I understand that Alcantara is the trademarked name of a man-made fabric that is used in many applications, including automotive. I also understand that it is super expensive. Given the price, I'm curious if anyone has started producing a knockoff that could be a viable alternative. I've seen some folks use suede-like fabric from fabric stores to refinish interiors, but there is no UV protection at that point. Seems like a bad idea.
As for interior fabric in general, how would I go about having some manufactured if I wanted to? I realize that quantity would determine much of the price per yard, but I don't even know who to start the conversation with. Any suggestions?
To add some context, I've always loved certain interiors that were a little offbeat. The fabric is NLA from the auto manufacturers so I'm thinking about a little side business based around reproducing it.
Where, there is leather....
alfadriver wrote:
Where, there is leather....
Sorry...don't get the reference.
All I know is I want to make a custom interior for my 240sx and I love the suede look.
And there has to be something decently priced. If not you should make it!
~Alex
Everytime I've priced it I found I could almost buy a car for the cost of enough material to do a couple of seats. I really wish there was a cheaper product.
Were the seats in the 93 RX7 R1 package Alcantra? Regardless they were wonderful and the material gripped you and never got hot.
Think about contacting these guys.
Their work is top notch, and they offer an alcantara substitute. Maybe they have a source.
mtn
SuperDork
2/9/11 12:30 a.m.
Osterkraut wrote:
Think about contacting these guys.
Their work is top notch, and they offer an alcantara substitute. Maybe they have a source.
I'll vouch for their quality.
dyintorace wrote:
alfadriver wrote:
Where, there is leather....
Sorry...don't get the reference.
Isn't Alacantra fake leather, the furry side?
alfadriver wrote:
Isn't Alacantra fake leather, the furry side?
Nope. Man-made material.
Per Wikipedia:
Alcantara is a tradename given to a composite material used to cover surfaces and forms in a variety of applications. The material was developed in the early 1970s by Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist working for the Japanese chemical company Toray Industries, as a variation of their other product Ultrasuede produced around the same time.[1] Around 1972, a joint venture between Italian chemical company ENI and Toray formed Alcantara SpA in order to manufacture and distribute the material.[2][3].
Alcantara is created via the combination of an advanced spinning process (producing very low denier bi-component "islands in the sea" fibre) and chemical and textile production processes (needle punching, buffing, impregnation, extraction, finishing, dyeing, etc.) which interact with each other.
Osterkraut wrote:
Think about contacting these guys.
Their work is top notch, and they offer an alcantara substitute. Maybe they have a source.
Thanks for the lead! Just emailed them.
dyintorace wrote:
alfadriver wrote:
Isn't Alacantra fake leather, the furry side?
Nope. Man-made material.
Per Wikipedia:
Alcantara is a tradename given to a composite material used to cover surfaces and forms in a variety of applications. The material was developed in the early 1970s by Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist working for the Japanese chemical company Toray Industries, as a variation of their other product Ultrasuede produced around the same time.[1] Around 1972, a joint venture between Italian chemical company ENI and Toray formed Alcantara SpA in order to manufacture and distribute the material.[2][3].
Alcantara is created via the combination of an advanced spinning process (producing very low denier bi-component "islands in the sea" fibre) and chemical and textile production processes (needle punching, buffing, impregnation, extraction, finishing, dyeing, etc.) which interact with each other.
AKA fake leather, the suade version.
especially in it's use.
dyintorace wrote:
As for interior fabric in general, how would I go about having some manufactured if I wanted to? I realize that quantity would determine much of the price per yard, but I don't even know who to start the conversation with. Any suggestions?
A friend of mine couldn't find the correct fabric to restore his car, so through some business contacts he found some factory in China that could reproduce it. The only thing was, he had to buy like a zillion yards of the stuff. 
However, I think he's made his money back by reselling to other owners of the same car.
Domestically, you could try http://www.smsautofabrics.com/ in Oregon. They have a huge inventory of NOS fabrics and vinyls, and have their own looms so they can reproduce fabric when necessary.
carguy123 wrote:
Everytime I've priced it I found I could almost buy a car for the cost of enough material to do a couple of seats. I really wish there was a cheaper product.
Were the seats in the 93 RX7 R1 package Alcantra? Regardless they were wonderful and the material gripped you and never got hot.
^^^Exactly! I'd love to recover my seats in a combo of Alcantara and cloth, but can't find a reasonably priced source to do so. I can't see spending $3k just for the materials! 
Americans have come to associate leather with high-end cars. I'd much prefer a nice cloth interior, especially living in Florida.
