Fabrics & Furnishings - Autumn 2019 Issue by Fabrics & Furnishings International

Volume 29, Number 4

Autumn 2019

The Global Home & Contract Sourcing Newspaper

Three Pan-American Jobbers Make Major Gains in the USA

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Mexico’s BarbaTex

Adrián Barba Yeme and José Barba González

Decosit is Back!

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Brazil’s Maiori Casa Alex Birman and Andre Cepeda

RADG Taps Shouldis President PAGE

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Texas’ Novel

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Novel Boutique Fabrics President Lazaro “Laz” Fernandez Jr.

Kravet Hollywood Opens

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34 Top 40 Contract Specialists

Table of Contents

The Global Home & Contract Sourcing Newspaper

F&FI Summer 2019 | Vol. 29, No. 3

PUBLISHER & CEO Michael Schneider, Publisher/CEO Tel: +1.212.404.6936 Mbl: +1.917.399.7464 michael@fabricsandfurnishings.com

World’s Top 40 Contract Specialists We used a variety of sources to compile this latest F&FI ranking.

931 Manhattan Avenue, Suite 3, Brooklyn, NY 11222 U.S. Tel: +1.212.404.6936 www.fandfi.com ISSN: 1523-7303

Member:

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ PUBLISHER EMERITUS Eric Schneider Mbl: +1.917.251.9922 eric@fabricsandfurnishings.com

Building Exodus Designer-showroom buildings undergo exodus of tenants. ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ray Parker Mbl: +1.305.942.7741 ray@fabricsandfurnishings.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

F&FI NEWS NETWORK India | S. Vishwanath UK | Jennifer Castoldi France | Gerard Poirot

Printer

Brazil and Panama Postcard International agent Johnny Keeton explains what’s happening.

FRANCE Gerard Poirot Tel: +33-(0)787193575 gerard@fabricsandfurnishings.com

Sutherland

Proofreader

Sean McCaughan

Art Director

Roxanne Clapp, RoxC LLC

SALES

Distribution

APC & Express Air Freight

E.U. Legal Counsel Herman Nayaert

19 Column: Covering The World | Here’s Paul Ma, PMT Fabrics Owner

INDIA Siddharth Vishwanath Tel: +91.97.42164757 sid@fabricsandfurnishings.com

32 Contract & Hospitality News

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

36 Design | Title TK 46 People to Watch | Alfie & Michael Joseph, Wes Mancini, Omar Rayess, and Joe Feege

CHINA, SOUTHEAST ASIA Sonia Tan Tel: +86 133 8601 9288 WeChat: SoniaTan25034704 sonia@fabricsandfurnishings.com

28 PHOTO GALLERY | Showtime CORRECTIONS: CORRECTIONS TO SUMMER 2019 ISSUE Marteks - In a listing of the World’s Largest Upholstery/Decorative Textile Mills, the sales volume figures were misstated for Marteks of Bursa, Turkey. According to the owner, Kaya Cinoglu, the correct figure is $25 million. “Our official export is $21.5 million in 2018.” “In 2019 we achieved 7 percent growth so far so we will probably be close to $26 million + if all goes as it has so far this number is also listed publicly in Bursa,” he says. Duvaltex - In the same listing, Duvaltex of Canada is the owner of True Textiles and not the owner of True North. True North is a division of Hightex Mills of Hangzhou, China.

Camira - Apologies also due to Camira in the UK. This is a substantial contract wovens mill with sales in the $75-$100 million range, which should have been included in the World’s Top 50 Mills listing. Sarom - On Page 1, Shantilal Shah is the correct spelling for one of the directors of Sarom, the largest wholesaler in India. In addition, the principals wanted to mention that Milin Shah is also a director of the company. Corrections – Address any factual errors to: Ray@FabricsAndFurnishings.com

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TURKEY, BELGIUM, HOLLAND, GERMANY Sevim Güneş Mbl: +31 6 8290 9965 Whatsapp: +90 532 2362524 sevim@fabricsandfurnishings.com

UK, IRELAND, FRANCE, SPAIN Bernard Bain Tel: +44(0)7423306500 bernard@fabricsandfurnishings.com

PORTUGAL, SOUTH AMERICA Renato Strauss Mbl: +55.11.99188-8966 renato@fabricsandfurnishings.com

Subscriptions to Fabrics & Furnishings International are US$125 prepaid for four issues. Mail or fax orders (US Dollar, Check or International Postal Money Order for payment ONLY) to Fabrics & Furnishings International, 931 Manhattan Avenue, Suite 3, Brooklyn, NY 11222 U.S... Subscribe online at fandfi.com/subscribe Subscriptions in India Get & Gain Centre is the official subscription agent for Fabrics & Furnishings International in India. The price of a subscription in India is $250.00. Please contact GET AND GAIN CENTRE /SPACE AND TIME CENTRE ATTN;- MR. VASANT.S.JAIN 301,SAGAR SHOPPING CENTRE, 3RD FLOOR, OPP. BOMBAY BAZAR, 76,J.P, ROAD, ANDHERI ( WEST) MUMBAI – 400 058 INDIA. MOBILE NO. 9820720189/ 7303655501 Tel:- 0091 -22-26775822 / 26773888

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RADG Appoints Interim Management Team; Cathie Shouldis Named President; Archbald and Sharkey On Her Team F&FI News Network

IAMI BEACH, Fla. — RADG Holdings LLC has appointed an interim management team to run the newly acquired Robert Allen and Duralee fabric business. Cathie Shouldis has been appointed the president of the two brands. Shouldis comes out of the Costume Gallery and Art Stone business in Bristol, Pa. She was named the president of Costume Gallery in May 2018 and has a background in the retail apparel business. She helped Integrate

the acquired Art Stone company into one operation with Costume Gallery. She also says she executed a global sourcing strategy for both companies. Shouldis was unavailable for comment and no official announcement about her

Cathie Shouldis

appointment has been made but a company source confirmed the appointment. Costume Gallery and Holliston Mills are owned by holding companies controlled by Brant Enderle as is RADG Holdings LLC. Kevin

Kevin Archbald

Lorraine Sharkey

Archbald, director of sales for Holliston, has been named sales director for RADG. Lorraine Sharkey, also with Costume Gallery, is the newly named merchandising head of RADG. Controller of the new acquisition is Enderle’s daughter, Kayla. Vendors say they are shipping goods to RADG on a cash-only basis. Seasoned observers wonder how long this can continue since an infusion of capital is required into the new business and paying for goods in advance reduces its flexibility.

One of the major problems experienced by former RADG management had to do with two computer systems that were unable to communicate with each other. That situation still exists. RADG purchasing staff remains the same since this part of RADG remains intact. All other management personnel was terminated by Enderle on or about April 26, the time of the RADG acquisition. Tim Sunden, vice president of operations, left the company right after it was acquired. F&FI

Peak Tourism to Thailand Increases Hospitality Furnishings High-End Retail Sales Depends on Hospitality Segment Growth

F&FI News Network

ANGKOK — Thailand attracts international tourists that keep new hotels being built on an on-going basis, while residential and corporate projects are steady. The Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts 40.3 million foreign visitors to the country in 2019/20, the highest tourist arrivals in the world. Charoen Decor International, Bangkok, one of the leading decorative furnishings retailers in the Asian region, completed 35 years. “Over three decades, we are engaged in renovating palace projects, decorating new palaces, and furnish high-end hotels [recently completed furnishing Waldorf Astoria, in Bangkok],” says CEO Sutharak Soonthornpusit at

Tan Trungkabunchar (Bon), Director Nitas Tessile Co. Ltd., Bangkok

Charoen Décor International Co. LTD., Bangkok. Charoen represents leading European brands like Designers Guild, Nina Cambell, JAB, Armani Casa, Jane Churchill, Warwick, Studioart, among 20 other brands. Charoen has segmented its services into three groups: Hospitality & Residential, Hospital and corporate sector, Overseas Projects and Palaces. “We have professionals in design and managing execution of projects to ensure that world leading decorative products are used to imbibe top quality as well as high aesthetics”, she says. Currently, residential segment contributes 25 percent of their business followed by 40 percent from hospitality and palace projects, and the remaining from the other sectors. Charoen Décor has a 2,100-square-meter showroom spread over six floors. Three floors occupy the showroom space and is said to be one of the luxury high-end furnishings showrooms in South East Asia. “The economy is growing at about 4 percent annually and new hotels, refurbishments, and residential projects is continuous and keeps

our business expanding.” says Tan Trungkabunchar (Bon), director, Nitas Tessile Co Ltd, Bangkok. The ddistribution business is expanding but profit margins are diminishing, he added. The company has distributed upholstery fabric for 20 years and operates from 5,600-square-facility that is spread over seven floors. “Since four years business dynamics of furnishing fabrics has turned very competitive in specific to dim-out fabrics, which is a fast moving and a healthy cash flow is earned,” Bon says. However. our major imports are from China but are not smooth and face quality problems in terms of shade matching and peeling and Chinese take a long time to settle quality issues or they may not settle at all, he added. “China is not our first choice but is a compulsion to be competitive in the marketplace, but we have learnt to live with these quality issues but in the end profit margins diminish,” Bon says. The company largely imports curtain fabrics from China, upholstery and outdoor fabrics from U.S., Turkey, and Europe as well other Asian sources Bon says the company is

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now better equipped and have included wider width fabrics as well as hospitality supplies, which means business volumes are increasing steadily. “We have about 2,000 dealers in Thailand and we cater to over 500 dealers and daily shipping is promptly executed by 100 support staff,” he

says. “In particular we have noticed that in last three years, our buying prices are trending higher while selling prices are stagnant and at times lower,” says Bon. But he is hopeful that business will grow further as new hotel projects and refurbishments are on the rise. F&FI

Showroom-Charoen Décor

Sutharak Soonthornpusit, CEO Charoen Décor International Co. Ltd., Bangkok

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American Silk Mills Lowers Prices With Its Parent Company, Sutlej Textiles & Industries “We’ve been By RAY PARKER

IGH POINT, N.C. – American Silk Mills has lowered its prices on several of its collections, including a best-seller, Brussels, which has been lowered from $24.95 to $18.99. “We’ve been able to take an icon here and make it better [and less expensive],” ASM President David Corbin says.

