MILAN, Italy, April 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcantara was recently in the news at major fashion, design and new-car shows in China and Switzerland last month.  

The iconic Italian brand's fashion materials were on display at Design Shanghai and at a special Alcantara fashion show and exhibit in Shanghai.  Alcantara also was featured on a number of new cars shown at the recent Geneva Motor Show.

Design Shanghai is a bi-annual event promoting the development of creative design in Shanghai as well as the further development of innovative and pioneering designers.

In Shanghai, Alcantara unveiled a unique "Sliding Doors" display created by Italian designer Masimiliano Adami to illustrate the breadth and wide variety of materials and colors offered under the Alcantara brand.

At the Geneva Motor Show (March 6-16), Alcantara could be found on a variety of new vehicles, including the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N430, Maserati MC Stradale, Pagani Zonda R, McLaren 650S Spider e Coupe, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Porsche 911 SRS, Ermini Seiottosei and Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4.  

Leading car makers chose Alcantara for a variety of reasons, including its light weight and virtually unlimited choice of colors and textures. Since 2009, Alcantara also has been certified as carbon neutral.

Alcantara also has been chosen by fashion designers as the primary material of a variety of their creations, including clothing, shoes, bags, belts and other accessories. In Shanghai, Alcantara began collaboration projects with Chinese designers such as Ricostru, whose new collections were featured during a special Alcantara Design Night.

Sixteen different fashion looks from Rocostru, a cutting-edge brand founded by the Chinese designer Manchit Au, were showcased on Alcantara's Design Night runway during Design Shanghai (Feb. 27-March 2). Ricostru worked closely with Alcantara's styling department to develop specific Alcantara patterns, textures and colors for its new collection of clothing which includes blouses, skirts and jackets.

Exhibits at Alcantara's Design Night also highlighted the use of the material in other fields such as consumer electronics, interior design and fashion accessories.

"Under the sign of elegance, functionality and ethical responsibility, Alcantara accompanies the contemporary user in everything it does and wherever it goes to make everyday life simply extraordinary," said Andrea Boragno, chairman and CEO of Alcantara S.p.A.

Boragno noted that the Chinese market has grown rapidly over the past decade along with demand for luxury goods and products, establishing China as a key market for the major luxury brands that use Alcantara.

Alcantara S.p.A. – www.alcantara.com

Founded in 1972, Alcantara represents a prime example of Italian-produced quality. As registered trademark of Alcantara S.p.A. and result of a unique and proprietary technology, Alcantara^® is a highly innovative material, offering an unrivalled combination of sensory, aesthetic and functional qualities. Thanks to its extraordinary versatility, Alcantara is the choice of leading brands in a number of application fields: fashion and accessories, automotive, interior design and home decor, consumer-electronics. These features, together with a serious and certified commitment in terms of sustainability, make Alcantara a true icon of contemporary lifestyle: the lifestyle of those who want to fully enjoy their everyday life, respecting the environment.

Since 2009 Alcantara is certified "Carbon Neutral", having defined, reduced and offset all the CO₂ emissions derived from its activity. In 2011 the analysis was extended to the whole product lifecycle, including also use and disposal phases ("from cradle to grave"). To mark out the path of the company in such a field, every year Alcantara draws up and publishes its own Sustainability Report, certified by TUV SUD international authority and available also on the corporate website.

Headquartered in Milan, Alcantara production site and R&D department are located in Nera Montoro, in the heart of Umbria Region (Terni).

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SOURCE Alcantara