Brentano believes in developing beautiful, high-performance textiles through a variety of means. Our business and community affiliations range from new technologies and testing methods to educational events and exhibits as well as innovative interior design endeavors. The following are some highlights of Brentano’s affiliations:
Cabot Wrenn, founded in 1981, is a manufacturer of fine business furniture. Their mission is to make the very best product possible in the areas of materials, construction, tailoring and seating comfort. Cabot Wrenn combines timeless design with a full range of ergonomic features such as comfort, style and durability.
Chicago History Museum Chicago History Museum FashioNext is a fashion design competition featuring established Chicago area designers who will create a couture garment inspired by the exhibition Chic Chicago: Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum. The winning garment will become part of the Museum’s world renowned costume collection. Brentano has partnered with the Museum to be the exclusive provider of textiles for the contest.
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry – Smart Home: Green + Wired A 2,500-square-foot house designed by Michelle Kaufman Designs and built outside Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, this exhibit showcases the big and small ways that individuals can make eco-friendly living a part of everyday life, and also highlights new eco-friendly technologies. Brentano donated from their Brentano Green textile label the majority of eco-fabrics used in the home.
CHPS oversees the nation’s first green building rating program designed especially for K-12 schools. The mission of CHPS is to facilitate the design, construction, and operation of these schools by creating environments that are energy and resource efficient, comfortable, and contain amenities for a quality education. Brentano’s leather category of eco-friendly faux leathers passes the California Section 01350 VOC test, and are therefore listed in the CHPS Low-Emitting Materials (LEM) Table.
Crypton Crypton textiles are created by encapsulating fiber constructions to work with Crypton’s patented systems. Crypton textiles are stain, water, and bacteria resistant. Ideal for heavy traffic areas such as hotels, restaurants, and healthcare applications, Brentano launched their first Crypton textile, Penang, in fall of 2004, and has brought out numerous successful Crypton patterns since.
Ecolect Brentano’s recycled polyester textiles and eco-friendly faux leathers are listed on Ecolect, an online eco-materials library that provides tools and resources to aid in environmentally responsible design. Brentano and Ecolect both participated in the MoSS event in Chicago, and Brentano provided textiles for the launch of GreenBox, a subscription service that provides eco-friendly design materials to environmentally-minded trendsetters and innovators.
Esquire House
Brentano’s eco-friendly faux leathers were chosen for Esquire magazine’s 6th annual signature space, held in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. Rotating annually between LA and New York, the Esquire house showcases the best of interior design talent and products while providing a stunning space for charity events.
GreenShield
GreenShield is a topical finish that utilizes 7-10 times fewer fluorocarbons than similar finishes and releases no VOC emissions. The first fabric Brentano introduced with a GreenShield finish was Bungalow in 2009. Since then, Brentano has added several performance fabrics with GreenShield plus Balance Barrier, a combination that makes it even more difficult for liquids or contaminants to penetrate a fabric. Fabrics with GreenShield plus Balance Barrier have the stain-resistant properties of GreenShield in addition to antibacterial, abrasion, and moisture protection.
Leland International Leland International designs and manufactures the highest quality, functionally sound contemporary furniture solutions for offices, educational environments, health-care facilities, public spaces and homes. Their products have won numberous Best of NeoCon awards, reflecting a leadership in innovation and design shared by Brentano. Since 2011, Brentano’s entire line has been pretested on Leland’s seating products and included in their graded fabric program.
Merchandise Mart Chicago’s design center may no longer have its own zip code, but it is still the world’s largest commercial building, bringing in more than 3 million visitors annually to its retail shops, LuxeHome boutiques, 11 floors of permanent showrooms for gift, residential, casual and contract furnishings, 10 floors of office space, and dozens of trade shoes and special events. Brentano fabrics can be found at Donghia, Suite 631.
Nanotex Nanotex is a permanent finish that increases the ability of interior textiles to resist spills and repel stains. In 2008, Brentano extended their range of finishes and began offering Nanotex options to clients. In addition to Nanotex finishing, Brentano offers Nanotex plus DuraBlock, which forms a breathable, liquid-proof barrier that is ideal for healthcare, institutional, educational and seating in high-traffic environments. Brentano also offers Nanotex plus BioAm, which protects fabrics against bacteria and is ideal for cubicles, panels, upholstery and drapery.
Thos. Moser Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers build quality furniture that celebrates the natural beauty of wood. They help clients find the perfect upholstery textiles for individual pieces of furniture, and have worked frequently with Brentano in their COM program. Many furniture pieces upholstered in Brentano fabric have been featured in Thos. Moser’s catalog.
Verde Verde As the interior designer for the Smart Home exhibit, Verde owner Michele Fitzpatrick became acquainted with Brentano while searching for eco-textiles. Verde features Fitzpatrick’s original designs (made in Chicago using sustainable and nontoxic materials), as well as reupholstered vintage pieces and a selection of other environmentally-conscious interior design products such as rugs, flooring, and green textiles (including Brentano Green fabrics).
Brentano has grown from a modest beginning of eight patterns into an internationally represented textile house. Many of our partners are located in urban interior design centers. To find a Sales Representative in your area, please enter your zipcode here.
Altfield Altfield Located in London’s Chelsea Harbour Design Centre, Altfield has been designing and producing fine furnishings and decorative accessories since 1982. In 2006, they began carrying Brentano textiles, who they call a leading contract fabric house with a “sophisticated colour palette and design repertoire.”
Blended Blue, Inc.
Blended Blue, Inc. Located in the Minneapolis design Center, International Market Square, Blended Blue began representing Brentano in early 2010. Founded by Marcy Russ , Blended Blue is a dynamic, service-oriented showroom and outside sales team that meets the needs of residential and commercial interior designers with a collection of lines selected for their synergy. All fabrics, furniture, wall coverings and accessories deliver conscientious design solutions born of ingenuity and calibrated for durability and delight.
Dean-Warren
Dean-Warren is a multi-line showroom that offers a comprehensive selection of the finest textiles, furniture, lighting, and accessories available to the trade. Established in 1988, they were one of the first showrooms in Arizona and continue to be a leader in the local design community. In 2005, Dean-Warren both expanded into its current location in the Arizona Design Center, and began their representation of Brentano.
Donghia
Donghia Inc. produces original designs in furniture, textiles, trim, lighting, wallcoverings, and accessories that bridge the gap between modern and traditional. They are a multi-line showroom and have been carrying Brentano since their Atlanta showroom began representing Brentano in 1997. Currently, they represent Brentano across the United States in 11 territories.
PollackPollack In 1991, Pollack became the first showroom to carry Brentano fabrics. Celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2008, Pollack has moved from their original target of the high-end corporate industry to a 50/50 split between contract and residential textiles, as well as gaining an increasing share of the hospitality market.
Primavera
Primavera Brentano began working with Primavera, one of the premier trade resources in Canada, in 1994. Primavera carries an extensive collection of the finest furniture, lighting, wallpaper, trimmings, and fabrics from around the world.
Trammell-Gagne
Trammell-Gagne is a multi-line showroom based in Seattle Washington in the Seattle Design Center, providing high end contemporary fabrics and furniture to the design trade. Trammell-Gagne’s goal is to provide high quality service and luxury products to the design and architecture communities – they are proud to include Brentano in their collection.
William Switzer William Switzer has been in the Interior Design industry for over 50 years. The William Switzer Fabric Showroom opened in Vancouver, in 1992, to service the needs of Interior Designers in B. C. In addition to carrying Brentano fabrics they also offer 13 lines ranging from textiles to lighting to carpet and furniture.
