Performance Fabrics, Explained Without the Marketing

“Performance fabric” is printed on more swing tags every year, and it can mean anything from a genuinely tough, stain-shrugging upholstery to an ordinary fabric with a spray-on finish. Here's how to tell the difference, and how to choose for the way you really live.

What makes a fabric “perform”

There are three things that make a fabric hard-wearing, and the best ones have all three: the fibre itself, how tightly it's woven, and how it's been treated.

• Fibre: synthetics like polyester, olefin and acrylic resist stains and fading better than cotton or linen.
• Weave: a tight, flat weave gives spills, claws and crumbs nothing to grab onto. Loose, loopy weaves snag.
• Treatment: solution-dyed fibres hold colour through and through; topical finishes repel liquids but can wear off over years.

Read the cleaning code

Every upholstered piece should carry a cleaning code. It's the single most useful thing on the tag, and the one people almost never read.

Matching fabric to your household

There isn't one best fabric — there's the best fabric for your room. A formal living room that sees guests twice a month can take a delicate velvet. A family room with a dog that's allowed on the couch needs something else entirely.

• Kids and spills: tightly woven performance polyester, mid-tone colour, W cleaning code.
• Dogs and cats: flat microfibre or tight weaves; avoid boucle and loose linens. Leather wipes clean but scratches show.
• Sunny rooms: solution-dyed fabrics resist fading; natural fibres and leather fade fastest.
• Allergies: tight weaves and leather hold less dust than textured fabrics.

The colour question

Very light fabrics show spills; very dark fabrics show pet hair, lint and sun-fading. Mid-tones with a little texture or heathering — oatmeal, stone, slate, olive, rust — are the most forgiving of all. If you love a pale sofa, choose a washable slipcover or a true performance fabric and keep a throw on the most-used seat.

Velvet, boucle and linen: can they work?

Yes, with the right version. Performance velvets made from polyester are surprisingly tough — the short, dense pile hides wear and is easy to brush. Boucle is gorgeous but snags; save it for an accent chair. Linen wrinkles and stains; linen-look polyester blends give you the texture without the worry.

Keeping any fabric looking new

1. 1Vacuum weekly with an upholstery brush — grit wears fibres from the inside.
2. 2Flip and rotate loose cushions so they wear evenly.
3. 3Blot spills immediately; never rub.
4. 4Keep pieces out of direct afternoon sun where you can.
5. 5Test any cleaner on a hidden spot first, even on performance fabric.

You can try every fabric in our range on a 3D sofa in the Design Studio — but texture is something you have to feel. Bring your phone photos of the room and we'll put real swatches in your hand.