Corbin

The major Indian company Sutlej Textiles & Industries Limited bought American Silk Mills in November 2017. Company officials say they’re reaping the benefits of the collaboration, so that ASM provides design and marketing and Sutlej manufacturing. In June, ASM officials were able to show three new collections at Showtime Market with a wider range of price points and versatility. Susan Hedgecock, creative director for ASM, says the company has entry level fabrics starting at $6-10 because of its new parent company’s manufacturing. “We’ve drawn inspiration from our pattern and fabric archives, which are among the most extensive in the world,” Hedgecock says.

able to take an icon here and make it better [and less expensive].”

American Silk Mills President David Corbin and ASM Creative Director Susan Hedgecock

ASM launched its inaugural collection called EnduroSilk, an indoor-outdoor fabric that is bleach cleanable and stain resistant, among other benefits, according to the company. ASM was founded in 1896

and specializes in residential, contract, transportation and specialty markets. Products include jacquard, silk, velvets and Sensuede, an eco-friendly synthetic suede. Sutlej is reportedly the lead-

ing manufacturer of value-added and specialty yarns in India. Sutlej has a presence in more than 65 countries. It has more than 15,000 employees. “These collections are among the most diverse we’ve introduced because they embrace innovation and performance, yet are founded on the design heritage of American Silk Mills,” ASM President Corbin says. Corbin says the company has over 30,000 design patterns in its library and a design team of seven employees. F&FI

STI’s Revolution Curtain Wholesaler Holland Haag Has Performance Fabrics Two Principals, Agaath den Heijer and Rob Appel, After Buy Out of Bob Bruijn Find Online Marketplace, Leads Company Growth F&FI News Network Heijer has been with the company since 1996 and holds the position of general director, while Appel started in 2011 and is the commercial director. Together with Bruijn, the pair have been managing the company since 2012. Holland Haag was founded in 1920 by Bruijn’s great-grandfather, F.J. Fisherman. Bruijn says he will pursue other interests. “I enjoyed being able to work at Holland Haag since 1984 and trust that continuity is guaranteed under the inspiring leadership of Agaath and Rob,” Bruijn says in a statement. “They will allow this wonderful company to grow at their own discretion, while giving me the opportunity to take on other challenges.” Heijer says in a statement, “Holland Haag is a healthy company that has developed over the past hundred years into a stable player in the window decoration market. This development took place under the leadership of the Bruijn family, including Bob, and his father, Hans. Yet the company is also in my genes. My father, Leen den Heijer, has been involved with Holland Haag for over 50 Top right photo, Agaath den Heijer (r to l), Bob years and I have learned a lot from him.” Bruijn and Rob Appel celebrate at Holland Haag. F&FI

ADDINKVEEN, The Netherlands — Agaath den Heijer and Rob Appel are now the two principals of Holland Haag after they bought out the shares of Bob Bruijn on May 29. Holland Haag offers a complete fabrication of curtains for residential and project markets through its Dutch facility, which was expanded in 2018. In 2005, Bruijn, the fourth-generation family owner, decided to stop selling floor coverings and continued as a specialized wholesaler in curtain fabrics for residential and commercial markets.

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F&FI News Network

IGH POINT, N.C.—In two years, Anderson Gibbons, STI’s online guru, and Lee Reed, senior vice president of sales, have turned 50 SKUS into a 600 SKU online business with average orders of 15 yards from retailers, designers and consumers. “It is the fastest growing part of our business at STI,” Sean Gibbon, CEO, says. The ‘Revolution’ performance brand from STI is the only product sold on the fabric site: RevolutionFabrics.

com. This includes indoor residential and outdoor fabrics and Revolution Plus, which is said to be washable. These products sell from $15 to $20 online. “We’re never out of stock. We can deliver product to the customer in less than a week,” Gibbon says. STI normally sells only to furniture manufacturers, so the online format enables the company to sell the other parts of the market without stepping on someone else’s toes. F&FI

Anderson Gibbons and Lee Reed

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Tony Lopez Heads Maxwell Fabrics Newly Created Contract Division; Bill Finn Dedicated to Residential F&FI News Network

ANCOUVER, Canada— Maxwell Fabrics Inc., the Canadian wholesaler, has started its first contract sales division. Tony Lopez, who has over 20 years of experience in the contract industry, has been named to head the new contract sales team as the vice president of U.S. contract sales. He was previously the vice president of sales for Duralee Fabrics. In his new position, he will report to Oren Garaway, the president, who expects Tony to “build a sales force of independent contractors with deep-rooted relationships and experience in the Contract industry,” as Garaway says. Maxwell Fabrics is a third-generation family business, with its roots and corporate headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, and its distribution center in Concord, North Carolina. Garaway says that Maxwell has historically focused on the residential side of the industry, but in recent years, has stepped into the contract business by developing unique “cross over products”, under Zoe Anderson, the current design director. “Recently, Zoe has been focused on developing exclusive Performance Upholstery fabrics with a residential style that also pass the ACT standards,” Garaway says. “This allowed our sales team to begin cultivating contract business while still focusing on the residential interior designers.” After four years of organic contract growth, Garaway decided it was time to formally establish a contract division. Garaway says the creation of Maxwell’s U.S. Contract Division allows Bill Finn, Maxwell’s resident vice president of U.S. sales, to refocus his efforts exclusively on the residential side of the busi-

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ness. Bill has over 30 years of experience on this side of the business, 11 of which have been spent developing Maxwell’s presence, primarily in the U.S. residential market. According to Garaway, “Our journey has just begun.

Despite the changes and challenges in the industry, there is a lot of opportunity for Maxwell to grow. I am excited to enter into this next phase in the U.S. with two seasoned leaders in both the contract and residential Divisions.”

According to F&FI list of Top 50 Wholesalers, Maxwell has sales in the $20 million range. F&FI

Tony Lopez

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DCOTA Building in Foreclosure Suit As Showrooms Relocate; Follows Nationwide Pattern F&FI News Network

IAMI — An exodus of tenants from designer showroom buildings, due to high rents and a drop-off in traffic, has resulted in the foreclosure of the 777,000-squarefoot DCOTA (Design Center of the Americas) building in Dania Beach, Florida. Wells Fargo has launched foreclosure proceedings against the mortgage holders for $173 million against Cohen Bros. Realty, the owners of DCOTA, which has seen the exodus of tenants like Jerry Pair, Stark, Jeffrey Michaels, Judith Norman, Pindler & Pindler, and more recently, Kravet Fabrics. This group of tenants has regrouped in Hollywood, a stone’s throw away from DCOTA, one exit away on I-95. In fact, this group headed by Jerry Pair, formed the SFDP (South Florida Design Park),

where Kravet has opened its 14,000-square-foot showroom in a custom built facility opening June 24. This is the largest Kravet showroom of the three it holds in Florida (Jupiter and Naples are the other two) and was built in a 1950’s-vintage80,000-square-foot-pencil-factory building. Other tenants will follow in this building with Kravet as the anchor. In Chicago, the Merchandise Mart has just recently seen the loss of two major tenants, Knoll Furniture and Herman-Miller. There is a general regrouping of design and fabric ten-

ants in major cities across the U. S., as rents have risen with a general decline in showroom traffic, according to owners of the designer brands involved. “Designers are devoting more time to shopping for fabrics on the internet, but they are ordering high-end goods inside the showrooms,” one supplier told F&FI. “When it comes to buying expensive fabrics, consumers are buying a yard at a time online to make a pillow, but the big ticket, whole-room purchase is still taking place in the showroom with the interior designer and client together.” F&FI

HICAGO — Furniture company Herman Miller has announced it will move its showroom from its storied Merchandise Mart location to the new Fulton Market District. The new location at 1100 W. Fulton Market is still

RUSSELS — Decosit will reopen here September 10-11, 2019, after a ten-year hiatus. The exhibition location has been changed to Brussels Expo/ Heysel, building 10. The information about the renewal of Decosit was given to F&FI by Karl Henderson, general manager of Beaulieu International Group in Waregem, Belgium. “We don’t know if it will be easy to start up Decosit again, but if we don’t try, we will never know,” Henderson says. For 30 years, Decosit was an annual decorative fabric, window covering, upholstery, and

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under construction, according to Architectural Digest. The design company’s new showroom will be 45,000 square feet. Herman Miller’s brands include Colebrook Bosson Saunders, Design Within Reach, Geiger, HAY, Maars Living Walls, Maharam, nauhtone, Nemschoff and Herman Miller. In addition, Knoll has moved into its new showroom to Fulton Market at 811 W. Fulton Market, according to a company press release, and held an opening on June 10. “We’ve designed Fulton Market to inspire our commercial, education, healthcare,

hospitality, residential and public sector clients to plan environments that adapt to evolving workstyles,” Knoll Design Director Benjamin Pardo says in a release. “Florence Knoll’s ‘total design’ perspective, blurring the lines between workplaces and homes, is more relevant than ever.” Knoll products include furniture, textiles, leathers, lighting, accessories, and architectural and acoustical elements. Its brands include Knoll Office, KnollStudio, KnollTextiles, KnollExtra, Spinnybeck | FilzFelt, Edelman Leather, HOLLY HUNT, DatesWeiser, and Muuto. F&FI

Herman Miller previewed this nauhtone display going into its new Fulton Market Showroom during NeoCon 2019.

