Designtex announced three new introductions that each won a Best of NeoCon award at this year's show.

Celliant won the Gold award in the Textile Upholstery category. Celliant textile upholstery is the first to introduce minerals to seating through a non-woven backing, where they can reflect the infrared energy we emit back to our bodies. When minerals are blended with polyester they naturally cause those fibers to become gray. By placing the minerals on the back of the construction, Designtex Celliant upholstery achieves all the promised performance without sacrificing any vibrancy on the face. Celliant® uses 13 minerals that are prevalent in the natural environment. By incorporating Celliant® thermoreactive minerals, Designtex Celliant® upholstery increases the sitter’s local blood flow by 8-10%. This raises oxygen levels and delivers vital nutrients to tissue throughout the body. 5 published clinical/ mechanical studies demonstrate Celliant®’s statistically significant effects. Celliant® products are listed as FDA designated/determined.

Surroundings won the Gold award in the Healthcare Fabrics & Textiles category. Surroundings is a healthcare textile collection centered around patient experience. As healthcare models continue to expand, materials play a critical role in providing solutions and contributing to a supportive and positive experience. The collection features a curated grouping of coated and woven upholstery textiles that offer a variety of styles, colors, technologies and experiences, presenting users more targeted choices (while aiding in reducing potential stressors). Materials are essential in creating experiences that support a variety of functions: a place for quiet, private reflection, a relaxing gathering space or a busy emergency department. The textile designs featured in the collection balance high-performance and calming aesthetics and offer added psychological and physiological benefits through the use of biophilic design elements and innovative Celliant® technology.

Designtex + Coalesse won an Editor's Choice award in the Textile Upholstery category. An exercise in collaboration and nuance, Designtex and Coalesse worked together to utilize the expertise of small specialty mills, feature the tactility of fine fibers and dive deep into nuanced color exploration. The result is 9 thoughtful patterns that celebrate the synergies between the Designtex and Coalesse design teams. Overlapping concepts of pattern and color encourage designers to mix and match each component of the collection. Highly dimensional quilted surface of Burrard has a built in partner in the smooth dry surface of Burrard Ground Cloth, enabling the designer to use intense surface interest in contrast and combination with smooth simplicity without a change in color or tactility. The geometry of the Burrard pattern takes on new meaning when interpreted in finely milled Italian wool in Bixby. This duo plays with scale with both Micro and Macro versions, again encouraging designers to toggle back and forth in a harmonic way.