ABOUT : brentano, inc.

Founded in 1990 by Design Director Iris Wang and her husband and President E-Kwan Chen, Brentano has grown from a modest beginning of eight patterns to an internationally represented textile house. Brentano’s fabrics stem from Wang’s philosophy of balancing beauty + performance. Our growing collection of eco-fabrics expands this ideology by demanding textiles to meet thoroughly researched standards of environmental consciousness while maintaining their beauty. Celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2010, Brentano continues to offer a variety of innovative and interesting textiles, including eco-friendly faux leather, high performance upholstery, fire-resistant, outdoor and Crypton and Nano-Tex fabrics.

Brentano : Textiles

Brentano fabrics are designed with the philosophy of beauty + performance in mind. A versatile line offering everything from upscale contract textiles to affordable residential fabrics, our textiles are ideal for a range of interior applications, such as panel and upholstery fabric, sheers, and drapery. The majority of our window treatments inherently pass 701 Small Scale fire resistance testing, and many of our upholstery textiles surpass 50,000 double rubs. Because of our particular attention to color, Brentano fabrics enhance all kinds of interiors, whether a commercial office, hospitality environment, healthcare project, or a residential atmosphere.

Our high-performance textiles include:

• Eco-fabrics: Our label features a variety of environmentally-friendly fabrics in an increasing array of fibers, including bamboo, eco wool, recycled content, and organic cotton. Many are MBDC cradle to cradle certified and offer possible points toward LEED certification.
• Crypton and Nano-Tex fabrics: For restaurants, hotels, healthcare facilities or other interiors where stain and spill resistance are required, Brentano offers a variety of textile patterns with Crypton and Nano-Tex finishes. Both Crypton and Nano-Tex offers superior performance for high-traffic areas.
• Faux-Leather: Brentano’s nonwoven textiles include polyurethane and nylon based faux leathers. Both offer superior durability, and many of our faux leathers offer eco-friendly benefits as well.
• Fire Resistant Fabrics: Conscious of commercial usability, Brentano ensures that many of their fabrics inherently pass 701 Small Scale testing, and that almost all can be treated to pass it.
• Outdoor Fabrics: Able to withstand water condensation and ultraviolet rays, Brentano’s outdoor textiles are perfect for sunny indoor areas too.

Brentano: Design Philosophy

Brentano’s commitment to providing beauty + performance means constantly evaluating how to offer the most beautiful and durable fabrics for contract, hospitality, and residential interiors. We take into account not only specific trade knowledge about wearibility, pattern, hand, color, and price, but also focus on education and innovation. Whether it’s learning about new eco-friendly fibers or developing fresh color and pattern combinations, Brentano is the ideal choice for stylish textiles that offer classic patterns and weaves with a modern and innovative twist.

Brentano: Green Statement

Through extensive research, we have developed green criteria for our fabrics that seek to understand the interconnected nature of sustainability. Our eco-fabrics include our high performance and high quality eco-friendly faux leathers, as well as beautiful upholstery patterns and contract textiles — overall displaying an uncommon variety of design and versatility available in environmentally-conscious textiles. The Brentano Green fabric label demonstrates our commitment to pursuing green mindfulness while continuing to design textiles with beauty + performance in mind.

Brentano: Design Studio

Since relocating to our new design studio in summer of 2009, Brentano has an even larger space to act as the hub for creativity. For Design Director Iris Wang and our design team, it is a meeting place for discussion and innovation, navigating how to combine patterns, materials, weaves and colors with usability and function. Meetings not only guide the development of original artwork and textiles, but also offer a place for everyone to come together and figure out the best ways to expand Brentano’s growing collection of beautiful and performance-minded fabrics. Additionally, Brentano demonstrated our environmental commitment by opting for many eco-friendly elements in both the design and in materials used in construction.
Our environmentally-friendly studio »

Brentano: Social Commitment

Beyond creating beautiful, performance-minded textiles, Brentano is committed to community involvement, including:

• Charitable Giveback

  Our proximity to Chicago allows us to take part in local charitable events, such as the Chicago House Birdhouse auction that benefits people living with HIV and AIDS.
  
  

• Green Awareness

  Our research and development of eco-friendly textiles has led to involvement in several education-oriented green projects, including participation in the Museum of Sustainable Style panel discussion on sustainability and everyday life, providing fabrics for the Museum of Science and Industry’s Smart Home exhibition, and inclusion in the Merchandise Mart’s Green Spot gallery and education center.
  
  

• Collaboration

  Acting as the fabric provider for the Chicago History Museum’s fashion-design competition FashioNext, we helped show innovative and fun ways to fuse fashion and interior design. Working with Andreu World America, we created FashioNext NeoCon, which added a furniture element to create a unique, collaborative exhibition.