Durability and cleanability top the performance list for transit upholstery fabrics, but style, comfort and safety (and economy) aren’t far behind. By Holly O’Dell When a news organization hired a university biology lab to examine the wool-covered seats within the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in the San Francisco, Calif., area, the results weren’t [...]

Manufacturers of aeronautics and aerospace products fill demanding and diverse performance requirements. By Janice Kleinschmidt Sources remain mum on what it is about the fabric in Superman’s cape that allows him to fly faster than a speeding bullet. However, we know quite a lot about the Red Bull Stratos pressure suit that allowed Felix Baumgartner [...]

Cindy Boersema takes an unexpected partnership dissolution and builds a sound sole proprietorship. By Sigrid Tornquist “I think the most significant lesson I’ve learned over the past couple of years is not to get too comfortable,” says Cindy Boersema, owner of The Nautical Needle in Holland, Mich. “Being a business owner is not about relying [...]

New cloak provides best protection yet. According to an article by Alexander Movchan published in January 2012 by the Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, U.K., “Cloaking devices made of a composite of soft and hard materials can divert elastic vibrational waves around an object as though it wasn’t there.” The accomplishment Movchan [...]

[Nickle Ink Upholstery] Sumner, Iowa, U.S.A. An antique sectional that had belonged to the customer’s grandparents was faded and torn. The customer first decided to recover just one of the pieces to use in her home, but when she saw it completed, she decided to have all three pieces done: two corner pieces and one [...]

[Sand Sea and Air Interiors Inc.] San Juan, Puerto Rico When the owner of a high-profile speedboat wanted a total replacement of its exterior upholstery, Sand Sea and Air Interiors used a vinyl with silver-ion technology for a striking look and durable finish. The seating area had both exposed and recessed hi-lo cushions that could [...]

One of the winners of the first ATA ShowStoppers Award (2012), King Tech’s LumiTech Reflective provides increased safety for roadside runners, walkers and cyclists, and for other uses in dark environments. When properly designed, the fabric may be seen by drivers at the critical detection distance of 140 meters, yet by day the clothes are [...]

Olympic gold medalist Lindsay Vonn took a gruesome fall in the alpine skiing world championships in Schladming, Austria, in February, suffering serious knee damage and a broken leg. The trend in skiing, as in swimming, running and auto racing, is more and more speed. Dainese & AGV, Molvena, Italy, develops protective gear for athletes who [...]

Approximately 1.6 billion people lack access to electricity (the majority of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia) and another 1.5 billion have intermittent access to the electrical grid. MPOWERD™ Inc., a New York City benefit corporation (a for-purpose, rather than for-profit business model), wants to end energy poverty with its cheap, lightweight collapsible [...]

Integrity® 1900 and Integrity 1950 are designed to make garments worn by cleanroom workers more comfortable without compromising air quality protection. The fabrics offer improved breathability, heat transmission and moisture vapor transport while maintaining the filtration efficiency necessary for the garments to perform as an effective air quality barrier. Manufactured with a standard finish of [...]