Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Elfa Int’l Showcases Inaugural Trend Book for Fabric Buyers
June 6,
2018 by Jane Chero in Advertising, Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry 
New York-based and family owned Elfa International, a mattress ticking and textile design and sourcing company, has released its first design trends and color reference catalog, highlighting the newest fashion and color directions identified by its U.S.-based, in-house design team.
The trend book, which will be published annually, is available in digital or printed format and serves as a reference point for textile buyers as they work with the Elfa sales and design staff to pinpoint their fabric selections.
“We identified eight major themes that we’ve seen throughout our research, and our new catalog illustrates some great ways to incorporate them into fabrics that deliver the look you want to achieve,” said Cindy Rice, Elfa International’s lead designer. “It includes everything from soft blues and purples to bolder colors with geometric designs and more offbeat patterns.”
The design team focused on about 35 specific Pantone colors, but Rice said hundreds of variations of each base color can amplify the key trends.
Elfa designers identified the major themes as:
Menswear: Combines traditional and contemporary patterns with neutral tones to reflect masculinity and sophistication.
Urban Luxury: A modern trend that asserts sophistication. It blends the boldness of contemporary design and rich color to emphasize a prosperous quality of life.
Modern Romance: Embraces traditional damask and softer textures that portray a feminine design aesthetic.
Modern Beauty: Embraces the relationship between body and earth, blurring boundaries between organic and transitional design.
Empire: A balanced combination of old-world architecture and modern design, this fusion of styles creates a bold approach, while incorporating neutral tones.
Hollywood Regency: Utilizing bold patterns and colors to emit a feeling of eminence and beauty, it captures the elegance created by the junction of traditional and contemporary design.
Fitness Flair: Representing the active lifestyle of the modern-day athlete, it portrays contemporary style while capturing the flow and movement of athletic attitude.
Futurism: Displaying a new vision that embraces the modern edge of the future, it is transforming the design world into an era of modernity, simplicity and raw edge.
Elfa International has four offices in New York; Charlotte, N.C.; Linping, China; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Products designed for customers are housed in the company’s two warehouses in Marion, N.C., and Elkhart, Ind., for just-in-time delivery.