber’s natural anti-bacterial qualities do not cause skin allergy as chemical antimicrobials sometimes can. Bamboo dyes easily and does not require extensive bleaching to turn the fiber white, so no toxic chemicals are needed to produce the fiber. Fabric Innovations’ bamboo bedding line uses only environmentally safe, azo-free dyes in the manufacturing process.
A primary benefit of the bamboo fiber is its unusual ability to breathe and ventilate. A cross-section of the bamboo fiber shows that it is filled with various micro-gaps and micro-holes, providing excellent moisture absorption and ventilation. With this micro-structure, bamboo fiber fabrics can quickly absorb and evaporate moisture, making it comfortable.
“The bedding wars of a few years ago focused primarily on the mattress,” Herman said. “Now, hoteliers are realizing that the linens themselves are what really makes the difference between a good night’s sleep and a great night’s sleep. Bamboo is cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and doesn’t pill, so the silkiness lasts and lasts. I believe that bamboo will soon become the fabric of choice for the hotel industry worldwide—and it has the added advantage of helping to replenish the earth’s eco-systems.”
The quilted bamboo coverlets and pillow shams offered by Fabric Innovations feature 250-count twill weave construction. Available in soft white, taupe and mint green, they are machine washable, and have a light, 2-ounce polyester fill.
Go to Fabric Innovations.