F&FI News Network

wall covering exhibition, which was replaced by MoOD ten years ago. In 2018, Easyfairs, a Brussels trade show organizer, bought the MoOD organization from Textirama, but MoOD was closed this year because only 50 exhibitors had signed up. Last year, MoOD had about 200 exhibitors from 16 different countries. Eighty percent of the visitors were from Europe, while the rest came from around the world. F&FI

Karl Henderson

MoOD+Indigo Canceled This September, According to Easyfairs Source

Furniture Maker Herman Miller Departs Merchandise Mart for New Fulton Market District, Along With Knoll F&FI News Network

Decosit Returns After MoOD+Indigo Cancels

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RUSSELS — The MoOD+Indigo trade show has been canceled this year, according to a source close to the company. Last year, Easyfairs, a Brussels trade show organizer, bought the MoOD organization, an annual decorative fabric, window covering, upholstery and wall covering exhibition, from Textirama. F&FI employee Sevim Gunes was told Friday [June 28] by Easyfairs Communication Officer Sylvie Buydaert that this year’s show has been canceled. The show was scheduled for Sept. 11-13. It’s unclear if the trade show is closed beyond this year. Easyfairs officials could not be reached Friday for comment. Sebastien Lewyllie, Easyfairs director of cluster, has reportedly left Easyfairs. MoOD has been around for 40 years, the past 10 as MoOD, and previously as Decosit for 30 years. MoOD is where producers showed their new collections and Indigo was where design studios met with clients. The

last show had about 200 exhibitors from 16 different countries. Eighty percent of visitors were from Europe, while the rest came from around the world. In April, during Proposte, Easyfairs officials held a press conference to unveil their new format to revitalize MoOD + Indigo: new product categories (bed, bath, and table linens as well as carpets, rugs and outdoor) and new collaborations (IIDE show). Lewyllie said at the time the new approach was designed to boost attendance. This year, IIDE [International Interior Design Exhibition] was to be held at the same time at the Hotel de la Poste, next to the MoOd+Indigo venue at Tour & Taxis. Other changes included the following: Project Cloud will invite all the architects and hospitality buyers of fairs like Realty to the show; HostedBuyer Program will allow exhibitors to list their top-five buyers, or people they’d like to see, and Easyfairs will invite the top 200 with free hotel rooms and other incentives. F&FI

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An American Outlander in Scotland By RACHELLE TENACE

or those of you familiar with the hit TV show, “Outlander”, you will recognize the term. It refers to the heroine, Claire, a beautiful, intrepid time-traveler thrust back in time from post-war 1940s England to the Highlands of Scotland, just before the Jacobite rebellion in 1746. Claire, who is already married in her present life in England, ends up falling in love with a hunky Highlander, Jamie Fraser, when she travels back in history. Claire is an “Outlander,” or “Sassenach,” as Jamie refers to her. That’s where I come in. After watching “Outlander” and becoming increasingly intrigued with Scotland, it’s stunning landscapes, quirky people with a funny sense of humor, its culture and of course, the iconic Tartan plaid, I decided to check Scotland off my bucket list and finally visit the country myself. It also coincided with a project that I’m working on, a real-

ity-show idea called “Material World.” Because of my love for fabrics, and my wandering spirit for traveling, I wanted to create a show that would combine both. Of course, the focus would be about fabrics, but it would also be about so much more. It would highlight each country’s unique heritage, the history behind the development of the fabrics, the scenery, and of course, the people. [Read more about Material World below] What better place to start my project than in Scotland? I could visit all the sites I’d become familiar with on “Outlander,” and at the same time, do a segment on the tartan plaids and the history behind this very important and enduring symbol of Scotland. I started in Edinburgh. This would be the first stop on a whirlwind, one-week trip. I wanted to find out as much as possible about tartan plaids and Scotland itself. The first appointment was with a hipster kilt-mak-

er located on Thistle Street, a side street in the center of Edinburgh. I had set up a visit with Howie Nicholsby, the owner and creator of 21st Century Kilts. Howie, an eccentric and spirited character adorned with his own, one-of-a-kind kilt and all the accoutrements that go with it, offers a new twist on kilt making. Howie has designed and created kilts for stars such as Vin Diesel and was also highlighted at London’s fashion week. The second appointment the following day, would be to

Rachelle Tenace

Agent Rachelle Tenace Looks to Explore the World’s Textile Cultures with TV Show F&FI News Network

Think of Rachelle Tenace as wanting to become the Anthony Bourdain of textiles. She’s working on a reality TV show called “Material World.” Tenace travels the world exploring the history behind famous textiles throughout the world, such as Scotland’s kilts and clan tartans. [Read about her Scotland adventure above.] Tenace has been working in the fabric business since she was a teenager, when she apprenticed at a relative’s Manhattan interior design studio. “I am inspired to do a

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show based on my love of textiles, my love of traveling, and my curiosity about people, and the history behind all the beautiful fabrics and the people who create them,” Tenace says. In June, she traveled to Santa Monica, California, to pitch her idea to reality-show, network producers. There were executives from HGTV, the Travel Channel, the History Channel, and more. “It went really well and I got several personal emails from some big networks to follow up with, so I’m optimistic that I’m on the right path,” Tenace says.

She has more than 25 years in the fabric business working from many aspects of it including: working in a German mill, recruiting American artists to create textile designs, and becoming an agent. “I think I’m uniquely qualified to do [the show] because nobody has the passion or experience that I have,” she says. “Not to mention the tenacity or determination. By the way, my last name Tenace, literally means tenacious in Italian.” View the Material World trailer on YouTube: Material World With Rachelle. F&FI

visit DC Dalgliesh, the world’s only dedicated hand-crafted and artisan tartan mill about an hour south of Edinburgh, in Selkirk. DC Dalgliesh offer bespoke services, creating unique plaids for individual needs. The mill dates to 1947, when Colton Dalgliesh, an expert on tartans, decided to go into weaving himself after not being able to find good quality fabric he knew to be possible. Today, it’s run by Nick Fiddes. It was astounding to see all the plaids and how they correlated to all the clans of Scotland. Clan names were attached to each plaid such as MacGregor, Mackenzie, Campbell, Fraser, Cameron and Stewart, all with specific colors and designs. Nick told us that even Jewish- and Muslimborn Scots had also had their own tartans created to blend both of their rich cultures. Nick explained the process of how the original tartan colors came to be. During Highlander times, the colors were obtained from the dye-producing plants, roots, berries and trees found in the districts, where the cloth was woven. People living in those articular districts were generally members of the same clan, so their district tartan was, in effect, their clan tartan. After the Jacobite rebellion in 1746, and the Battle of Culloden, the Highlander tartans were banned by the British and they almost became a thing of the past as the old weavers died out and many Highlanders started to adopt the clothing worn by other Scots and the British. It didn’t have a revival until 1822, when George IV visited Scotland and suggested the people attending the functions should wear their respective tartans. That resulted in many of the original tartans to be remade again after the details of the old ones were lost. So much of Scotland’s identity is interwoven with their clan heritage and the plaids that represent them. Scots are proud of this identity and it’s apparent in their shops, clothing, décor and of course, tourist regalia. F&FI

NADFD Pivots Annual Meetings, Piggybacks With BDNY 2020

ARK CITY, Utah — NADFD members will change their annual meeting in 2020 and gather after BDNY, which ends on a Monday in November. NADFD (National Association of Decorative Fabric Distributors) will meet on that Monday night and Tuesday. Founded 51 years ago, the organization faces declining membership, along with industry shifts, requiring the new format. Rob Mayer, NADFD president, says the group has five paying member-companies, but requires 8 or 9 in 2021, and twelve in 2022. Current member-companies include Mayer Fabrics, Silver State Fabrics, Keyston Bros., Burch Fabrics, and Momentum Group. Mayer says in 2021 the traditional, longer format will return, so that the annual meetings will alternate between short, two-day gatherings tied to established trade shows, and traditional ones, which can last five days depending on travel distance. For example, this year’s meeting held June 23-26 at Park City, about 45 minutes from the Salt Lake City airport, required five days for many with traveling included. “The plan is to reinvigorate the organization by bringing more people in from all the member-companies,” Mayer says. F&FI

Rob Mayer

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Boyteks Launches Recycled Collection with Eye on the Future; Focus About Next Generation F&FI News Network

STANBUL — Boyteks officials have high hopes for their new indoor, recycled collection. Ilknur Dag, Boyteks marketing manager, says the collection will increase in scope

and importance as sustainablity increases worldwide. “Sustainability is very important,” Dag says. “We want to take care of the next generation.” Boyteks uses recycled polyester yarn from PET bottles for the new indoor collection.

Boyteks produces upholstery fabric for furniture manufacturers and carpets, among other products It manufactures more than 2 million meters of upholstery fabric per month in its 52,000-meter facility in Bursa, Turkey.

