Luxerell nylon fiber is new from Invista’s Stainmaster carpet. The product, which was unveiled at Surfaces 2008, is designed to offer superior durability with a soft cashmere hand, according to Gary Johnston, Staimaster’s brand director. He notes that the fiber targets the “upper-end retailer and consumer.”

“We’re already getting a response from the mills that target the upper-end,” he said. “Mills including Masland, Dixie and Fabrica have picked up on the new fiber right away. Luxerell is really designed for the better quality Stainmaster offerings, for carpets with a very elegant look and touch.”

He told NFT that the company plans to add its deep dye/light dye technology to the fiber later this year. Already available in the company’s Tactesse and ExtraBody II fiber, the technology allows mills to create multi-colored carpets with only one pass through the dye process. The carpet is tufted so that some fibers accept more dye than others, allowing for a greatly expanded array of designs in relatively little time, Johnston said.

“We expect our deep dye/light dye technology will be available in Luxerell sometime this year,” he said, noting that the company is still busy getting the word out about the new fiber. “What we’re telling people is that Luxerell is really about capturing the elegance and beauty of wool with extra softness, while still offering all the performance attributes you’d expect from a Stainmaster product,” he said.