Performance meets beauty and selection, that's how Sunbrella has been described. No other performance fabric company has gone to such lengths to make sure its fabrics are as durable in any weather as they are beautiful. Sunbrella's products pass through rigorous testing and have been awarded the "Seal of Recommendation" from the Skin Care Foundation, the only global organization concerned exclusively with cancer of the skin. Sunbrella is a God-Send to the leisure marine market.

What sets Sunbrella apart from other products is that superior pigments are added during the production of fade-resistant Sunbrella fibre, a thermoplastic. The final result is Sunbrella yarn and fabric with colour throughout that won't fade or wash away. Think of a carrot, it's orange the whole way through. Whereas other fabrics use dyes that are added to the surface of the yarn or fabric. The colour only penetrates the outer layer and washes out or fades away over time. Think of a radish, red on the outside, white on the inside. But when you want a wide selection of performance fabrics that can withstand the elements without creative limitations then Sunbrella is the product you need.

And the Sunbrella Man in Thailand is Henk Stijweg, a Dutch native, who spent 25 years in Hong Kong before relocating to Bangkok in 2004. For many of those years he was the head of a major trading company, B, van Zuiden Asia, which sold multiple products throughout Asia. Henk first became intrigued by Sunbrella while talking to the founder of Sunbrella at Royal Hong Yacht Club. Discovered over 50 years ago, it was well known in Europe and North America, but not in Asia until Henk started distributing it in 1992 and later through his own company BVZ Asia (www.bvz.com) , but the SARS crisis put his original expansion plans on hold. Today, no one has done more to spread the wonders of Sunbrella in Asia than Henk.

Henk originally targeted marine markets in Hong Kong, Macau and China, which were seeking better quality products, but a chance trip to Phuket in 2003 made him realize the potential for Sunbrella in Thailand's hotel market as well, so he started a company here and it has been successful from the get go, today employing 80 people. Henk still maintains an office in Hong Kong and has offices in Kuala Lumpur, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, and Taguig as well. He sees ASEAN and Greater China as his two main target markets moving forward.

Anything you wear outside eventually becomes ruined by ultra-violet radiation. Sunlight destroys almost everything, including human skin. When Sunbrella was first brought to Asia it was very expensive, and while the price has gone down a bit, it is a still bit more pricey than other products, but Sunbrella comes with at least a 5-year warranty, so if your bimini starts to fade in that time frame Henk guarantees it will be replaced.

How does Sunbrella help your boat? Well, it protects it and saves you money. Say a bird craps on your Bimini or cotton sail bag, or a guest spills their drink while lounging on a cloth seat cover. You have to take these off what they are protecting, then hand wash and dry them, or send them out to be cleaned, which leaves the items they were protecting unprotected. But with Sunbrella, you just wet the soiled area with mild soap and cold to lukewarm water, scrub using a sponge or soft bristle brush, rinse, wait fifteen minutes and voila, it's clean again (for tougher stains mix together a cup of bleach, a ¼ cup of mild soap and a gallon of water).

But one of the best ways to keep Sunbrella brand fabrics looking good and to delay deep or vigorous cleaning is to properly maintain the fabrics. This can be accomplished by simply brushing off dirt before it becomes imbedded in the fabrics, wiping up spills as soon as they occur or spot cleaning soon after stains occur. Henk's company also carries about 30 other products applicable to the leisure marine industry including specialty fabrics, and easy-to-install hardware such as a water slue, which allows items to dry quicker once they get wet, and Urecel QuickDry, foam that is made for the outdoors.

Amateur sailors and hardened crew the world over know that sailing conditions in the open sea are completely unpredictable. Sunbrella's marine product line lets sailors find optimal solutions for flybridge enclosures and protective fitted covers, sunshine awnings, canopies and bimini tops, protective screens and general marine outfitting.

he elements can be hard on a boat, so to help protect your investment and fully enjoy life on the water by checking out Sunbrella's range of specialty marine fabrics for any on-board application.

Sunbrella is weather resistant, beautiful and soft to the touch.

To complete the Sunbrella lifestyle, you need beautiful, durable accessories made with superior Sunbrella yarns. Whether you're looking to anchor a chat set with a versatile rug, add a pop of colour to a cabin with a sumptuous throw pillow, Sunbrella accessories fit the bill. Sunbrella rugs, made of 50% recycled Sunbrella fiber, are reversible and unbelievably easy to maintain. They come in a variety of sizes and colors to fit any space – outside or in, they coordinate beautifully with other Sunbrella fabrics. Sunbrella throws are available in a multitude of colours and textures to add warmth or an accent color to any cabin. These throws are worth fighting over on a cool night spent outdoors. While Sunbrella throws are luxuriously soft, they also are stain-resistant and can even be laundered with bleach if the need arises. No cabin is complete without a collection of throw pillows in amazing colours and patterns. Whether you seek highly decorative patterns or are more drawn to textured solids, pillows made with Sunbrella fabrics are practical, useable accents to any cabin. For ease in cleaning, look for pillow covers that can be removed from the insert and tossed into the washing machine for the occasional cleaning. Just be sure to let them air dry to ensure that they fit easily back onto the pillow insert. There's also stain-resistant, easy-to-clean Sunbrella pet beds to ensure that your four-legged family members share in the Sunbrella lifestyle.

Sunbrella marine fabrics offer superior water repellency without the loss of breathability. As one happy customer said, "It's simply the best value in the industry. No wonder so many boat owners insist on Sunbrella fabric for their marine canvas needs."

Because Sunbrella's fabrics are woven for breathability, they don't trap heat and moisture like vinyl, eliminating mildew and staying beautiful season after season. Adding a bimini or cockpit enclosure made with Sunbrella fabrics helps extend your boating season to cope with the monsoon rains.

If you gaze out on any marina in the world, Sunbrella fabrics will be visible as far as the eye can see. Sunbrella's fade-resistant fabrics protect your investment from salt water and all kinds of weather. That's why boaters rely on Sunbrella fabrics for all their marine exterior needs.

Because Sunbrella fabrics are breathable, mildew resistant and provide years of style and comfort, Sunbrella is also ideal for marine interiors. With the same Sunbrella acrylic fibre as the traditional marine canvas, Sunbrella's marine interior fabrics have more styling options than ever before, combined with our legendary performance characteristics.

Now available in a wide array of luxurious velvets, jacquards and textures – all as appropriate for your boat interior as for your home - Sunbrella gives you all the options you want for any kind of boat - from cocktail cruisers to fishing and sailboats.
If fishing excursions are your thing, consider heavy duty, durable Sunbrella fabrics like Canvas, Sailcloth and Heritage, and keep the lines clean and simple for a more masculine look. If your tastes lean more towards dinner cruises and weekend getaways, bring the luxury and comfort of home to the open water. Combine Sunbrella velvets with decorative jacquards that suit your style. And don't be afraid to take that cocktail cruiser fishing. The stain-resistant properties of Sunbrella will make clean-up a breeze, and the fish won't know the difference.

Bunks and v-berths are ideal applications for Sunbrella. Whether you desire a tight fitting mattress cover or something a little more glamorous, Sunbrella has fabrics to fit the bill. Whether you're trying to add privacy to cramped quarters or soften the lines of the space, drapery panels made of Sunbrella make a wonderful addition to boat bunks.

Summing up, Sunbrella colours stay strong and vibrant through intense sunlight exposure and cleaning with bleach. Sunbrella fabrics are as soft and inviting as they are durable. Available in hundreds of solids, stripes, and textures, as well as exquisite decorative jacquards, Sunbrella resists stains and fading, so you don't have to worry about your fabrics. And Sunbrella can also be recycled and reused.