Ultrafabrics at 25: An American-Japanese Success Story – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. – When it comes to celebrating its 25 years in business, Ultrafabricsʼ founders say it best, according to a press release from the company.
“We began with a vision that this leather alternative could be a game changer and we believed in its quality. We knew if we were strategic and built the company based on our values, we could grow it exponentially, and we havenʼt looked back,ˮ says Danielle Boecker-Primack, one half of the founding partners of New York-based Ultrafabrics.
“We trusted our partnership with the mill in Japan, and when you have this level of trust, you can confidently build solutions for clients, one yard of fabric at a time,ˮ says the other half of the founding team, Clay Rosenberg.
With its headquarters in Tarrytown, a mill in Japan, and a successful business in the United Kingdom, Ultrafabrics has every right to celebrate 25 years of designing and producing high-performing, next-generation, leather alternative fabrics known globally for quality and innovation.
The companyʼs commitment to nurturing long-term relationships with clients and staff has kept it at the forefront of the high-tech performance fabric sector in 11 different markets with a loyal clientele who come back, year after year, for technological advances and luxurious, durable fabrics. Constant investment in sustainability and environmentally friendly manufacturing improvements have kept the brand ahead of its competitors.
A reputation for quality and innovation has taken the Ultrafabrics brand through the front doors and onto the drawing board of many notable brands, themselves known for their own innovations. The brand has cultivated partnerships spanning many years with powerhouses in the RV industry from Airstream, Winnebago, Newmar, Swift, Leisure Travel, and Grand Design to automotive brands like Jaguar Land Rover and Lotus, aviation and aerospace with JetBlue, Virgin Galactic, and NASA as well as wearable fashion Google Fitbit, Ultrafabrics is innovating across all sectors.
Danielle Boecker-Primack is not only the co-founder of Ultrafabrics, but an avid RV enthusiast, having outfitted her RV in Ultrafabrics to accommodate her active family. Boecker-Primack says, “We have put thousands of miles on our RV as we love the outdoors and mountain biking. I have great memories as a family on the open road, exploring different parks around the country.ˮ
Since it was founded in 1999, Ultrafabrics has sold over 40.6 million yards of fabric — this extraordinary output is set to hit 45.2 million yards by the end of this year.
Boecker-Primack laughs as she describes their first days in business. “There were only seven of us in our tiny office, and we would just circle around the fax machine and watch for orders! Thankfully those orders kept coming. We treated every client like they were our most important, with a mindset of ‘how can we help you solve a problem, not how can we sell fabric.ˮ
Rosenberg adds with similar amusement, “Itʼs really the same way we run the business today, but thankfully weʼve moved beyond the fax machine!ˮ
Rosenberg says, “We refer to ourselves as an ingredient brand, and often we need to elaborate on the impact of what that means. Ultrafabrics controls the entire manufacturing process in our state-of-the-art Japanese mill starting with basic ingredients, through the complex manufacturing process to quality control over the end product.ˮ
Boecker-Primack adds, “The saying ‘Good farmers grow crops, great farmers nurture soil for future generationsʼ comes to mind when I think about our mill. We are equipped to ‘growʼ and innovate future products, meeting and exceeding aggressive sustainability goals aligned with the Paris Climate Accord and beyond.ˮ
True innovation takes years of in-depth studies, experimentation, trial and error and expert collaborations. All of which are only possible when a brand owns the entire process.
Boecker-Primack says, “The laboratory took over five years to develop Volar Bio, our first bio-based line with 29% bio-based composition, and weʼve recently launched a bio-based aviation construction called AV Bio, another industry first. This year we are proud to announce Volar Bio now has a 66% mix of recycled, rapidly renewable, and bio-based content. These are just a small fraction of breakthroughs from the research and development team.ˮ
For the last four years, Ultrafabrics has had an external consultant working closely with the Japanese team researching innovations like fabric dyes from food waste such as coffee and matcha tea, and new bio-based inputs.
“The mill has seen some positive results experimenting with crushed scallop shells as a potential bio-based ingredient. These initial positive results will continue to support our innovation roadmap, and the data-gathering and experimentation is imperative to our commitment to a sustainable future,ˮ says Rosenberg.
Photo: An RV concept interior by Ultrafabrics x Pantone for the 2023 Color of the Year, Viva Magneta.
In 2019 Ultrafabrics shifted its focus to delivering sustainability without sacrifice, keeping people and planet in mind, and setting goals never-before achieved in its industry. The company set up a clear sustainability framework to track progress and clearly show architects, designers, and specifiers where they are in the process.
“Sustainability is imperative, but we made a commitment as a premium product to never sacrifice quality and performance,ˮ says Boecker-Primack.
Along with a vision for a healthier planet, each product line comes with a comprehensive warranty program, but this is rarely needed as returns are virtually unheard of. The mantra of the Ultrafabrics team is, “We know the power every specifier has, whether itʼs launching a furniture line, or designing an aircraft or car interior, and we want to see you succeed. We offer a premium warranty because we see your vision and have your back.ˮ
The top-line target is to ensure that all Ultrafabrics products sold to furniture, healthcare, recreational vehicle, marine, aviation, and accessories markets would include at least 50% rapidly renewable and/or recycled resources by 2030. This target date was later moved to 2025, and achieved this year, a full year ahead of schedule.
Boecker-Primack says, “We were pleased to have surpassed our own goal by six years, but we canʼt rest on our laurels. 2025 will see Ultrafabrics unveil a state-of-the-art new mill in Japan. The innovation in manufacturing, water circularity, and carbon emission reduction goals will be unmatched in the industry,ˮ
Rosenberg adds, “We tend to keep our head down and push forward, but on the occasion of our 25th, we are proud to say we are so far ahead of any competition in the coated fabric market. Weʼre not looking over our shoulder, weʼre building a new road.ˮ
