Scents and non-scents about a very small world
Susan M. Andrews, Fabric editor -- Furniture Today, January 18, 2004
Today's word is "nanotechnology." Although it always makes me think of Robin Williams as Mork from Ork in the TV series, nanotechnology actually is the manipulation of extremely small things. Nano means one billionth of something, so a nanometer is one billionth of a meter, about the distance of five to 10 atoms in a straight line.
In the Jan. 5 Global Textiles Today supplement to Furniture/Today, I suggested the furniture industry should gear up to market aromatherapy furniture like "chocolate" chairs and "cinnamon" sofas because the nanotechnology exists, consumers appreciate it and are willing to pay extra for it. The column stirred a flurry of responses and I thank everyone who took a moment to e-mail.
Before Showtime was over, I was delighted to hear from Z-Tex about the scented fabrics they debuted and about the enthusiastic manufacturers and retailers who scratched and sniffed their way through the Z-Tex showroom.
Nanotechnology allows "stuff" ranging from vitamins to moisturizing creams to aromatherapy scents to insect repellant to be incorporated into fabric via microcapsules. Resorts can put scents like eucalyptus into spa robes and sleep-inducing lavender scents into bed linens.
The scent of lemons, proven to increase productivity, can be put into upholstery fabrics for office chairs and panels.
Scents can be put into the ink used for printed fabrics, so a chair can be covered in a rose print with a rose scent or a lilac print with a lilac scent. Got several flowers in the print? Each could have its own fragrance.
And because there are millions of the microcapsules in every square centimeter, the scent lasts for a long, long time, even through 30 or 40 launderings.
Mesmerized as I am by nanotechnology and all its James Bond-worthy applications, I wondered what really might be next on the horizon, so I took a look at some items that debuted last week at Heimtextil in Germany, and which may show up on furniture sooner than you might think.
Kirchhoff had bedding and pillows with built-in temperature control. Thanks to nanotechnology, the Comfortemp material they use contains millions of tiny "balls" that emit energy (creating heat) or absorb energy (cooling effect) depending on the temperature.
Meanwhile, f.a.n. Frankenstolz Schlafkomfort debuted bedding with a special finish called Honey Care that permanently applies the minerals, trace elements, vitamins and scent of natural beeswax to its cotton and satin fabrics. The marketing is linked to the positive effects of honey on skin, which are well-known to consumers, especially women.
There's also a market for nanotech "non-scents." (Sorry, couldn't resist.) For example, fabrics could contain a repellant to keep the family pets off the furniture.
That's a good reminder that Spot and Snowball can be welcomed on the good furniture these days thanks to the easy-care properties in the fast-growing performance fabric segment.
Opinion columns are available online at www.furnituretoday.com.
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