OmnAvia Interiors’ New Line of Panel Fabrics Expands Customers’ Options

Q & A

Q: This Fortezza collection is your own line that you designed, manufacture, and now offer directly to your customers. Is that right?

A: That is correct. It’s a private-labeled product confined to OmnAvia only. This fabric has a handsome aesthetic that features multiple colors in the collection.

If the customer prefers the standard Grospoint product, we also have a companion set of Grospoint fabrics in the same color card. It’s a little heavier texture, much like a lightweight carpet, that is also available in stock in nine colors. It is often used as a liner for baggage bins and storage cubes because of its durability. So it is utilitarian, but it has a nice aesthetic with the color range we offer.

Q: I was doing a little bit of research on Fortezza and it looks like there is a lot of versatility with its applications. What stands out about this fabric to you?

A: What stands out about it are two things to me. One, it’s the aesthetic of the fabric. What’s interesting about this fabric is that the combination of yarns that are used in the weave structure create the appearance of being a loop pile fabric with some depth, when in fact it’s a flat weave. It’s the combination of light and dark yarns in the weave structure that gives it a visual depth. The fabric is offered in nine colors and the hues range from cool to warm, from light to dark, and cover a large range of aesthetic applications.

With the flat weave, it’s got superb durability. It’s not going to snag and is unlikely to wear out. The fabric was created for panel application. It’s also an ideal product to be used in storage cubbies and luggage bins. One of the important features of the product is that it is treated with a finish called Crypton™. Crypton™ causes the product to be water-repellent and stain-repellent. That’s a permanent treatment. So if you spill red wine on it and you get to it pretty quickly, it just cleans right up.

Q: I was reading that it [Fortezza] is flame-retardant as well. Is that correct?

A: That’s true. And, it gets a “double” flame resistant treatment. A flame retardant is added to the yarn in the dye stage and that flame treatment forms a molecular bond to the wool fiber that is durable and permanent. It also has a back coating on the fabric to enhance durability and to enable the fabric to be flame resistant for vertical wall applications in private aircraft.

Q: Does Fortezza use a special type of material in its construction?

A: Fortezza’s content is 89% wool and 11% nylon or polyamide. Wool is inherently flame-resistant anyway, without any treatment. When you add the flame retardant treatment to the wool dye bath, it bumps that up. That’s one of the reasons why it has an excellent flame-resistant performance.

Q: I know wool keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. So it’s very good at temperature regulation.

A: It does, although we didn’t create this product to be a seat cover material. And, one reason for that is the back coating on the fabric makes it pretty stiff and does not particularly tailor that well.

The original development of Fortezza was for a seating fabric. I was reviewing the samples and thought, “That would make an ideal panel fabric.” Our weaving mill worked with us to develop the color line.

OmnAvia Interiors’ Own Panel Fabrics Line: Fortezza

OmnAvia Interiors specializes in sourcing and providing high quality private aircraft textiles and fabrics for everything from upholstery to panel fabrics. Now with their own panel fabrics line, Fortezza, OmnAvia Interiors is continuing to expand their offerings to meet growing customer needs and ensure the highest quality products are available.

Want more information on our Fortezza line offerings? View the Request Form!