Eagle Ottawa Leather Co. Reveals Upcoming Interior Trends
15 September 1998
Eagle Ottawa Leather Co. Reveals Upcoming Interior Trends DETROIT, Sept. 14 -- More innovative textures and a greater
sense of color are likely to find their way in automotive interiors of the
future, according to Eagle Ottawa Leather Co., which today unveiled its
concepts for styles that will shape trends in automotive interiors well into
the next millennium.
These trends -- fueled by consumers' demand for more leather in their
vehicles, as well as an emerging desire for more color and style in their
cars' interiors -- were displayed in a bold presentation by top leather
designer from Eagle Ottawa's studio in Florence, Italy, Cecilia Castoldi.
Castoldi and Pat Oldenkamp, Eagle Ottawa's vice president of design,
developed the concepts by assessing emerging developments in fashion and
style, as well as the automakers' needs based on the vehicles still in
the design stage.
"As leather outfits more and more models, OEMs are trying to satisfy a
burgeoning array of tastes, as well as delight the fashion-conscious consumer
market," said Oldenkamp. "Our OEM customers use this show to help them select
colors and textures for their wide-ranging upcoming models. While these
colors and textures are concepts now, they form the basis of reality, finding
their way into the cars people are going to drive tomorrow."
Oldenkamp added that the show's influence extends far beyond leather car
seats.
"Designers from every OEM studio -- current customers or not -- walk away
from these presentations with original ideas, creating a spillover effect that
influences all the materials in the interiors of their automobiles," she said.
"Eagle Ottawa's concepts add spark to the flame of automotive interior trends
in leather and beyond."
The unveiling of Eagle Ottawa's new collection is an annual event for
automakers throughout North America, Europe and Japan. They use the concepts
displayed to make selections for models at least two years in advance. This
year's presentation marked the first time the media -- and consequently the
public -- were invited to view the new concepts.
Introducing the public to the event was a natural choice, explained J.
Michael Young, vice president of North American sales and business operations
for Eagle Ottawa.
"Consumers are pushing the drive for more leather," said Young, explaining
that they are discovering leather's advantages, including unmistakable aroma,
easy entry and exit, cleanability, resale value, and, of course, style.
"OEMs are responding to leather's evolution by equipping more and more
models with it," Young added. "In fact, the range of models has grown, too.
We're now seeing leather not only in luxury vehicles, but in trucks, minivans
and moderately priced compacts."
Consumers are also demanding an increase in environmental consciousness,
a phenomenon in which Eagle Ottawa has kept ahead of the race. Eagle Ottawa
was the first leather company to create water-based finishes and use them on
every piece of leather it produces. It was also the first to put chrome-free,
ultra-recyclable leather in large-scale production in North America. In
addition, Eagle Ottawa pioneered the recycling of waste products into
fertilizer from its tanning facility in Grand Haven, Mich., earning it
numerous accolades.
And in keeping with consumers' demand for quality, Eagle Ottawa subjects
its product to stringent durability testing, according to its intended
interior application.
"Varying grades of leather abound, but no other supplier is as diligent
as Eagle Ottawa in assuring its leather's quality and durability," explained
Young. "It is critical for consumers to pay attention to leather's fade and
abrasion resistance. Eagle Ottawa makes an effort to be sure consumers find a
noticeable difference in automotive leather."
Eagle Ottawa doesn't know which of the concepts in leather the media saw
today will be selected by the automakers, but it does predict that consumers
are taking a longer look at the interior choices the OEMs are making.
"With many car exteriors lacking a distinctive edge," said Oldenkamp,
"many OEMs and consumers are discovering that car interiors are not only
generating brand identity, but also excitement."
Founded in 1865, Eagle Ottawa Leather Co. has nine plants worldwide,
including its sales and product development headquarters in Rochester Hills,
Mich. Focusing entirely on leather for the automotive industry, the company
is strong in application support and research and development. The world
leader in automotive leather, Eagle Ottawa supplies the leather interiors to
more than 80 models worldwide, and currently represents 45 percent of the U.S.
market.
