On Wednesday November 4, 2009 Brentano Design Director Iris Wang spoke at the ADC Fall Day of Design. Organized by Brentano and their Arizona representative Dean-Warren, nearly 100 guests turned out for the lecture, which was titled “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Understanding Eco-Fabrics.” The presentation was inspired by Wang's personal experience navigating the rapidly-growing world of eco-textiles while creating her Brentano Green line of upholstery and drapery fabrics.
Wang's lecture provided an in-depth discussion comparing and contrasting the diverse environmentally-friendly aspects of various green fabrics, including organic cotton, bamboo, eco wool, eco-friendly faux leathers, and recycled polyester fabrics. Additionally, she spoke about United States and international third-party certification, examining and explaining the pros and cons of well-known certifications such as LEED and MBDC, and lesser known ones such as Oeko-Tex and GOTS, as well as the in-progress ACT NSF Standard for Sustainable Textiles.
Catering was provided by Arcadia Farms, a Scottsdale-based company that uses organically grown pesticide-free, hormone-free and trans fat-free ingredients in all recipes, and promotes sustainable cuisine by supporting local farmers. Guests were also treated to Brentano gift bags with information and examples of Brentano Green textiles.
Cara Webb, Fabric Director and Contract Sales Representative for Dean-Warren, said that she felt most designers left understanding that there are numerous ways the textile industry is improving itself to be more green, as well as that there are many ways to qualify what it means to be green. She also said she hoped that designers would “be more informed consumers and be better able to translate the information to their clients,” a feeling that Wang would agree with completely. When asked what she'd like designers to have taken from the event, Wang said she'd like to have inspired a more conscientious consumer who would use their buying power to support causes in which they believe.
Founded in 1990 by Design Director Iris Wang and her husband and President E-Kwan Chen, Brentano has grown from a modest beginning of eight patterns to an internationally represented textile house. Brentano's fabrics stem from Wang's philosophy of balancing beauty + performance. Their growing collection of eco-fabrics expands this ideology by demanding textiles to meet thoroughly researched standards of environmental consciousness while maintaining their beauty. Celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2010, Brentano continues to offer a variety of innovative and interesting textiles, including eco-friendly faux leather, high performance upholstery, fire-resistant, outdoor and Crypton and Nano-Tex fabrics.
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