Contract Magazine - July 2020 - 32

FEATURE

Amanda Eaton
Vice President of Design
Arc-Com

Can you describe your new collections?
Arc-Com is introducing two collections: Ensemble and Urban Muse.
Arc-Com's Ensemble collection is a lovely, color coordinated trio of Healthy
Hospital Initiative compliant patterns that includes two high-performance
polyurethane patterns-Arabesque and Cadence-and one privacy curtain-
Harmony-X-woven with Arc-Com's proprietary antimicrobial yarn system,
X-Static technology. The complete collection is compliant with the Healthy
Hospital Initiative, is bleach-cleanable, and has been approved for use
with a host of medical-grade disinfecting products.
Arc-Com's Urban Muse collection comprises three contemporary,
beautifully woven textiles: Infrastructure, a pattern; Evolution, a texture; and
Transform, a solid. They are all colored to be mixed and matched within a space.
This collection will serve most markets as all three patterns are stocked with
a stain-resistant finish, have been tested to Wyzenbeek,100,000 Double Rubs,
and are bleach-cleanable.

While in lock down, what has inspired you that might find its way into a
future collection?
During the lockdown, we have all had to reinvent our methodologies-the way
we shop, the way we socialize, the way we work, the way we educate our children,
the way we spend time with our families etc. The resilience and creativity that
has emerged as a result, and the way in which we are overcoming some of these
obstacles, is inspiring!
As we move forward, on a product development level, we will need to
reinvent our material choices. The challenge for all will be to integrate health and
safety measures with performance materials for interior spaces that will maintain
a sense of beauty, normalcy and a connection to the past. Our goal for future
collections will be innovative material development to address emerging
performance needs with zero sacrifice in aesthetics. We know it can be done!

What was the inspiration for them?
Both of Arc-Com's new collections were influenced by a heightened awareness
of the need to be connected to the natural environment for health and happiness.
The Ensemble Collection was designed to be HHI compliant and to evoke
a sense of the natural world without ever becoming too literal. The design flow
in this group is gracefully stylized to evoke a sense of calming movement.
The patterning and color selection deliver a mindfully coordinated grouping
of organic design and texture.
The Urban Muse Collection was inspired by the ideas surrounding
how existing urban structures and spaces can be transformed and repurposed
to address environmental and social concerns. Projects like the High Line
in New York, for example, are now being implemented in many cities. They are
transforming traffic patterns to be less "car-centric" with the intent of giving
pedestrian, bicyclists, and public transport users the same priority as motorists,
resulting in positive impacts on public health as well as the environment. The
integration of green spaces both indoors and outside in urban settings is being
increasingly implemented in impressive new ways. The Urban Muse collection
seeks to visually capture the ideas and imagery that are influencing modern
urban planning.
One of the collections uses X-Static antimicrobial technology.
What's that about?
X-Static is our proprietary antimicrobial technology. It is not a surface
treatment; it is a fiber that we weave with. X-Static fibers are permanently
bonded with a layer of 99.9 percent pure silver. It is not nanotechnology
or a complex chemical formula-just silver. The silver layer is the key to X-Static's
powerful antimicrobial properties, as it creates an ionic shield that permanently
inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi. It has been our experience that
the privacy curtains in hospitals do not get cleaned/disinfected at the same rate
as the seating products. The goal, when we developed our X-Static technology,
was to reduce the bacterial contamination on the textile material and the
risk of cross contamination to humans.

32

Arc-Com's Ensemble Collection
(top) is a bleach-cleanable trio
of Healthy Hospital Initiative
compliant healthcare products.
Comprising three patterns (two
high-performance polyurethanes patterns, Arabesque and
Cadence, and one privacy-curtain
pattern, Harmony) this collection
offers designers a beautifully
coordinated grouping of organic
pattern and texture. The Urban
Muse Collection (bottom) was
inspired by the ideas surrounding
how existing urban structures
and spaces can be transformed
and repurposed to address environmental and social concerns.
contractdesign.com

JULY 2020
http://www.contractdesign.com
Contract Magazine - July 2020

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