About our fabrics
Our experienced team of buyers and designers have for years created a range of fabrics that will work perfectly with our collection of chairs. We are continuously updating our collection of upholstery to be one of the best on the market.
Conform has around 40-50 different fabrics to choose from, and in each fabric family, there are 4-7 different colours. This gives our customers a wide range to choose from.
Our goal is to put sustainability at the forefront of our development processes and compose collections that reduce the impact on the environment without compromising on quality or design. Each year we aim to increase the range of sustainable alternatives in our collection.
Pricing
We always strive to find the best quality fabrics at a reasonable price. Our fabrics are divided into three different price groups, A, B and C. A is the most affordable price group and C the most expensive. The groups are only based on price, which means that an A category fabrics are as good as a C category one, but within the B and C fabric groups, you can find extra values in the qualities, such as Efficiency and Easy Care.
Martindale
Martindale is a test made to verify the sustainability of the yarns in the fabric. The chosen fabric is covered on a small disc and then pressed with a certain weight against another type of standard fabric. These two are rubbed against each other until there are two threads broken or a clear visible change in the fabric that is tested. When the change happens the Martindale machine gives a value of how many rubs it took before the test stopped. To be qualified as an upholstery fabric you need to reach 15,000 rubs.
Lightfastness
In the lightfastness test the chosen fabric is put into a machine that is set to expose the fabric to a certain type of light for a certain amount of time. The fabric is then evaluated against a blue scale of fabrics that have been exposed at the same time as your fabric. The blue scale will come out with 8 different looks where number one has been bleached and number 8 has not changed at all. With indoor upholstery fabrics, the values are usually from 4-6. The best values, 7 and 8 are almost only set on fabrics used for outdoor use.
Testing methods
We state three different values on all our hangers for the customer to find their best fit. Martindale, pilling and lightfastness tests are made according to an international standard.
Knowing the different methods below makes it easier to choose the best fabric for a certain customer. For example, is the sofa or chair meant to be placed beside large windows it’s good to take an extra look at the light fastness. If the sofa meant for a big family with children and pets you should take an extra check on the pilling and Martindale values. Hair and external fibers often cause piles to occur.
Pilling
The pilling test is made almost like the Martindale test, the difference is that the chosen fabric is rubbed against itself and not against another standard fabric. The machine is then set to rub either 3000 or 5000 rubs before it is stopped. When the machine stops, the fabric is evaluated by a person at the lab and compared to standard pictures to evaluate how much pilling there is. The scale goes from 1-5, where 1 is very much pilling and 5 means no change when the test is done.
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