High Point — Microfiber faux suedes in clean contemporary styles, and slipcovers and denims in casual contemporary lifestyle looks are adding sales spark to the stationary upholstery business.
That's what full-line manufacturers in the volume price points say, citing these styles as the upholstery industry's ray of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy economy.
Microfibers are hot for Norwalk Furniture, according to Jack Authur, vice president of merchandising.
"Right now we're looking for those bright spots, and this is certainly one of them," he said.
"We always start out the season by reviewing what's working and what's not. And the microfibers still are gaining momentum for us," Arthur said. "The customer can't get enough of them."
Because of the response, Norwalk will expand its microfiber colors from 11 to 20 for the October market.
Authur is seeing areas on retail floors that formerly were all leather and now are a combination of leathers and microfiber suedes.
The microfibers "tend to have their own color palette, so you have to be careful to have some nicely colored woven abstracts that pick up some of these colors," he said, for use in pillows, occasional chairs and other accessories.
Manufacturers say microfiber applications are one of the areas consumers are excited about. Why? It feels like suede, wears like leather, looks like a million bucks and cleans up easier than a dirty kid in the bathtub. And it's a style that fits right into the stay-at-home environment caused by today's uncertainties at home and around the world, according to factory executives.
Reps in upholstery showrooms have been pouring mustard, coffee and assorted other stuff on sofas and chairs for the past two years to show dealers how easy microfiber suedes are to clean. That message, according to manufacturers, has finally filtered down to consumers, who have responded at the cash register. Therefore, they're not expected to peter out any time soon, and are likely to follow the same European-inspired trend that propelled leather into the hottest seating category around.
Microfiber sales represent an estimated 35% of the European seating market, so U.S. sales of about 15% have a ways to go to catch up. But interest keeps growing.
"It's a category all by itself today," said Tony Moretti, vice president of merchandising for New England retailer Jordan's Furniture. "Microfiber is huge. It's like leather. We started with a few frames and kept adding and adding."
"Microsuede will continue to be a focus for us because of its versatile practicality," said Kurt Darrow, president of La-Z-Boy Residential. That, as well as denim, should continue to sell well, he said, adding, "Where fashion goes, so does furniture — and that casual look is still going strong."
At Lane Home Furnishings, "Leather will stay hot as well as microsuede," said Skipper Holliman, vice president of marketing.
Part of the appeal of microfiber applications is in the color palette, according to Carolyn McLaughlin-Smith, vice president of sales and marketing for contemporary manufacturer Comfort Designs.
"The colors just seem to be particularly sharp," she said. "I use the word 'clear' because they're not muddy in any way. There's also an assortment of colors, from the neutrals that always sell so well in the tans and taupes right into the reds, blues and yellows."
Comfort Designs is seeing a sales uptick in intense colors. "Red is absolutely up there," McLaughlin-Smith said. "Blue is huge, believe it or not, and Peet, in the earth tone family, is doing very well. A color mix of purple/brown is also a good seller."
Microfiber constructions are at the top of the list at Flexsteel, according to Keith Feuerhaken, vice president of sales. He said it's taken a couple of years for microfibers to really catch on, and now that they have, they're hot.
Practical and versatile
"There's a practicality about it," he said. "It has a hand that's not unlike chenilles, which have been popular for so long. (People in the industry) were saying that boucles were going to be strong, but I really think the microfibers are following the success of the chenilles."
What also gives microfibers appeal, Feuerhaken said, is that the "product is versatile and ties in with home theater. It's kind of like leather. It has the same kind of appeal and practicality, and it's an easy thing to understand when people are buying as much leather as they're buying. They get the same benefits and perception."
Because of its popular price points, microfiber faux suede could be the poor man's leather, but industry executives don't believe it's hurting leather sales.
"I don't think it's taken anything away from leather," said Jordan's Moretti. "I think it's hurt the traditional fabric business as we know it."
Microfibers are not everybody's hot button, but contemporary is, according to executives. "The biggest trend we've seen in the last year has been contemporary as a category," said Moretti.
That's in accord with recent action at Rowe Furniture, where slipcovers have been a bell-ringer for the full-service producer/retailer. Rowe has microfibers and will introduce a promotional line of the faux suede this month. But the company has hung in there with its seven-year slipcover program when other producers have dropped out, and it's paid off.
"Certainly, you see some promotional slipcovers," said Mark Mosley, vice president of marketing. "But our slipcover business is from the $1,000 to the $1,200–$1,300 (retail) range. We do a ton of business there," he said, adding that sales in the category have grown 25% in the past two years.
That may be due to aggressive promoting. Mosley said that a third of Rowe's national advertising is devoted to the "fashion and function of slipcovers. We talk to that sort of lifestyle-oriented customer about, 'Here's a great way to have fashion, here's a great way to change fashion, and here's a great way to combat the everyday ills and spills of the real world'," noting the covers can be replaced and laundered.
"I don't think there is any one thing that drives the business. Good, clean contemporary may be part of it," Mosley said, adding that microfibers are not the only thing that fits the category. It could be flat chenilles, new velvets or even the mensware look that was popular a few years ago.
The lifestyle category has been strong for mid-priced producer Clayton Marcus, but that hasn't involved either microfibers or slipcovers, said Paul Peters, vice president of sales and marketing.
A hot seller for the company has been a lifestyle group that has been promoted by Raymour & Flanigan and was on the cover of Havertys August promotion. "It's more of a lifestyle country look, a yellow plaid with red accents," said Peters. "It seems that people are reacting to the intense color."
Warmth and understanding
The group's success is due, in part, to "its warm colors, and it's easy to understand by the consumer," he said. It has been so successful that Clayton Marcus has added a value-pack assortment in red, blue and soft green "that's seeing good play," he added.
Peters said another group that's hot now is a transitional/casual collection, Palm Villa, where shape and fabrics are married in a new look for the company. The palette for this better-end group for Clayton Marcus is neutral, but jazzed up with subtle color tones and silver feet.
"In spite of soft retail conditions, that has been very good for us this summer," he said.
Peters sees the microfiber business as "huge" but below the company's normal price spectrum. "We're using some (microfiber) as accents to tie in with tapestries or on accent chairs," he said, and "giving a hard look" at new constructions from Quaker.
"They're doing new things with the face of the fabric that has us asking, 'How do we use that?'," he said.
