La-Z-Boy, a Monroe, Michigan based manufacturer, introduced “I-Clean” high-performance fabric on its mid-price-range upholstered prototypes at the April, 2016 International Home Furnishings Market.  They reportedly were very pleased by initial retailer response and extremely excited by sales figures during the past year. “We purchase over 10 million yards per year of all types of fabric, and “I-Clean” is indeed a growing segment,” says Paula Hoyas, La-Z-Boy Vice President, Marketing. “We had to adjust our original forecast because of increased demand, and we continue to monitor the growing demand.” It’s no coincidence that La-Z-Boy officials appear as excited about “I-Clean” as Culp officials are about their high-performance fabric “Live Smart,” which they introduced six months later at the October market.  To paraphrase Shakespeare, a high-performance fabric by any other name might be just as effective, but these two products are more than merely similar. Except for the names, officials of both companies admit their products are as identical as the positive responses from their customers. Hoyas says La-Z-Boy officials approached Culp officials in mid-2015 and asked them to produce a stain-resistant, liquid-repellant, high-performance fabric.  Culp delivered the product “eight fast-paced months later,” Hoyas says, in time for La-Z-Boy to introduce it at the 2016 spring market. “Studying the industry, we keep our eye on a lot of different things,” Hoyas said. “It was the right time to have high-performance products at mid-range price points.  What is it that is new and innovative and different?  We never had a fabric high-performance story.  This is our first true performance story that we are able to market.  It’s affordable, stain resistant, easy to clean and, super important, soft to the touch.” Hoyas said La-Z-Boy officials saw that retailers were excited by the “wonderful eye presentation” from spilled liquids on fabrics identical in every way, except that one was an “I-Clean” product.  While regular upholstery is soaked by spills and, depending on the liquid, possibly ruined.   by John Lowe