THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 24, 1996 TAG: 9602240342
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LON WAGNER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Ronald Reagan was the ``Teflon President,'' and mafia boss Don Gotti was the ``Teflon Don.'' Now, for $350, you can be the ``Teflon businessman.''
Montreal clothing manufacturer S. Cohen Inc. has worked DuPont's famous stick-proof substance into a new line of wool suits that are on sale in Virginia Beach at Dan Ryan's for Men.
``What would you like to cook on it?'' jokes Dan Ryan, who has sold several of the suits since they were put on the racks three weeks ago.
The suits look like normal, tasteful wool, but with the hidden feature that you could spill mustard, wine, marinara sauce or whatever on it and wipe it off with a paper towel.
If this takes off, it could bring tough times to the dry-cleaning industry, says Nina Seabright, who handles public relations for Ryan.
It is not only spill-proof, but also wrinkle-proof, which makes it more or less fool-proof. Endura-Crease technology puts a ``knife-like crease'' in the pants.
The suit has great entertainment potential and could be the brunt of bad jokes: That knife-like crease could come in handy if you want to cut out of a meeting early, or maybe slice your way through the downtown lunch crowd. The Teflon suit may also have appeal to politicians involved in mudslinging. You get the point.
By twisting the fabric 50 percent more than normal, the manufacturer has made it more wrinkle-resistant. The stain-repellent quality comes about by running the yarn through a vat of Teflon and then cooking it in a high-temperature oven to make the Teflon bond to the fibers.
Ryan demonstrated one of the suits at his store Friday by dousing it with a cup of water, which beaded up, ran off and fell to the floor. The carpet got wet. The suit didn't.
Virginia Beach attorney Michael Levinson, who bought a classic black version of the suit three weeks ago, pronounced the material ``extremely light and comfortable.''
The wrinkle-resistant nature of the suit makes it look like it just came off the rack, he said. Plus, there's an entertainment angle.
Levinson was at a party recently when the tempo started to drag. He grabbed a glass of water, threw one of his legs up on a table, called everybody's attention and dumped the water on his suit.
``It just beaded up and ran off,'' said Levinson, who didn't mention what his date thought of the stunt. ``I haven't tried the red wine. I'm a believer, but not that big a believer yet.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
The Virginian-Pilot
by CNB