STAIN-PROOF, ANTIMICROBIAL MATTRESS FABRICS INTRODUCED BY CULP AND AMERICAN FIBERS AND YARNS

Press Contact:
Tracey Campbell (800-925-0668) (twcampbell@afyarns.com)
John Avant (919-676-4115) (john.avant@avant.com)

Chapel Hill, NC (September 8, 2005) – American Fibers and Yarns Company (AF&Y) has teamed with Culp Home Fashions to produce environmentally friendly fabrics that are inherently stain-proof and   antimicrobial. Engineered with AF&Y’s Marquesa® technology, the fabrics combine the look and feel of cotton and rayon with an unbeatable performance story.

“Marquesa really is a miracle fiber,” said Iv Culp, president of Culp Home Fashions Mattress Ticking Division.  “Not only are we amazed by the performance of the fabrics, but the look and feel that we are able to achieve is incredible.  Our customers are eager to adopt the Marquesa fabrics and tell us they are excited that we can provide them with a differentiated product. Consumers today are more concerned about healthful sleep and our customers have really embraced the ability to offer consumers unrivaled comfort in a cleanable, healthier mattress.”

Several bedding manufacturers began showing Marquesa mattress fabrics at the July Las Vegas World Market, and have already put Marquesa in their residential and contract lines. Additional Marquesa mattress fabrics debuted at the Tupelo Furniture Market. Mattress fabrics made with Marquesa Technology include the following consumer benefits:

• Inherently stain-proof
• Inherently antimicrobial
• Inhibits odors
• Hypo-allergenic
• Wicks moisture and helps regulate body temperature

“This extension of the Marquesa line into mattresses is being met with unqualified success among major manufacturers,” said Michael Apperson, AF&Y president and CEO.  “Culp has used our Marquesa yarns to create unique ticking designs that have a wonderful hand. 

Marquesa mattress fabrics create a more hygienic sleep environment and are stain proof to most household stains.  The performance features of Marquesa fabrics are engineered into the yarn.  The performance is inherent and will never wear off.”

Marquesa Technology is used in knitted and woven mattress fabrics and mattress pads.

About American Fibers and Yarns Company
American Fibers and Yarns Company (AF&Y) is the world’s leading supplier of solution dyed filament yarns.  With thousands of yarns in its product portfolio and the ability to engineer yarns to customer specifications, AF&Y is a dominant supplier to the residential and contract furnishings marketplace, and has a growing presence in the hospitality, apparel, automotive and industrial markets.  Headquartered in Chapel Hill, NC, AF&Y maintains a Technology Center that specializes in engineering filament yarn with innovative combinations not available from other suppliers.  The company also operates two U.S. production facilities totaling a million square feet of manufacturing space.  For more information on AF&Y and its products, please visit www.afyarns.com or call 800-925-0668.