Will sell Bella-Dura fabric

GARFIELD, N.J. — Wearbest SilTex Mills has named Zhegiang Babei Textile Co. in China as the first Asian licensee for its Bella-Dura performance fabric brand.

Irwin Gasner, president and CEO of Wearbest, said the partnership with Babei has a dual purpose — to provide Bella-Dura to furniture manufacturers producing in China and to serve the fast-growing Asian hospitality market as it gears up for the 2015 Olympic games in Beijing.

Babei and Wearbest introduced Bella-Dura to the Asian market at the recent Decosit Hong Kong fabric show.

“Visitors to our booth were very impressed by the good performance of Bella-Dura fabrics. We will also feature these fabrics in a show in Beijing designated for hotels,” said Yak Wang, upholstery manager for Babei.

Gasner said the response to Bella-Dura since its debut last year prompted his search for an Asian partner. He saw the need for China-to-China sourcing for the many American manufacturers of indoor and upholstery in China.

“Until the introduction of Bella-Dura, upholstery fabrics made in China generally lacked sophisticated aesthetics and continued to be second-rate in performance,” Gasner said.

By using a proprietary fiber developed with American Fibers & Yarns, Bella-Dura combines performance characteristics with Wearbest’s jacquard design capabilities. The solution-dyed fiber allows the fabrics to be cleaned with bleach, and to resist stain, mildew and moisture. The fiber gives in excess of 1,500 hours lightfastness and the fabrics exceed 50,000 double rubs for durability.

American Fibers & Yarns supports a three-year residential and two-year commercial warranty on the fabrics for lightfastness, stain and mildew resistance, and durability. This warranty now extends to Asia.

Wang said that Wearbest has worked with Babei to translate marketing materials into Mandarin. Design direction for Bella-Dura fabrics, whether produced in the United States or in China, continues to come from the Wearbest studios in New York and New Jersey.