Stahl focus on luxury

Stahl are presenting their finishes at this year's Asia Pacific Leather Fair in colours aimed at the fashion forecast for spring/summer 2003. They will be supported by an interesting selection of new finishing products that have been developed with Asian markets in mind. The main theme behind the display will be one of natural, soft and luxurious leathers with a feeling of timelessness and classical elegance which reflects a change in fashions moving back towards a more formal approach to dressing for the occasion. Colours on display will be divided between two distinct groups. Balance, Exposure, Organic, Retreat and Mellow are orientated towards clothing and leathergoods fashions. In contrast Jus, Café, Plantation, Fused and Square are quite separate groups of colours selected for automotive and upholstery applications and tending to look even further ahead towards autumn 2003. Both groups give rise to strong colour statements which Stahl will present in mixed fashion effects and in high performance leathers. A new and exciting soft handle will be seen in the finishes for nappa, floater, garment and upholstery leathers. Among the products to be featured is a new Stucco filler which gives excellent coverage on damaged surfaces, and the first new Cationic Compact polishing resin which is easy to use on a variety of leathers for the purpose of upgrading. Very strong contrast effects will be shown that are created using a new burnishing wax for which application is by traditional hand polishing methods or by plating. With the demand for soft leathers seeming to be never ending, a new impregnation oil filler will be demonstrated as a means of achieving soft impregnation. Black is one of the standards in any portfolio of colours and Stahl's display will be no exception. New jet black, high gloss finishing products will be featured, including two new black water-based lacquer top coats that can be blended to give the required degree of gloss or dullness and a new cationic black casein finish. Finally, there will be Stahl's latest adhesion promoter, announced last year. This is a water-based primer for the re-coating of finished leathers using an aqueous system and also used to promote adhesion on most types of surface and for promoting adhesion direct to crust or as a sealer in base coats. The resulting display will be interesting, colourful and varied, and very much aimed towards the needs of the tanner seeking new ideas for the spring and summer of 2003. Inevitably, there will be a degree of emphasis towards the Asian markets, but there will also be plenty to interest visitors from other parts of the world.