01/29/2019 | Product News

Kuraray at Première Vision 2019: Solvent-free man-made leather gives fashion designers more freedom

Hattersheim/Paris, February 2019. Man-made leather is the sustainable alternative to natural leather. It is just as resistant as the natural product and actually surpasses it in some respects, for example, in wear comfort, care and processing properties. This makes it extremely suitable for many fashion creations. Kuraray, a world leading producer of speciality chemicals, is exhibiting its sustainable and versatile man-made leather collections, Clarino™ Crust and Clarino™ suede, at Première Vision in Paris from February 12 to 14, 2019. The exhibit also includes Tirrenina™ Nubuck and amaretta™ Nubuck, which are certified as conforming to Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX. Thanks to their variety and unique properties, these products open up new options for design as well as protecting the environment.

The fashion industry makes high demands on man-made leather: it is expected to be as durable and flexible as natural leather, yet sustainable, easier to process and more varied. Kuraray has therefore developed a variety of man-made leathers that are superior to real leather in many ways. Marketed under the Clarino™ brand, Kuraray's man-made leathers offer a wide range of different embossed patterns, surface structures and colours, making these nonwoven microfibre fabrics extremely versatile as well as environmentally friendly. Due to a unique production process, they can be manufactured entirely without solvents. Speciality chemicals producer Kuraray is exhibiting its leather collections on February 12-14, 2019 at Première Vision, Paris, the leading trade show for suppliers to the fashion industry. This year Kuraray's Clarino specialists will be providing information on the following products at a newly designed booth (Hall 6, booth 6N24):
 

• Clarino™ Crust: a man-made very versatile and sustainable leather finished in Tuscany that is as wide-ranging as the demands made by designers
• amaretta™ Nubuck, the world’s finest nonwoven microfibre with a velvety soft feel and unique suede look
• Clarino™ Suede, a man-made leather that is ideal for impressive accessories, produced using a water-based process
• Tirrenina™ Nubuck, manufactured in a completely solvent-free process, is available in 24 stock service colours

Man-made leather for haute couture — versatile and sustainable
Clarino™ Crust offers designers complete freedom in look and feel: this man-made leather collection is available in a wide range of surface structures, colours and imitation animal hides. Kuraray’s range of embossed and patent-look finishes are particularly interesting for fashion footwear and accessories such as leather-look belts and trendy bags, in high-gloss, metallic and pastel designs. At the same time, Clarino™ Crust is a sustainable product: this water-based man-made leather is manufactured without any solvents. As an alternative to real leather, it is produced without any animal products. The fabric receives its final look in Italy, where a special finishing process that resembles tanning of real leather gives it a very natural feel and structure. Clarino™ Crust is a unique, high-quality alternative to leather and can be produced in small quantities, allowing customising of feel, structure and colour.

Each individual microfibre in amaretta Nubuck™ is 4,000 times finer than human hair. This super-fine fibre structure makes the fabric extremely strong yet pleasantly soft. amaretta™ Nubuck has good crease resistance and water resistance. It also has a high-quality and harmonious structure, which makes it ideal for innovative fashion designs. This easy-care, washable fabric is soft and elegant, so it is perfect for haute couture. amaretta™ Nubuck man-made leather is certified free of harmful substances as conforming to Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX.

Like Clarino™ Crust, Clarino Suede™ is a sustainable alternative to real leather. This suede-look microfibre nonwoven is water-based and produced entirely without solvents – so manufacturing is both environment and animal-friendly. In addition, Clarino™ Suede is highly versatile: this heat-resistant product can be embossed and printed. Available in 60 shades, the collection was created at the start of 2019 to give designers maximum freedom to the creation of sophisticated designs.

Tirrenina™ Nubuck is suitable for a wide range of fashionable garments and accessories, from stylish coats to mobile phone covers. This man-made leather is certified in accordance with Standard 100 by OEKO TEX. As well as meeting the demanding standards set by this quality label, production uses less water and also reduces CO₂ emissions. In addition it has good skin tolerability and can be supplied immediately  in Europe in 24 stock colours.
 

About Kuraray

Established in 1991, Kuraray Europe GmbH is based in Hattersheim, near Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In 2017 the company generated annual sales of over EUR 680 million. It has 680 employees in Germany at its sites in Hattersheim, Frankfurt and Troisdorf. Kuraray is a global speciality chemicals company and one of the largest suppliers of industrial polymers and synthetic microfibres for many sectors of industry. Examples are KURARAY POVAL™, Mowital^®, Trosifol^® and CLEARFIL™. Kuraray Europe also has around 180 employees at six other European sites. They are also working on the development and application of innovative high-performance materials for a wide range of sectors, including the automotive, paper, glass and packaging industries, as well as for architects and dentists.

Kuraray Europe is a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly listed Kuraray Co., Ltd., which is based in Tokyo, Japan, and has more than 9,000 employees worldwide and sales of over EUR 4 billion.

Press contacts at Première Vision 2019:

Bernhard Schmidt
Sales Manager
Kuraray Europe GmbH
Philipp-Reis-Straße 4
65795 Hattersheim am Main, Germany
Phone: +49 69 305 35868
Email: bernhard.schmidt(at)kuraray.com
Internet: www.kuraray.eu 
 

Sophie Oehler
Marketing Assistant
Kuraray Europe GmbH
Philipp-Reis-Straße 4
65795 Hattersheim am Main, Germany
Phone: +49 69 305 28879
Email: sophie.oehler(at)kuraray.com
Internet: www.kuraray.eu

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From metallic look to matt pastel: Clarino™ Crust man-made leather from Kuraray is extremely versatile. Production of this water-based microfibre nonwoven is completely solvent-free, so it is an environmentally friendly alternative to real leather. Source: Kuraray

Finest comfort: each microfibre in Kuraray's amaretta™ Nubuck is 4,000 times finer than human hair. Thanks to its very dense fibre structure, this nonwoven is extremely tear-resistant, robust and crease-resistant. This environmentally friendly man-made leather is free from harmful substances and is certified as conforming to Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX. It’s elegant appearance and high wear comfort make amaretta™ Nubuck ideal for haute couture. Source: Kuraray

Environment-friendly versatility: Clarino™ Suede is a sustainable alternative to genuine leather – produced by speciality chemicals producer Kuraray. This suede-type man-made leather is manufactured in a solvent-free process. Customised embossing makes it very versatile – ideal for creative fashion designs. Source: Kuraray

Colourful and environment-friendly: Tirrenina™ Nubuck man-made leather from Kuraray is available in 24 stock service colours. This man-made leather is certified as conforming to Standard 100 by OEKO TEX. As well as meeting the demanding standards set by this quality label, production uses less water and also reduces CO2 emissions. Source: Kuraray

From fashion to technology: Kuraray's Clarino™ brand of top-quality man-made leather products are superior to natural leather in many respects. Alongside fashion garments and accessories, these products are suitable for technical applications, for example in cars, and for sports equipment such as riding gear, professional balls and gloves. Source: Kuraray