Boyteks is the sixth largest mill in the world with about $100 million in annual sales, according to the F&FI World’s Top 50 Mills listing. F&FI

Boyteks Marketing Manager Ilknur Dag stands by the recycled collection during Evteks.

Morotti Named General Manager of Limonta Interiors

OSTAMASNAGA, Italy —Stefano Morotti has been named general manager of Limonta Interiors, a division of Limonta SpA.

Stefano Morotti

This is a new position for Limonta. Limonta was ranked 33 on the F&FI World’s Top 50 Mills in the Summer 2019 edition, listed with $20 million in sales, while Luilor was ranked 27 on the same list with $22 million in sales. Morotti reports to Antonio Brusadelli, general manager of Limonta, the parent company. Morotti was previously sales manager of Luilor SpA in Prato, Italy, a position he held from December, 2010, through this past June. Prior to that, he was managing director of Enzo degli Angiouni (EDA) in Garbagnate Monastero, Italy, from 2000-2010. Davide Malagutti, a 19-year Limonta veteran and currently sales manager, will now report to Morotti. F&FI

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By Eric Schneider, Editor Emeritus Column

Here’s Paul Ma, PMT Fabrics Owner

IGH POINT, N.C.— Paul Ma, still in his 30s, bought a 100 percent ownership of Advantage Fabrics from Bob Gorman less than a year ago and renamed it PMT Fabrics. Ma is part of the next generation of textile owners appearing on the U.S. and international markets. His purchase was the outcome of a series of smart moves on his part. (His brother is a successful player in the Chinato-China textiles market

Paul Ma

Autumn 2019

based out of Beijing. You’d have to say that textiles are in the Ma family blood.) Advantage was a successful American importer of Chinese fabrics under Gorman’s stewardship for 15 years, before he sold it to Ma. Gorman continues to ride the sales and merchandising horse for Ma, and both seem genuinely comfortable with the relationship they now have. As a young student, Ma studied textiles at the

China Textile University in Shanghai, graduating in 2002. His first company was a start-up textile importer/ exporter based in China, but that was only after he worked seven years for his uncle Yang Lin Shan, the owner of Z-Wovens, the successful U.S. arm of Zhongwong Holdings in Hangzhou. Ma set up a Z-Wovens division in Brazil (2010 to 2012), where he spent two years working diligently. That division was subsequently sold, but it gave him the experience he needed to set up his own import/ export company under the name Pietro China, which sold upholstery from China and India and sheers from Turkey to the U.S. It was during that time that he ran into Susan McAllister, who was at Advantage and is currently the designer for PMT. She introduced him to Bob Gorman. Ma was searching for his next opportunity, and there it was right in front of him in the form of Advantage. The rest is history. PMT may now compete with Ma’s old customer base in the U.S., but PMT is Ma’s total business focus. He just has to balance his traveling schedule, between personally watching the 8-10 mills, which supply PMT out of Hangzhou, and his many trips to the U.S., while juggling family life in China. I wonder which is the tougher job. F&FI

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F FI NE W S

Brazil-Based Importer Maiori Casa Rugs, Fabrics Opens the American Market Through Doral, Florida Operations Veteran Textile Man Aleks Birman Leads F&FI News Network

AO PAOLO—Veterantextile-marketer Aleks Birman and Andre Cepeda, a rug specialist, have opened a warehouse in Doral, Florida, in order to import fabrics and rugs under the Maiori Casa brand to the U.S. and the Americas. The Maiori Casa brand has been marketed in Brazil for the past 12 years, first in rugs imported from Turkey and India, and then in the past three years, textiles from China, Turkey and India, Birman says. Rugs range on price from $45 to $75 for a 5x8, and fabrics in solids and textures are sold

from $2 to $10 a yard, he says. The collection is stocked in two warehouses in Sao Paolo, in 40,000 and 30,000 square feet, and the pair has developed a $15 million business during that time. They hope to equal this figure in the U.S. selling imported rugs and textiles from the Doral location of 7,000 square feet, Birman says. “We trust a lot in the U.S. market and the Miami area is logistically perfect for all of our Central American and Caribbean customers to have access and not be affected by high Brazilian duties,” he says. Maiori Casa says it already

Aleks Birman and Andre Cepeda

has customers in Florida, Dominican Republic, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia and Peru, but the pair hope to expand this business with nearly duty-free goods imported into the US operation. Brazil is known to be a high duty import market, as much as 35 percent duty for rugs and 18-25 percent for fabrics, Birman points out. “We’re used to high duties in Brazil but in America, duties are less overall, even though Chinese imported fabrics will pay 25 percent duty now. Other imported fabrics brought into the U.S. are taxed at under five percent and there is no duty on Indian and Turkish rugs,” he adds. Maiori Casa fabrics has a network of 23 sales agents in Brazil and R&D in Jaipur, India, and Istanbul. For the rugs, there are sales agents in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, Birman says. “I take care of exports to neighboring countries.” Maiori Casa expects to participate in U.S. trade shows in Las Vegas and High Point in the future, according to Birman. F&FI

Maori Casa fabric and rug samples

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VIP Samples Buys American Sample Company After Financial Troubles by RAY PARKER

RAND PRAIRIE, Texas — VIP Samples has bought the American Sample Company, which moves its operations from California to Texas, after the 67-year-old company took financial hits. The sale has little to do with RADG recently filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, says Christopher Muesse, general manager of American Sample, and more to do with timing. Robert Allen Duralee Group (RADG) owed VIP Samples $250,000, according to court documents. “This acquisition was the result of discussions that originated long before the bankruptcy of the RADG,” Muesse wrote in an email. For 67 years, American Sample produced custom-sample products, primarily fabric swatches for home décor and clothing industries. It had a 100,000-square-foot facility in Ontario, California, about an hour east of Los Angeles. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2018, and informed state officials it would close the facility, and lay off 76 employees, on July 16, 2019, according to the Daily Bulletin newspaper. American Sample took a major financial hit when Royalty Carpet Mills

suddenly closed its Irvine, California headquarters and production facility in June 2017. For more than 30 years, VIP Samples has produced

sample books, swatch cards, tile boards, and more. The privately-owned company is located near Dallas in a 170,000-square-foot facility. It employs about 200 people. Eric Long, president of VIP Sample, could not be reached for comment. “American Sample has been looking to move away from California for quite some time due to the state’s unfavorable manufacturing environment: high wages, higher work compensation, etc.,” General Manager Muesse wrote in an email. “We evaluated moving our 100,000-square-foot operation to Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and Texas. As it turned out, the better fit for us was to be acquired [by] VIP Samples.” F&FI

Autumn 2019

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BarbaTex Expands into USA Upholstery Market F&FI News Network

EXICO CITY – BarbaTex, the Mexican fabric wholesaler, recently expanded into the U.S. upholstery market when it started manufacturing polyester performance fabrics. The company, founded in 1971, also opened offices in China in 2017. “The U.S. market, by the way, is very different from our domestic market,” Jose Barba, general director, and Adrian Barba, deputy director, say. “All this new production is the result of many months of

research to develop collections that received the high-quality standard approval in the [U.S.]….” BarbaTex distributes through its U.S. business partners in furniture manufacturing through brands such as Quaker, MasterCraft, and Culp, Inc, among others. The family-run business started manufacturing for the Mexican market in 1971, where it has an extensive distribution network, owning 25 stores across the country. The company started exporting last year to the U.S. through

its BarbaTex brand. “We believe that there is an opportunity to create a heightened presence in the U.S. with fabrics made in Mexico,” the Barbas say. They do not compete with China on raw material, but in other areas. “In regard to BarbaTex with respect to China, we are a better option in terms of delivery times and quality of the final product for furniture manufacturers in the [U.S.],” the Barbas say. “Due to the territorial proximity, the communication is much more effective

and the order assortment [and] flow more efficient in times and quality.” BarbaTex’s brand ranges from $3.90 to $7.50 per square meter. Their main clients are furniture manufacturers, upholsterers, and interior designers. “We have been manufacturing since 2001,” the Barbas say. “What we have started manufacturing recently are the polyester fabrics with performance, either water repellent or flame retardant, with contemporary designs and range of colors, according to the demand in the

A BarbaTex in-house designer.

Surtidor Tapicero retail floor display.

Surtidor Tapicero store.

BarbaTex jacquard loom.

BarbaTex manufacturing floor.

Surtidor designer showroom.

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U.S. market,” the Barbas say. BarbaTex has 321 employees. Its factory is in Tlamomulco de Zuniga, with a capacity of 250,000 square meters per month. It has a special area for fabrics with a team of jacquard and dobby looms, where a large part of the raw material is produced as chenille and taslan. “The opportunities are there,” the Barbas say. “We are constantly growing, adapting to changes, and expansion projects towards new brands.” F&FI

Autumn 2019

Showtime Showtime

Showtime Reflects a More Careful, Studied Market with More Tailored Product Introductions and Tariff Concerns Editor’s Opinion by Eric Schneider

Daniel Carroll, sales agent, at Premier Prints in Sherman, MS, Heather Johnson, product manager, at Palliser Furniture Upholstery in Winnipeg, Canada, Fran Stewart, product manager, at Palliser Furniture Holdings, and David Cherry, general manager, at Premier Prints.

Margaret Shirley, product portfolio manager, at Stickley in Manlius, N.Y., Jim Torres, merchandizing, at Stickley, and Stacy Garcia, CEO at Stacy Garcia in Park Nanuet, N.Y.

