Mark Alexander | Veranda Agora

Veranda Agora is an outdoor cloth that does not look like one. The yarn is solution-dyed acrylic, which means the colour goes into the fibre before it is spun rather than being applied to the surface afterwards, and the weave is a fine two-tone texture rather than the flat canvas most performance fabrics settle for. In the hand it is dry and slightly ribbed, closer to a linen union than to the handle people expect from an outdoor fabric.

The composition is 92% SD solution-dyed acrylic with 8% PP polypropylene, woven to a 142 centimetre width with a 3 centimetre vertical and 6.5 centimetre horizontal repeat, small enough that it behaves as a texture rather than a pattern. It is rated 20,000 rubs on the Martindale test, general domestic. Five colourways: Sand and Desert Palm at the neutral end, Atlantic and Abyss through the blues, and Sienna, a burnt earth red.

We use Veranda Agora on terrace seating and poolside furniture, where it holds its colour through a full Algarve summer, and on outdoor cushions that live outside rather than being carried in each evening. It works indoors too, on a garden room sofa or a kitchen bench where something washable earns its place. Sand against pale stone, Abyss against planting. Order a sample to see it in your own light.

The small repeat means very little planning for upholstery; centre it once and cut. For outdoor cushions, ask your maker to use a polyester thread rather than cotton, because the cloth will outlast a cotton seam by years. Specify a quick-dry reticulated foam and a drainage eyelet in each cushion base. Covers are better made removable, since even a solution-dyed cloth benefits from a wash at the end of a season.

• Composition: 92% SD solution-dyed acrylic, 8% PP polypropylene
• Width: 142 cm
• Pattern repeat: 3 cm vertical, 6.5 cm horizontal
• Martindale: 20,000 rubs — general domestic
• Suitable for: Outdoor upholstery, terrace seating, cushions, indoor upholstery
• Care: Dry clean recommended
• Collection: Veranda III, Mark Alexander
• Colourways: 5 (Sand, Desert Palm, Atlantic, Abyss, Sienna)