Brentano Pushes Boundaries of Green Design, Examines Water Conservation

Chicago, IL, March 11, 2012 --(PR.com)-- The Back to Basics collection is a call for attention to water, a resource that has historically been taken for granted due to its abundance. Water is vital for all forms of life on Earth. Clean water is essential for humans and other life forms, although nearly one billion people lack access to safe drinking water. And while it covers nearly 71% of Earth’s surface, lack of access to water is rapidly becoming a crisis that will continue to spread and affect our entire planet. Water conservation was in the forefront of Brentano Design Director Iris Wang’s mind while developing Brentano’s spring 2012 collection.

With 7 additions to the Brentano Green label, Back to Basics showcases Brentano’s expertise with producing residential, eco-friendly textiles that expand the boundaries of what is possible in green design.

The simple and sophisticated trio of Mistral, Ostro, and Sirocco are named for seasonal winds that flow across the Mediterranean Sea into the surrounding country. Made from 100% Belgian linen, these two upholsteries and one drapery are free from dye chemicals. Each is woven in a facility that follows stringent European environmental laws and pays attention to water conservation throughout the manufacturing process. The flax fibers are extracted using a field-retting process, in contrast to the traditional, water-polluting process of stream-retting. Mistral, Ostro and Sirocco are all Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified.

About Brentano:
Founded in 1990 by Design Director Iris Wang and her husband, 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. Their growing collection of eco-fabrics expands this ideology by demanding textiles meet thoroughly researched standards of environmental consciousness while maintaining their beauty. Having celebrated 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, Crypton, Nano-Tex and GreenShield fabrics. Please visit www.brentanofabrics.com for more information.

###