Mike Sachdev, (left) principal of Plastex International at Passaic, N. J. , and David Crawford, president of Wild West Designs at Longmont, Colorado.

HIGH POINT, N.C.—Fabric suppliers are taking no great chances by introducing too many products not readily sought by the furniture fabric buyer. This was my impression at this most recent Showtime. Attendance was sparser than usual and there was a general decline in the number of exhibitors in the temporary spaces, but major buyers still turned out to the Textile Tower and permanent spaces. There was much talk about the U.S. tariffs as they affect China export of fabric. Most companies are looking at raising prices by as much as 15 percent in some cases as of July 1. Mexico and tariffs is also an area of concern, and with President Trump discontinuing India’s favorite nation status, one wonders what will happen in regards to tariffs on Indian goods going forward. Nevertheless, the primary fabric buzzwords are still performance, sustainability and outdoor with at least one major vendor, Valdese, pitching the ‘Indoor/Outdoor’ category with great enthusiasm. “While our product is designed to perform well in the indoor environment, it holds up well outside too,” says Mike Shelton, Valdese CEO. However, if the application is geared primarily to outdoor, outdoor fabrics in solution dyed acrylic still have an edge in terms of UV ratings, but they might still pill excessively, Shelton says.

Brett Rubin, principal, Edgar Fabrics Inc., New York with Mary and Randy Osiason (vice president) Stanley Chair Co., Tampa , FL

Kerri Cameron, key account manager, at Master Fabrics in Toronto, Canada, Tammy Schnurr, principal of Tammy Schnurr Designs in Toronto, Canada, and Fitz Graham, Vice President of sales at Master Fabrics.

Standing: Paul Romer, president, Tempo Upholstery & Drapery Fabrics, Inc., high Point based converter with principalsTrudy France, of Four Seasons Decorative Fabrics, Mississauga, Ontario Canada and Jeff France (son)

Michael Carr, owner, of RM CoCo Decor of Cape Giradeau, Mo., and Principals Gwen Carnegie and Diana Rotheneder of Renaissance Fabrics in Clayton, Calif.

Paul Ma, president of PMT Fabric based in Hangzhou, China and Tupelo, Mi with Gay Anna Lehnerz, vice president, merchandising JLA Furniture, Denver, CO and Bob Gorman vice president, sales PMT Fabrics, Glen Elyn, IL Brock Henderson, account manager at Milliken & Co. in Spartanburg, S.C., April Welch, merchandising director at Fairfield Chair Company in Lenoir, N.C., and LeAnne Flack, marketing manager at Milliken & Co. Valerie Hamroff, stylist and Mindy Derketsh designer, Fabricut, New York, NY with Wesley Mancini, Home Fabrics, Valdese, NC

Richard Favata, vice president, product development and Courtney Hoffman, assistant merchant, upholstery both with American Signature,Inc., Columbus, OH furniture maker. with Dominick Anile and John Bachman, True North Sales Executives, High Point. True North is owned by Hightex, Hangzhou, China

Jessica McClaine, Culp digital marketing/online sales with Stephanie Patty, Knoxville Wholesale Furniture, Knoxville, Tenn.

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Beth Penley, merchandising, at Hekman/ Woodmark Furniture in Grand Rapids, Mich. and Susan Hedgecock, creative director at American Silk Mills in High Point, N. C.

Autumn 2019

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Rockland Capitalizes on Chinese Tariffs with Signature Blackouts President Trump’s New Tariffs on Chinese Imports Come as a Boon to Rockland Industries F&FI News Network

ALTIMORE — Rockland’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing Darren Fradin says the company has recently seen an uptick in its American-made signature Roc-lon blackouts. Now that Chinese blackouts will have an added 25 percent tariff, American-made blackouts can compete. “For me, the tariffs are a welcome relief,” Fradin says. “The tariffs mean we can now compete on price [against the Chinese].” In a new advertising campaign, Roc-lon highlights that it makes it textiles at one of the oldest American mills, located in Bamburg, S. C. Roc-lon sells across many platforms, from upscale Las Vegas hotels to Amazon.com,

including sales in more than 100 countries. “Our big deal is quality,” Fradin says. He adds the customer looking at price can now have Roclon-quality blackouts, which today are shifting into decorative blackouts. Before, blackouts were part of the layers in a curtain, but today, they’re part of the curtain itself. Fradin says all Roc-lon fabrics have been vetted, so Roclon has woven-looks with its digital-printed blackouts. The company’s new Maybrook collection comes in six decorative designs. And Rockland is expanding into the roller shade market. Rockland has its headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, where about 240 employees work.

Major hotel flags that use Rockland Mills products include: Hyatt, Radisson, Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, Hilton, Howard Johnson, Marriott, Ramada, and Four Seasons. “I think the tariff is going to be here awhile,” Fradin says. “They are a welcome relief for us.” F&FI

Darren Fradin

Covington Signs Hilary Farr, HGTV Star of hit Show F&FI News Network

EW YORK—Covington has signed a licensing deal with Hilary Farr, HGTV star according to Stefanie Wotton, Vice President, Marketing and Contract Services. Prices for the Hilary Farr/Covington Collection range from $4.95 to $28.95 per yard for prints and woven designs. Since 2008, Farr has been the star of the hit Show “Love It or List It” featured throughout the US on HGTV and W Network in Canada. She is also the CEO of Hilary Farr Designs. Hillary Farr Farr is represented by All American Licensing. F&FI

Richloom, Chambers Make Distribution Deal; Boosts Home Furnishings F&FI News Network

EW YORK—Richloom Fabrics Group will distribute upholstery fabrics produced by Chambers Fabrics in North Carolina under Richloom’s Fortress Clear Performance brand. Michael Saivetz, COO of Richloom, says this arrange-

Autumn 2019

ment will allow his company “to remain a frontrunner in the home furnishings industry and further showcase our design and merchandising expertise while adding to our growing domestic capabilities.” All sales, customer service and orders on newly introduced product will run through

Richloom’s existing operations. Existing Chambers’ business will continue to run through Chambers,” Saivetz adds. Chambers is an upholstery mill that began operations in 1996 in High Point. It is owned privately by Ray Chambers, the founder. F&FI

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Contract/HospitalityNews Cruise Ship Interiors Expo

iami Beach, Fla. — The textile industry had a strong presence at the first Cruise Ship Interiors Expo June 2019, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, with a variety of fabrics ready to hit the high seas. The people were no less interesting, either. Check out our photos from the event.

Saren Kragelund, sales for Germany, and Joachim Bergesjö, key account manager of public transport, both of Svensson, Großenwiehe, Germany.

Andrie Iglesias, Ezra Ozkan, and Vivian Iglesias, all of Andriali Contract, Miami, Fla.

Pam Onori, and Raymond Duprey, market managers, Stephanie Deshaies, textile maven, and Chuck Hofmann, regional sales director, all of Architex, Northbrook, Ill.

Jonathan Lewis, sales director of Sundburry Design, Harlow, Scotland, Nele Andersch, director at Hamberg Meese und Congress, Chichester, England, and Eric Carpenter, of Brook’s Carpet & Ship’s Supply, Miami, Fla.

Wibke Mensch, sales manager of transport for Kvadrat, Hamberg, Germany, and Will Pardo, sales representative at Maharam, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Jason Dodd of Jason Dodd and Associates, Los Angeles, and Max Salsbury, marine sales & south west area sales manager, and Ian Tatnell, managing director, both of Sekers Fabrics, Limited, Dundee, Scotland.

Darren Fradin, right, president, and Mitchell J. Brown, executive vice president, both of Rockland Mills, Baltimore, Md.

Herbert Reinermann, sales director of Drapilux, and Jéreemie Chauvet, catagorie manager maritime, both at Schmitz Testiles, Emsdetten, Germany.

Noel J. Torres, principal of Studio Five Design, Miami, Fla., and Janis Veller of Kravet Contract, Boca Raton, Fla.

www.fabricsandfurnishings.com

Kathrin Weib, head of international sales for Schoepf, Stammbach, Germany.

Sabrina Salas and Robert Pullen, both vice presidents of Fil Doux, New York.

Lindsay Brugger, sales representative for Richloom Contract, New York.

Autumn 2019

C/HNews

C/HNEWS I CONTRACT BUSINESS SEES NEW LEADERSHIP Kerry Galloway Joins P/Kaufmann Contract as Senior VP

Rollie Attard Named Panaz COO F&FI News Network

ANCASHIRE, U.K. — Rollie Attard has been named Chief Operating Officer for Panaz Ltd., a contract/hospitality specialist wholesaler and converter. He reports to his father, Tony Attard, Group Chief Executive. For the past four years, Rollie had been East Coast Sales Manager for Panaz in

the USA based in the Raleigh, NC headquarters. Rollie joined the family company after graduating from London Business School in 2012 and working for Amazon in London from 2012 to 2015. “It was always the intention that after commercial and sales experience Rollie would join the board as COO,” Tony says. F&FI

F&FI News Network

N Rollie Attard

Patty Wilson Joins Justin David PattyWilson

F&FI News Network

Luke Spink becomes the East Coast sales manager for Panaz in the US

SAN DIEGO — Patty Wilson joined Justin David Textiles in June as National Sales Manager. Justin David is a Contract Hospitality specialist.

