Chris Stone to Debut Eco Collective

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 5/21/2007 12:00:00 AM

Los Angeles —

Chris Stone is launching Eco Collective, a group of six solid color fabrics in a variety of eco-friendly fibers, dyes and finishes. The collection will debut at Showtime in High Point, N.C., on June 3 with the company's showroom windows showcasing the line.

"We had this very large initiative as a result of our customers' demands," said Andrea Bernstein, executive director, marketing and merchandising. And despite popular perception, she added, "These customers are willing to pay a premium to some extent." The premium overall, she said, is some 15% to 20%.

The fabrics are woven from hemp, cotton, bamboo, and linen, alone or in combinations.

Five of the fabrics have a range of six to 12 colors, while one, Eco-Reed, a cotton/bamboo barkcloth, has 21. Others will use linen/cotton undyed to look natural. Cost prices are from $5 to $12 per yard. The cotton used is not organic cotton, she noted.

Besides the natural and sustainable fiber content, Chris Stone is using dyes certified to meet global organic textiles standards. "These are low impact dyes certified by the Organic Materials Institute, and certified organic bleaching," Bernstein related. No chemicals are used in the finishing, either. As part of the company's marketing efforts, it will be participating with Country Living magazine in its eco-product feature launch.