New fill raises pillow ante

By Marvin Lazaro -- Home Textiles Today, 10/11/2002 12:00:00 AM

WILMINGTON, DE —

A new fill introduced by DuPont Textiles and Interiors (DTI) and Louisville Bedding Co. is designed to take the luxury sleep pillow market a step higher.

The new fill, labeled Cashmere Cluster, is a blend of cashmere and synthetic fiberfill, and is debuting in Louisville's New York showroom this market as part of a new high-end sleep pillow offering. Cashmere Cluster is being paired with two high-thread-count tickings: one is an 800-count two-ply, and the other is a 1,000-count two-ply. It is also being used for Louisville's Beautyrest Exceptionale pillow line. Retail prices for pillows using Cashmere Cluster range from $75 to $125 for standard, queen and king sizes.

"It has very good fill power, and the combination of the high-thread-count ticking and the cashmere cluster delivers more than enough value at that price point," said Donna Kelloway, bedding product business manager for DTI.

According to Kelloway, Cashmere Cluster represents the highest level in a good/better/best strategy of fills currently offered by Louisville for higher-end, luxury bed pillows. The first level is represented by MicroSilk, which utilizes silk and synthetic fill, while the second is represented by another new fill manufactured by DTI and labeled by Louisville as MicroSilk Supreme, which contains 50 percent more silk than its predecessor.

Louisville is the only company utilizing Cashmere Cluster, MicroSilk and MicroSilk Supreme, and has registered the Cashmere Cluster trademark.

Kelloway said Cashmere Cluster has been used prior to this by furniture manufacturers but that this was the first time it was being used in the home textiles arena.