Alcantara Plays A Starring Role At Los Angeles Auto Show

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcantara, the hi-tech Italian luxury material, continues to generate attention at major auto shows around the world.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120309/DE67303LOGO)

The Italian brand recently hosted a private party at Vibiana in the Los Angeles downtown historical district for designers, partners and auto industry executives to demonstrate the "magic and versatility" of the material to meet countless needs and tastes from automotive to fashion, from handbags and accessories to interior design and home decor.

Guests were greeted in the Vibiana courtyard by two Lamborghini cars - - a white Lamborghini Superleggera and a black Lamborghini Performante - - both with exclusive charcoal-gray Alcantara interiors.

Beautiful, elegant and soft as silk, Alcantara can achieve whatever the imagination thinks possible. It is not by chance that today Alcantara, is the preferred choice of some of the world's most prestigious brands - - brands that also have shown a growing appreciation for Alcantara's commitment to sustainability as proven by its certification as carbon neutral.

To let guests experience the beauty and versatility of Alcantara prior to the public opening of the L.A. Auto Show, the company presented a visual feast of fashion with the support of some of its top, high-end brand partners.

"It is always astonishing to see what Alcantara can do," commented Andrea Boragno, chairman and CEO of Alcantara S.p.A.  "Under the sign of elegance, functionality and ethical responsibility, Alcantara accompanies contemporary users in everything they do and wherever they go, making their everyday life simply extraordinary.

"Our brand partners here in Los Angeles are tangible proof of Alcantara versatility and uniqueness.  No other material today is able to preserve its intrinsic qualities of beauty, softness and resistance, while at the same time taking on the characteristics required by each customer, incredibly adapting to any kind of customization preferences and needs.  Our material is an extraordinary achievement made possible by the continuous blending of Italian craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology."

Fashion from Rosa Clandestino, the luxury brand founded by the designer Silvia Arguello, made its debut on Alcantara's Vibiana runway.

"Alcantara is versatile, smooth, refined and pliant," Arguello noted.  "Working with the carbon neutral Alcantara materials was an absolute luxury.  I truly respect their commitment to the environment and corporate sustainability."

The Rosa Clandestino made-in-Italy couture-tailored collection recalls a "Swinging Sixties" style with baroque inspired laser-cut Alcantara embellishments.  The collection includes a-line dresses with highlighted waistlines and deep backs, fitted corsets, maxi skirts, oversize jackets and elaborated coats that enhance the feminine figure.

Rosa Clandestino not only used Alcantara as the main material for each piece, but to embellish each one as well.  The designer also created an exclusive laser-cut baroque inspired pattern in Alcantara that was skillfully applied to each style with miniature ring-studs.

"I decided on a light-powdered color palette that represents the passage of time – off-white, ice blue and blush pink," Arguello said.  "The touches of citron yellow represent hope and the black, ultimate sophistication."

Alcantara is chosen more and more often by fashion designers as a primary material for their creations and the same now holds true for the designers of hand bags and accessories.  Collections from two avant-guard accessory brands also were on display at the Alcantara show - - the prestigious Parisian brand Jamin Puech and the eclectic Chinese brand PLORE by Zhang Xi.

The bags and accessories from the French maison stand out for their incredibly diversified color palette and a skillful hand-made tricot with thousands of Alcantara tapes intertwined with raffia that give birth to unmistakable creations exalting the artisanship of Alcantara.  The bags and cases designed by PLORE highlight the material's contemporary style. The collection takes inspiration from modern architecture, where minimalism cleverly melds with the traditional lines of women's fashion.

The furniture of Christopher Guy featured in the Vibiana lounge area demonstrated Alcantara's use in the field of home furnishings. Well-known for fusing classicism with modernism in his designs, the Christopher Guy "Look" can be described as a "contemporary mood with classic values."  Above all else, Guy's unique work is characterized by elegance that forms the DNA of each design and is central to the brand's philosophy.

"Regardless of whether the design piece leans towards modern or classic, above all else, it must be elegant in nature," Guy pointed out.

A few steps from the Christopher Guy pieces at Vibiana were Alcantara's Hi-Tech displays underlining the company's position as a partner to the world's leading manufacturers of electronic devices by providing a range of accessories, including Alcantara smartphone covers, tablet cases and bags.

The undisputed star of the Hi-Tech section, however, was the new collection of Sennheiser MOMENTUM On-Ear headphones. Designed by Sennheiser and finished with Alcantara, the headphones represent a new sound frontier where touch and sight elevate the listening experience through texture and color.  Also shown were smartphone and tablet accessories designed by the Alcantara Style & Design Department.

Alcantara is headquartered in Milan with research and production facilities in Nera Montoro, Umbria. More information is available on the Internet at www.alcantara.com.

About Alcantara – www.alcantara.com  
Founded in 1972, Alcantara S.p.A. represents a prime example of Italian-produced quality. The company's head offices are in Milan, while its production plant and research centers are located in Nera Montoro, Umbria. Alcantara is a highly innovative cover material, the result of a unique, proprietary technology.  It is the preferred choice of leading companies in a wide array of fields, including automotive, marine, fashion, interior design and consumer electronics.  Alcantara offers an extraordinary combination of sensory, aesthetic and functional qualities.

It also offers ethical and social benefits that are important to contemporary lifestyles by demonstrating a complete respect for the environment. Alcantara S.p.A. is certified 100% "carbon neutral," meaning that the company measures and offsets all CO₂ emissions derived from production processes and corporate activities "from cradle to grave" or until the very end of the product's life cycle, including recovery or waste disposal. Alcantara^® is a registered trademark of Alcantara S.p.A.

For further information, please visit:

alcantara.com
twitter.com/alcantaraspa
facebook.com/alcantara.company
youtube.com/alcantaracompany

SOURCE Alcantara