She was previously vice president, contract sales for Covington Fabrics. Stefanie Wotton is now responsible for Covington Contract in New York. F&FI

EW YORK – Kerry Galloway has joined P/Kaufmann Kerry Galloway Contract as senior vice president of business development. Galloway served as president of Robert Allen Duralee Group’s Contract Division from April 2017 to January 2019. His prior roles at Robert Allen Duralee Group included vice president and senior vice president of sales. “I have known Kerry for 15 years,” Curtis Breedlove, president of P/Kaufmann Contract, says in a statement. “His business acumen, ethics, and overall kindness will fit well into our company culture.” Galloway’s textile career began at Milliken and Company, where he spent 17 years in key financial roles before moving into sales and market management positions. After Milliken, Galloway continued to draw on his financial and sales background as he took on larger regional and national roles within the Mohawk Group. P/Kaufmann Contract is the textile design company supplying window, bedding, and upholstery to the global hospitality industry. Founded by Peter Kaufmann in 1957, the company continues with a comprehensive range of performance textiles, finished products and custom development capabilities. F&FI

Ed Marquez Named President, Swavelle Bettini Joins Cortech Hospitality; Bettini Leaves Swavelle vice president of the hospiLOOMFIELD, N.J.— tality division at Swavelle. Hospitality After 29 years BJoe Bettini has joined He officially retired from F&FI News Network

F&FI News Network

EW YORK — Ed Marquez has been named president of Swavelle Hospitality fabrics. He has been with Swavelle for 18 years. Previously, he was vice president of operations, and prior to that, he was sales manager. Ed Marquez has been named president. The promotion of Marquez was made as Joe Bettini left Swavelle after 29 years with the company. Bettini was most recently

Autumn 2019

vice president, hospitality division at Swavelle Millcreek Inc. as of April 1. Prior to that, he was involved with contract sales at Robert Allen, the jobber. His future plans will be made known at a later date but it is expected that Bettini will remain involved with the hospitality business, instead of taking retirement. Today, Swavelle continues to be an important residential and contract fabrics converter with a major stake Ed Marquez in hospitality sales. F&FI

Cortech LLC as executive vice president, sales, after a 29-year career at Swavelle Millcreek Inc., a New York converter and fabric manufacturer. Bettini was most recently

Joe Bettini

this position on April 1. 2019. In his new post, Bettini reports to Andrew Banks, the owner and president of Cortech. Cortech is a manufacturer and distributor of 100 percent silicone coated fabrics catering to the hospitality, healthcare, contract and A&D markets. Prior to joining Swavelle, Bettini was involved with contract sales at Robert Allen, the jobber. Bettini has always been involved with the contract fabrics business and he will continue in that line with Cortech. F&FI

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Anders Byriel, CEO Ebeltoft, Denmark (Maharam is Kvadrat distributor in USA and Canada.)

$120 million

Kvadrat

Mike Dobin/Diana Dobin Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (CDI is the company owned workroom)

$130 million

Valley Forge/CDI

Roger Arciniega, president Irvine, Calif. (owns D.L. Couch, Tri-Kes, Eykon, Sina Pearson, LoomSource, Momentum brands)

$200 million

Momentum Textiles

IAMI—This list of Top 40 Contract Specialists is composed of wholesalers and converters of hospitality, healthcare, corporate and cruise ship interior fabrics. Each firm listed dabbles in one or more of these segments. This list also includes suppliers of fabrics to the office furniture manufacturer. (There are no mills on this list.) Over the years, office furniture manufacturers have taken an ownership role of several of the textile suppliers. These include Steelcase (Designtex); Krueger International (Pallas Textiles) and HNI (HBF). This is a good example of vertical integration within the contract segment. Of course, the largest acquisition in recent years was the purchase of wallcovering wholesalers Eykon, D.L. Couch and Trikes by Momentum Textiles. Momentum is now the largest supplier of contract fabrics and wallcoverings at $200 million in sales, number one in size on this list. In order to bulk up, other wholesalers and converters have taken different paths from Momentum. Valley Forge led the way in roller shades followed by Samelson’s Aperture division. Valley Forge also purchased a workroom (CDI) in order to improve on delivery times of the finished product. No doubt, there will be further mergers and buy-outs going forward. Although the list is decidedly geared to the USA, there are several players based off shore that also want a piece of the American contract pie. As always, the numbers here are a combination of industry estimates, published numbers and pure guesswork on my part. The list is meant as a reference tool. Enjoy! If you disagree with anything here, please let me know. —ERIC SCHNEIDER / eric@fabricsandfurnishings.com

Rob Mayer, owner Indianapolis, Ind.

17. $25 million

Mayer Fabrics

Frank Governal, VP sales & marketing Grand Rapids, Mich.

16. $25 million

Burch

Keith Gordon, president Northbrook, Ill.

15. $25 million

Architex

Rollie Attard, COO Lancashire, U.K. and Raleigh, N.C. (U.S.)

14. $28 million

Panaz

Mark Teppel, president New York

13. $30 million

Samelson Chatelane

Matt Deshantz, vice president Tulsa, Okla.

12. $30 million

Fabricut Contract

John Ringer, executive vice president New York

11. $35 million

Richloom Contract

32.

Suzanne Ralton, principal London

Agua Fabrics Ltd.

UNDER $10 MILLION ANNUAL SALES

Manoli Sargetakis, principal Salt Lake City, Utah

31. $10 million

Silver State

Susan Whalen, president New York

30. $10 million

Pollack/Weitzner

Carsten Krebs, principal Bissendorf, Germany

29. $10 million

KOS KREBS

Dee Duncan, president Norcross, Ga.

28. $10 million

KB Contract

Bernie Feldman, owner San Diego

27. $10 million

Justin David Textiles

Deborah Purcell Myrtle Beach, S.C.

26. $10 million

Integra

WORLD’S TOP 40 CONTRACT FABRIC SPECIALISTS

Kravet Contract

Curtis Breedlove, president New York

$40 million

P/Kaufmann Contract

Keith Stinson, president Rochester Hills, Mich. (majority owned by BV Investment Partners )

$40 million

CF Stinson

Marc Layne, president Orangeburgh, N.Y.

$40 million

Arc/Com

Susan Lyons, president New York (owned by Steelcase)

$45 million

Designtex

Eike Poertner, vice president, sales & marketing Bielefeld, Germany (recently bought Climatex brand)

$50 million

JAB Contract

Tony Mansari, president Yaphank, N.Y. (owned by Herman Miller)

$100 million

Dallas Chapman, senior vice president Bethpage, N.Y.

10. $35 million

Maharam Fabrics Corp.

Lee Menichella, owner Goleta, Calif.

25. $10 million

Chella Textiles

Iris Wang, owner Wheeling, Ill.

24. $10 million

Brentano

Manfred Weis, owner Oberhaching, Germany

23. $10 million

Bautex-Stoffe

Ed Marquez, president New York

22. $12 million

Swavelle Hospitality Fabrics

Brian Krenke, CEO. Green Bay, Wis., owned by Krueger International (KI)

21. $15 million

Pallas Textiles

Gary Price, owner Blakehurst, NSW, Australia

20. $15 million

Materialized

Leonardo Novik-owner Brooklyn, N.Y.

19. $15 million

Fil Doux

James Kaplan, president Rockville Center, N.Y. (owned by Calera Capital)

18. $15 million

Carnegie Tommy Lee, president Archdale, N.C.

Stephanie Wotton, VP marketing & contract services New York

36. 37.

38.

39.

40.

James Collins, MD West Yorkshire, U.K.

Skopos Fabrics Ltd.

Stacy Garcia, owner Nanuet, N.Y.

LebaTex

Ian Tatnell, Managing Director Dundee, U.K.

Sekers

Dan Chong, president, Hickory, N.C., (owned by HNI Corp.)

HBF Textiles

John Atherton, GM Rochdale, U.K.

Edmund Bell

David Wells, senior vice president sales & marketing High Point, N.C.

Culp Contract/Hospitality

35.

34.

Covington Contract

33.

Appian Textiles

F FI D E S I G N

The Phoenix Rises By Jennifer Castoldi

The boundaries of what we consider to be a textile have just been pushed to new limits. Those who dare to think that textiles are part of dusty, old traditional industry are thoroughly mistaken. In only a few cutting-edge examples published here, see how textiles impact interior architecture, decorative surfaces, material and process innovation, outdoor living â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even biotechnology.

ork-a-Tex is a novel approach to yarns and fabric. Cork waste and cotton are combined to form a unique marriage that takes the best of both worlds to create a textile with the soft hand of cotton and all of the great benefits of cork, such as being hypoallergenic, and having a high-abrasion resistance, plus high-friction coefficient. Applications are wide, from upholstery and window treatment, to accessories and apparel. Sedacor and the partners behind the innovation of Cork-a-Tex are further developing the yarns and are on the lookout for new product collaborations.

y far some of the biggest trends in the industry revolve around the topics of sustainability, circular economy, the use of natural resources, and less chemical, more natural processes for our textiles. Picasso is a sustainable solution in natural dyeing processes. The dyes are based on extracts from plants and mushrooms. Picasso is a joint venture between the Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials (CeNTI), the TINTEX sustainable textiles company, spice and herb producer Ervital, biotech company Bioinvitro Biotecnologia, and the CITEVE textile technology center. The Picasso project aims to develop an innovative collection of colorful textile products, using only natural compounds.

