Agua’s five bestselling cruise fabrics
Following our award for ‘best supplier of the year’ from CSI Expo, here are our go-to fabrics for the cruise sector
It was a huge thrill to win the award for ‘Supplier of the Year 2021’ at the Cruise Ship Interiors Expo awards, last week. Regular clients of ours will know that we do our very best to go above and beyond when it comes to customer service, so to have this recognised by one of the industry’s key trade bodies means a lot to us.
We have extensive experience of working within the cruise industry, and produce a number of different specialist fabrics that are suited to cruise’s challenging requirements. Cruise ship interiors need to balance a plush, high-end look-and-feel with practical, durable design, capable of holding up against high volumes of traffic and all manner of spills and thrills. Handily, all our performance upholstery fabrics meet the cruise industry’s key requirements; including IMO fire retardancy certification, high Martindale abrasion ratings, waterproofing, stain resistance and anti-microbial protection.
Moreover, with our new anti-microbial protection that’s been tested and proven effective against COVID-19, AguaGuard365, available across the majority of the Agua range, our fabrics are perfectly placed to get the world cruising again in a safe and protected environment. With all this in mind, here are some of our recommendations for fabrics that are purpose-built for the sector.
Al Fresco is a UV resistant outdoor upholstery fabric, available in a mixture of plain weaves, stripes and tweeds – all in sunny, Mediterranean colours. We designed the collection with outdoor seating, sun-loungers and open air restaurants in mind, all of which makes it perfect for cruise ship decks or poolside lounging. Al Fresco is also IMO, waterproof and colourfast to sunlight.
One of our two newly released velvets, Primeira combines the luxurious feel and deep pile of traditional velvet with all our high-performing characteristics, in a wide range of refreshing colours and timeless neutrals. Even though the collection is only two months old, it’s already being specified for more ‘indulgent’ cruise ship environments, from theatre seating, to casinos, to nightclub VIP areas. Primeira is competitively priced for a velvet, and so is ideally suited to sizeable cruise interior projects. It’s treated with AguaGuard 365, too.
Historically, Linetta is our best-selling and most popular collection for the cruise interiors market; a high performing alternative to linen, woven in a plainweave with sophisticated melange yarn, the range comes in no less than 30 different colours. From bedroom chairs to lounge seating, you’ll find Linetta throughout many established cruise liners and across multiple liners in a fleet.
Furnisoft Breathable is one of our smartest collections. As the name suggests, it’s a breathable, biodegradable polyurethane artificial leather, available in several sophisticated colour ways. We find it’s a popular choice for use on pieces like headboards, through to banquette seating in restaurants and lounges. Furnisoft combines the look of real leather with enhanced durability and pliability, and with a far more cost-effective price point, too.
Another high-performing take on linen, Parody Linen was one of our most popular faux leathers in 2021. Understandably, infection control has become crucial in the world of cruise interiors over the past two years and nothing is easier to disinfect than vinyl. But, for those projects where you don’t want the whole space looking like vinyl, Parody Linen’s textured emboss replicates a soft fabric. It’s the perfect material to break up and add depth to restaurants, lounges, dining rooms and other large hospitality interiors. It’s stylish, robust and practical.
