Intellatex Bows Bright Bedding

At the New York Market — AQ Textiles is ready to roll with its Intellatex line, a program of negative-ionically charged bedding that neutralizes positively charged allergens generated by bed mites, pet dander, mold, mildew and pollen.

Intellatex is both a brand and a licensing company. AQ holds the worldwide licensing rights to bring Intellatex to market and to license it globally. What previewed in AQ's showroom a year ago as the concept will be blown out into a full program this week.

"This showroom will be head-to-toe Intellatex," said president and ceo Larry Queen. "The back-up is the science. There's nothing that has this kind of research behind it."

In the process, chemicals become a permanent part of the molecular structure of cotton cloth, which makes Intellatex a permanent bulwark against positively charged allergens — as opposed to topical treatments, which can wash out. Those allergens get trapped and neutralized on the cloth. Laundering eliminates them.

The product and its claims have been tested by several entities over the past 12 months.

Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina has verified that Intellatex traps positively charged allergens and that the negative charge is permanent via U.S. Center for Disease Control standards. Cotton Inc. testing also has verified that the negative charge is permanent, standing up to ASTCC laundry standards and CDC standards.

SGS Laboratories has verified Intellatex's biocompatibility under USO standards.

"So we have a very real product," said Queen. "You can print on it, you could do jacquards, put it on deep dyes — it doesn't impact the technology."

Pieces of the program are already in tests in the specialty and department store channels. At this week's New York Home Fashions Market, AQ has introduced sheet sets in cotton percale, sateen and flannel; blankets, comforter sets and duvet sets.

Queen percale sheet sets are expected to retail around $69.99.

Packaging carries the tagline "Intellatex — For Life in Balance," and also carries Cotton Inc.'s new "Natural" logo. Packaging includes a DVD "so the consumer can know even more about what they've bought."

AQ's showroom will also feature product from some of Intellatex's first home textiles licensees in the U.S.: Louisville Bedding, Sleep Innovations, SureFit and Unison, which makes pet beds.

The brand debuts this month in India via licensee Creative Mobus, which holds the Portico license in that country and is introducing Intellatex in 600 shops.