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Autumn 2019

F FI D E S I G N

lissa Brunato rethinks the way that petroleum-derived materials are engineered to come up with a more sustainable option; in this instance she discusses a very well-known piece of trim: the sequin, “Bio Iridescent Sequin harnesses bio technologies to create colorful shimmering sequins from naturally abundant cellulose, a material with the added benefit of being lightweight, strong and compostable. By redesigning a sequin from the base structure up, I have been able to rethink the production process, forming them in molds to eliminate waste. Working alongside material scientists Hjalmar Granberg and Tiffany Abitbol from the RISE Research Institute in Sweden, we are looking into the ability to form structures that can refract light and create shimmering structural colors. In this way, it is possible for the future Bio Iridescent Sequin to shimmer naturally without added chemicals. It is an entirely new way to approach finishes and color within the fashion and textiles industry.”

ebecca Schedler, recently won first place in the Micro-architecture Category at the Techtextil Student Competition for her design ‘Airdapt’. Inspired by the plant known as the Venus flytrap, this textile is a kinetic wall system driven by air. The prototype consists of two layers of PE film and one layer of acoustic felt. Large spaces can easily be divided with this new concept.

irst prize in the Materials Innovations Category at the student competition of Techtextil went to Magdalena Wierzbicka. Her ‘Woven Spaces - Porcelain Textiles’ translate the Thuringian tradition of porcelain lace from the late 19th century into modern-day design. The textiles are dipped, fired, and disappear due to the high temperature, leaving an ethereal form behind.

nternational Influence & Contemporary Living: With an Asian-meets-British cultural mash, a common practice these days, Curiousa & Curiousa brings the aesthetic outdoors to coincide with the lifestyle shift of creating an outside living room using products we love from within our interiors. “Our nature-inspired lanterns, created using designer and director Esther Patterson’s original drawings and paintings of wildflowers and plants in the Derbyshire countryside, can now be used outdoors. Using UV treated linen silk and an enclosed LED bulb, each lantern is hand-made in our Derbyshire workshop and are also portable, allowing for easy storage during inclement weather.”

Jennifer Castoldi is the CEO and Chief Creative Director of Trendease International. Since 2004, Trendease has been providing cutting-edge and competitive design information to readers and clients spanning over 170 countries. Trendease is an influential resource reporting and consulting on global trends and key international design events. Hundreds of images and forward-thinking articles are presented on www.Trendease.com each month, additionally videos and podcasts are available on www.Trendease.TV.

Autumn 2019

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F FI NE W S

US-Based Novel Fabrics Gains Traction in Export Markets Under Direction of Lazaro Fernandez Jr.; Cuban American Builds Business From Scratch F&FI News Network

FAST FACTS

cALLEN, Texas — Novel Boutique Fabrics has found success in selling European quality fabrics at a marketable price, according to Lazaro (Laz) Fernandez Jr., the creator of the brand and the designs. He’s optimistic after showing the new Novel line at Hospitality Design Expo in Las Vegas on May 15-17. Fernandez Jr. is a frequent fixture at international shows like Proposte, Heimtextil, HD, and BDNY, shopping the market for new ideas and sources. About 80 percent of the collection is exclusive to Novel and the balance is an open line. “Most of our sources are based in Italy, Belgium, and Turkey, with some Chinese goods in our open line,” he says. His 81-year-old father, Lazaro Sr., and his cousin, Noe Fernandez (company accountant), are still the owners of the business. Fernandez Jr. is happy to be president, although he says that technically he is still an employee. Fernandez Jr. has help in creating the designs with at least one full-time designer, and together produce eight to ten collections a year. Most of the Novel business lies in exporting. About 70 percent of the collection is sold outside the U.S., he says. These are booked and distributed in Mexico, South America, and the U.S. Novel also has a dozen agent showrooms geared towards the designers. “Everything in the book is stocked in a 24,000-squarefoot warehouse in McAllen. We have over 10,000 SKUs in stock for immediate delivery,” Fernandez Jr. says. “We feel we have provided something different in our Novel designs. I’m passionate about design and I’m very

Lazaro Fernandez Jr.(l to r), and his son, Fernandez III, and his father, Fernandez senior.

involved with Novel styling. Everyone else seems to be doing the same upholstery designs but we provide something really different.” The Novel Design Centre showroom is in San Antonio, Texas, where it is part of a 32,000-square- foot shopping center dedicated to home product stores. They contain other home products in separate stores selling goods like lighting, accessories, wallcoverings, and furniture. The Fernandez family owns the entire retail space. In fact, real estate has been a parallel investment for the family for the last 30 years, he says. His background was apparel fabrics, the origi-

nal business In an undated photo, Lazaro Fernandez Sr. established stands next to his wife, and their children, by his father Lazaro Fernandez Jr., and Maria Luisa under the Dos Fernandez. Rios branded retail outlet here. But in 1990, Fernandez Fernandez Jr. sees more Jr. started the home fabrics consolidation on the way. operation for the company. He says he feels the younger “In the last ten years, I saw buyer is not conscious about an oversupply of fabrics com- quality or loyalty, and the only ing on to the market.” thing left for them to measure “I think the Internet is is the price. becoming a more powerful “I really believe this year distribution channel. I do and next will see continued not sell to the public, but consolidation in the fabrics other converters and distrib- industry; books are expensive utors are doing so on the and not everyone can afford Internet today. My only mar- to do them; mills are starting ket is to the design trade and to sell direct, while converters that’s where we focus,” says are selling to the public on Fernandez Jr. the Internet,” he says. F&FI

Novel Boutique Fabrics President Lazaro “Laz” Fernandez Jr.

Griselle, Lazaro’s wife

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Novel Fabrics didn’t just happen. The story really began in 1948 when Laz’s great uncle, Jose Fernandez, opened the family’s first fabric store, the La Elegante fabric store in Guantanamo, Cuba. Laz Sr. moved from Havana to help his uncle in 1951. Laz Jr. was born in Cuba, but in 1959, Castro overthrew the government, and by 1961, Jose Fernandez had left the island with his family and moved to Miami—45 minutes away by plane. Jose eventually settled in McAllen, Texas and sent for his nephew Lazaro Sr., who brought with him his wife Maelia, and their two children, Laz and Maria. The family’s Rio Bravo store opened in McAllen in 1963, selling only remnants. The Dos Rios Corp. opened in 1986, and the business grew with the city. The Fernandez Family was mentioned in a commemorative 100th- anniversary book published by the City of McAllen. F&FI.

Lazaro’s children: Gianelle, Lazaro III and Mirella

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Valley Forge Fabrics Embraces Digital Printing Technology; New Advances Showcased at Heimtextil Big Pluses: Customizable Fabrics and Shorter Shipping By RAY PARKER

ORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Valley Forge Fabrics, the largest American contract fabric converter/wholesaler, is a prime example of how digital printing continues to revolutionize the textile industry. “Everything is going to be digital,” Brandi Kolanz, director of products and design, says. “I do think digital printing will replace rotary screen printing in five years.” The family-owned company with about 300 employees started going digital in 2014, and had sales increase 50 to 75 percent in the first couple of years. Kolanz says this was due to the customizing capability,

the flexibility in producing customer’s designs without repeat limitations, and the quick turnaround for developments. In 2018, the company’s south campus facility digitally printed over 60,000 yards. It also has another facility for window treatments. The biggest advantage to digital printing, she adds, is the company can ship most samples within 24 hours, although the quoted lead time is 72 hours. This is the main reason American fabric companies will be going digital. “Customers want everything faster,” Kolanz says. Besides reduced shipping times, digital printing offers a host of advantages when

MS Printing Solutions in Italy displays its latest digital printers during Heimtextil 2019.

compared to screen printing, including greater flexibility with design, smaller prints, and being eco-friendly. There is reduced ink and water levels – saving almost 95 percent of water and 75 percent in reduced energy costs, according to manufacturers. In January, digital printing companies had a new place in hall 3.0 during Heimtextil, the annual international textiles expo, held in Frankfurt, Germany. Valter Oggionni, regional sales manager for the Middle and the Far East at MS Printing Solutions, says the company has doubled its annual sales the past five years to about $100 million. The Italian-based company sells industrial, digital printing machines that range in cost from $150,000 to millions. He adds the technology, although improving every year, has major leaps about every three to five years. “We obviously think [digital printing] will become ever more in demand,” says Oggionni, whose most popular markets are in China, Turkey, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The demand for eco-friendly alternatives was a component at this year’s Heimtextil. Its Green Directory included about 150 companies with “sustainable” textiles. This theme carried over into digital printing, where major companies such as HP are developing such products — water-based inks as well as ways to use recy-

clable materials. Worldwide, textiles produced with digital printers remains small at less than 5 percent, printing officials say, but they think that will grow with advances. Andrea Negretti, international sales manager for Aleph in Italy, says the ability to cut shipping times makes digital printers more attractive. Still, it’s not that easy to simply switch to digital printers, and in the case of Valley Forge, it took a couple years to work it all out. It can be complex as there are specific machines, inks, and treatments for different types of fabrics, such as cotton or polyester. Kolanz adds she had to stay on top of fabric-quality control, so that color control and matching kept to the highest standards. Valley Forge has its own testing lab, so it can test for abrasion rubs, fabric strength, and fire-resistant testing, among others. The company has Mimaki and HP digital printers because of fabric specifications, plus local maintenance support since turnaround times are crucial, Kolanz says. Valley Forge has four HP Latex machines, including the newest HP 3600 model, which allows producing 3-meterwide-printed-roller-shade substrates, while still meeting all contract guidelines. Sustainability is also important. All the company’s print equipment uses water-based-

Brandi Kolanz

print dyes, which are safe for the environment. Officials started Quick Ship because digital printers allow for short-run production with customization. Valley Forge offers a range of designs, including its digital library through Weaveup.com, its in-house design department, and its network of artists, including the recent collaboration with Porter Teleo. The hand-painted art has been turned into a digitally printed fabric for window treatments at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. Valley Forge releases new Porter Teleo designs monthly, which are digitized and printed on a range of print bases. Kolanz says the only drawback to digital: “There are changes all the time, as with any technology, but that’s what innovation is about.” F&FI

Kravet Opens New Digs in South Florida F&FI News Network

H Porter Teleo’s hand-painted art has been turned into a digitally printed fabric for window treatments at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas.

