Shade Recall Webinar

Are you confused about which corded products you should be selling?
Do you wonder whether or not you should be contacting clients about retrofitting their existing shades?
Perhaps you think you’re not affected by the pending new standards for corded products?

If you have these and other questions about the recent recall and how it will impact you, please read on:
As you may already know, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recently ordered a massive recall of corded shades. The Window Covering Safety Council has also announced a voluntary corrective action plan (VCAP) and continues to work with the CPSC on calling for consumers to replace or retrofit their existing corded products while developing new, more stringent standards. This Recall is a crucial issue facing our industry. It is not a “scam” and it will not simply “go away.” You owe it to yourself to be aware of the issue as it unfolds.
The Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA), Window Fashion Certified Professionals™ (WFCP) and Custom Home Furnishings Academy (CHF) understand the impact that this will have on our members and industry stakeholders. As premier organizations in the window covering industry, we believe that open communication and timely information is vital. To that end, we will be hosting an informational webinar to make sure all industry professionals have access to the standards as soon as they are released.
We are anticipating the announcement of the new standards in the next several weeks and dates and times will be scheduled as soon as we have a hard release date. We expect a high level of interest from our industry, so we will be offering multiple seatings of the webinars for your convenience. Watch your inbox for days, times and how to register.
What’s the SAFETY RECALL webinar series all about?
We’ll be offering a two part series designed to give you the full story and real answers to the CPSC shade recall and pending standards.

Part 1- Jenna Abbott, Executive Director of WCAA will moderate a panel discussion with representatives from the WCSC and industry experts. We will ask the burning questions surrounding the recall, clearing up confusion and discussing the new standards. This session will be focused on and geared towards the custom shade fabricator and seller. We will follow the discussion with a Q and A session where attendees will be able to ask questions that may not have been answered during the panel discussion.

Part 2- CHF, WFCP and industry pros will discuss the details involved in administering, implementing and complying with the new CPSC standards. We will tackle questions such as what techniques meet the new standards and what has to change in the way we fabricate, etc.
We can’t stress the importance of this issue enough - please forward this on to friends and colleagues in the industry. THESE NOT TO BE MISSED SESSIONS are where you can get real answers and the full story.
Thank You,
Jenna Abbott
Executive Director, Window Coverings Association of America

Deb Barrett
Window Fashion Certified Professionals™

Jeanelle DechDirector/CEO
CHF Academy, LLC

Questions? Contact WCAA at info@wcaa.org or WFCP at deb@gracemcnamarainc.com or CHF at jeanelle@chfschool.com.

Heimtextil Preview- Durable Values Inspire 2010/11 Trends

The trend theme for the January 2010 edition of Heimtextil is Uni(re)verse. The 10-person trend team took into account the intensity and uncertainty facing us—from obscure financial formulas to obvious ecological issues, from globalization’s pros and cons to the ups and downs of capitalism. So many critical issues demand our attention and force us to redefine what it means to be a producer, a consumer, a developer, a user, and of course, a designer.
Faced with all this confusion, our biggest challenge is to continually develop our creativity, to explore all cultures and all avenues for information. Most importantly perhaps is to learn the lessons of nature: responsible innovation, respect for diversity and an indomitable optimism.
It’s here that we can find the universal values that will help direct us out of the maze of confusion we find ourselves in. Nature’s lessons—time-tested and easily observed—offer gentleness, energy, refinement, elegance and simplicity, universal values to shape the outlines of new lifestyles, simultaneously optimistic and respectful.

REFINED ROOTS: Nature presented with modern, refined aesthetics.
LESSTRAVAGANCE: Between strict minimalism and over-the-top ostentation is a new take on EcoLuxury.
INFINITE TIME: Responsible design—for humans and the environment—over the lifetime of a product. The need for simplicity and the strong demand for quality come together in a responsible approach, where timeless authenticity is captured in a range of earthy colors; these themes connect elegance, ease and character.

INTIMATE BUBBLE: Breaking away—within the safety of closed spaces—to experience our desires of the moment.
IRRESISTIBLE STAGING: Playing with traditional references to confirm our individual personalities; a modern form of theatrical seduction.
DIGITAL CLASSICS: Virtual worlds increasingly offer new possibilities to create an imaginary existence. By mingling modern technology and decorative classicism, we achieve a dramatic exaggeration demonstrated in a theatrical range of opulent colors.

IMPULSIVE CREATIVITY: The beauty of everyday gestures and the energy of spontaneous creation.
GRAPHIC FASCINATION: Understandable, high-impact communication across all global markets.
MAGIC SIMPLICITY: Reinventing rituals and rediscovering enchantment. Instead of austere functionality, the mood is one of creative invention. Modular constructions, reworked geometrics and color-blocking are explored in pigments reminiscent of the 1980’s.

BENEFICIAL INNOVATION: Creating the time and space to allow nature to nurture.
ORGANO’TECH: Reducing daily complexities to enhance global well-being.
LAYERING REALITY: Integrating emotional added-value through technology, blending poetry and science. Natural inspiration for “soft” technologies that improve health and wellness; a range of fresh colors—from washed blues to smoky darks—provides multiple solutions from the most basic to the most complex.