OLLYWOOD, Fla.—Based in Bethpage, New York, Kravet Inc. has opened its new freestanding, 13,000-square-foot showroom in the South Florida Design Park. This showroom, the third in Florida for Kravet, is home to all Kravet brands, including Kravet, Lee Jofa, GP & J Baker, Brunschwig & Fils, Curated Kravet and its other distributed brands. (continued on Page 44)

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Hollywood Showroom

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Radiate Textiles Finds Unique Niche for Upholstery Textures, According to President David Titlebaum F&FI News Network

IGH POINT, NC— Radiate Textiles, the four-year-old woven upholstery converter has found a sweet spot in the market for textures, according to David Titlebaum, president.

“Business is picking up for us. We doubled our business in 2018 and this is happening again in 2019. Craig Tribble is executive vice president and is responsible for bringing in the business “We’re producing the anti-China look,” laughs

(continued from Page 42)

Kravet Opens New Digs The Kravet Hollywood showroom covers over 60,000 fabrics, including 3,000 SKUs offered free on Kravet furniture: over 150 pieces of Kravet and Lee Jofa furniture options on the floor, 2,100 carpeting options (such as Eastern and modern), outdoor, and textures, plus wallcoverings, trim, drapery hardware, lighting, and decorative accessories. In its pitch to woo more designers into the showroom, Kravet offers free WiFi, light breakfast and lunch, and two private conference rooms for client meetings. “Today, offering fabrics alone is not enough,” says

he says. “We work with freelance designers so we can avoid producing the same look over and over again [which could happen] if we had only one designer in house,” he explains. Radiate sells to furniture manufacturers like Bassett, Mitchell Gold, and Bernhardt, and targets a total of 30 major furniture producers. Kravet is the only wholesaler which distributes the Radiate line. Radiate maintains a ware-

David Titlebaum and Craig Tribble

house in High Point, with a main office in Norwalk, Connecticut, and a permanent showroom space at Textile Tower in High Point. F&FI

Johnny Keeton Says Brazil And Panama Are Humming; Back From Recent Trip F&FI News Network

P Cary Kravet

Frank Cauce, Kravet vice president. “You need the whole package, so the designer and the client can buy the whole room.” F&FI

New Showroom

Kathy Cassese (Sales Support), Pam Hiller (Showroom Manager), Sarai Cuevas (Sample Room ), Frank Cauce (Regional VP), Hebel Morales (Sales Associate), Phlippe Bois (Sales Associate), Leslie Riley (Showroom Emissary), Billy Jean Wolf (Merchandising), Carlene Cannon (Sales Associate)

Titlebaum who spent the early part of his career working for Kravet and Richloom. “Radiate is not a commodity textured yarn driven line. We source our yarns in India and retailers will start to drop certain items made in China. Indian fabrics will become more competitive as a result of the tariff situation with China.” The Radiate line is priced from $5.95-$20 a yard. “We’re putting in 125 SKUs a season,”

ANAMA—Johnny Keeton, international sales agent, just returned from a two-week whirlwind sales tour of Panama and Brazil. Here’s what he had to say about developments in both countries. “Panama seems to keep growing and the textile industry there is preoccupied with hospitality projects as hotels mature,” he says. “The Colon Free Zone has goods passing through at historically low prices for off-goods saturating the Latin American markets.” One of the most active wholesalers in Panama, especially with hotel refurbishment, is Importadora Selecta, managed by Henry Striem. “Brazil is also cooking,” Keeton says. “The imports from China have transformed the scene there. The Chinese imports to South America really started when David Lee bought what was left of Quaker.” Lee is the owner of ADF in the U.S. and the Quaker brand in Brazil. He also owns a mill in Shanghai. “Now many follow Quaker’s lead in design,” Keeton continues. “Companies like Promex, Wiler-kar, Maiori Casa, [and] Aladdin are among the importers that are growing.” Keeton says that Deny Barbosa at Barbosa Donatelli works with a combination of

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The two ladies are designers with Maiori Casa and Saumitra Tiwary, Export Manager of D’Décor, Mumbai with Maiori Casa partners Aleks Birman and Andrea Cepeda in the showroom and headquarters in São Paulo

Saumitra Tiwary, Export Manager of D’Décor, Mumbai with Paul Shih from Tapicol, one of Brazil’s most important Jacquard producers. and Johnny Keeton

stock and international libraries of high-profile, home-textile brands. Barbosa Donatelli is a wellknown, Sao Paulo-Brazilianfabric wholesaler, as well as a host of famous brands like Beraldin Sedas, Celin Días, Villa Nova, Donatelli, and Ipanema Kravet. “At the same time Jacquard Tecidos, a mill that previously supplied several New York converters with quality cotton-rich blended jacquards, is preparing a new group of qualities to show this season.” He continues. “Most interesting is Maiori Casa, a home textile area rug and textile converter, has opened a warehouse in

Miami to promote their lines in the USA and Latin America. [They also have] a staff in India sourcing and overseeing exports of their exclusive designs. Industry veteran Aleks Birman is working to develop this export promotion for the company.” (See separate story about Maiori Casa, page 1) Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Johnny is recuperating after getting a new right ankle. He got the new part after his recent trip to Panama and Brazil, and after 50 years in the textile business and all that schlepping of sample cases to South America! F&FI

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POEM: How to Get to Heaven During Proposte, the following poem was submitted to F&FI by Robin Galbraith, Chairman of Calzeat & Co. Ltd., based in Symington, Biggar, Scotland. Thanks Robin! The man knocked on the Heavenly Gate His face was scarred and old He stood before the man of Fate For admission to the fold “What have you done?” St. Peter asked. “To gain admission here.” I’ve been a Textile Salesman, sir, For many a long year.” The Pearly Gates swung open wide, St. Peter touched a bell. “Come in and choose your Harp” he said “You’ve had your share of Hell.”

Robin Galbraith

The Global Home & Contract Sourcing Newspaper

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Eric Schneider

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/PUBLISHER EMERITUS Mbl: +1.917.251.9922 eric@fabricsandfurnishings.com

Ray Parker

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mbl: +1.305.942.7741 ray@fabricsandfurnishings.com Autumn 2019

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August 28–31 August Intertextile Home Textiles National Exhibition & Convention Center, Shanghai, China

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All Aboard Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover Allbright. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25 Aqua Clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Aydin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Boyteks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11 Covington. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Crestmont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 D’Decor Exports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 D’Decor Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 Dicitex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Express Air Freight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 GM Fabrics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31 Infinity Fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Intertextil Shanghai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 J. Serrano. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Kravet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Morgan Fabrics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 PDF Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Plastex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Rockland Mills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 TextilHogar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Zhejiang Huachen New Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-23 46

PEOPLE TO WATCH Alfie and His Father, Michael Joseph The Michael Joseph family celebrated Alfie’s 13th year Bar Mitzvah with an invited guest crowd of 300 in M a n c h e s t e r, U.K. Congratulations Alfie! Michael Joseph is a well-known textiles trader. F&FI

Omar Rayess Omar Rayess graduated from UCLA with honors in Economics recently with his father at his side. Dad is Houssam Rayess, International Sales Director for Z-Wovens, the US division of Zhongwang Holdings in Shanghai. F&FI

Joe Feege Finishes Long Career as Valdese Consultant Still Works Three Days a Week

IGH POINT, N.C.—Joe Feege has capped off a 54-year-old textile career by becoming a three-day-a-week special projects consultant to Valdese Weavers this year. He spent 22 years as vice president, sales at Valdese, and prior to that he was an independent sales representative for nine years. His first job was with Zimmerman Mills in Philadelphia in 1965, where he sold mohair velvet.

Today at 81, Joe has ‘mohair’ than anyone else! He spent other parts of his career at Orinoka Mills Langenthal and Barclays Fabrics, always in sales. You couldn’t imagine that Joe’s original career interest was to be a Catholic priest after graduating from LaSalle University. “I have only positive thoughts and lots of self-satisfaction from my career in textiles,” Joe says. Although he grew up in Philadelphia, he now lives in Hickory, N.C. He has two children and four grandchildren. He is also an avid golfer. F&FI

Wes Mancini, Designer Extraordinaire, Gets New Pup! Hi Eric, The last I saw you at Showtime in June, you mentioned an interest in seeing a photo of my new ten-week-old puppy. Her name is Ada “Biscuit” Mancini. She is a wire fox terrier, which is the same breed at the famous Belgian cartoon character Tintin’s dog “Milieu” (or Snowy, which is the English translation), drawn by Herge. I have long been a fan of Tintin’s adventures. Regardless, I hope all is well in your world. My best, W Editor’s Note: Wes Mancini has been designing the “Home Fabrics by Wesley Mancini” collection for 37 years, currently owned by Valdese Weavers (previously owned by Collins & Aikman and Joan Fabrics — to name only two of the past owners). Wes also designs outdoor fabrics collections for AL Fresco, a division of Swavelle, and hand-knotted and machine-made rugs for Harounian Rugs International (HRI). F&FI

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