Fabrics & Furnishings International - Autumn 2008 Issue by Fabrics & Furnishings International

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CHINA LOSING SWAY

FINISHING FIRST

GREEN GOALS

Debbye Lustig of Cone Decorative weighs in with others on the return to domestic production and China’s declining influence

TSG Inc. partners up with GreenShield to offer a new realm of finishes to its customers

Arc|Com teams with Mark LaCroix of GreenLife to start a carbon-conscious initiative at this contract jobber

See Page 12

See Page 22

See Page 24

The Global Home & Contract Furnishings Newspaper • www.sipco.net

Vol. 18, No. 4

Autumn 2008

Global Textile Mills Say High End Products Will Endure

OMO, Italy — With the U.S. dollar falling against the euro to record lows in recent months, textile manufacturers have been hard pressed to conduct business as usual and are forced to focus efforts on streamlining business practices and concentrating on their most successful markets. Companies from Europe contend that business with Americans has depleted, but for the most part, they aren’t worried because they have found niche ways to combat economical problems. In town for May’s annual Proposte and Scoperta trade fairs, textile companies from Holland,

Left: Janice Thompson and Ervin Yildiz for Spandauer Velours

Sources: New York Times and NPR

by Kelly Hushin

Oil Prices, 2003-2008 U.S. Dollars per Barrel

Fabric Producers Strategize Amid Dollar Drop, Rising Oil Prices

$150 120 90 60 30 0

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Rising oil cost according to inflation-data. com Germany, Belgium, UK, India and more said that an increased attention to high-end and contract products has been an effective response to America’s wavering economy as well as to the vast increase in price for oil and raw

materials. Ervin Yildiz, export manager at Spandauer Velours, exhibited at Scoperta, which was held in Chiasso, Switzerland near the Proposte fair in Cernobbio. Spandauer Velours is a licensed

partner of Crypton® in Europe and has its own Crypton finishing facility on site so it can produce waterproof, nano and anti-stain finishes for its fabrics. The company also has an exclusive contract with the German railway system to fabricate all the seats in the second and first class trains, according to Yildiz. When asked about the issues his company has dealt with in regard to differences between the dollar and the euro, Yildiz said, “It’s a very serious problem.” According to him though, Spandauer Velours is more concentrated on the contract market and high-end products where

Rockland’s Berman Increases Capacity by FineTuning Bamberg Plant Roc-lon® Plans to Maintain Solid Domestic Production by Eric Schneider

AMBERG, South Carolina — As Rockland Industries continues to grow with the addition of proprietary designed transfer printed blackout fabrics, it’s increasing capacity at its newly renovated plant and intends to maintain its domestic U.S. production. The plant expansion has also made a host of other capabilities possible, said Mark Berman, president of Rockland Industries Inc., the parent company of Rockland Mills Inc., makers of Roc-lon® blackout linings. Rockland Industries Inc. is (Continued on page 10)

Mark Berman, CEO, Rockland Industries Inc.

D e s i g n D r i ve n Q u a l i t y Tr i m m i n g s & D r a p e r y H a rd w a re

there is a higher profit margin; an approach he thinks will help the company fight the problem. He also mentioned that an approach many companies are taking is to increase “consignment shippings.” As part of this process, manufacturers package and ship goods together to reduce prices. (Continued on page 14)

American Export Hindered by Container Shortage by Hannah Joseph

SSINING, New York — As waiting lines for shipping containers become longer and shipping costs can only be counted on to rise, U.S. industries, textile included, have restructured their export systems to best overcome hurdles that prevent them from fully benefiting from a weakened domestic economy. The desire for U.S. products abroad has increased the demand for containers among domestic exporters. Simultaneously, the economy shift has caused a decrease in imports, slowing the traffic of containers to the U.S. David Marx, president of Express Air Freight Unlimited, Inc., said that by the end of June (Continued on page 10)

US Office & Showroom 9 3 2 1 F o c a l P o i n t D r. Raleigh, NC 27617 Te l . ( 9 1 9 ) 8 6 5 . 8 0 8 9 Fa x ( 9 1 9 ) 8 6 5 . 8 0 9 0 info@classicalelements.com Asia Xiaoshan District Hangzhou China

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MANIFATTURA SPREAD

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F& FI L E T T E R S

TSG Says China Can’t Compete in a Greener Market

A philosophy of excellent quality at a reasonable value with strong attention to customer service has driven Duralee® to become the fastest growing decorative fabrics company in the industry. An established company with a fresh, young perspective on design, Duralee® has continuously expanded their extensive offerings of fabric, furniture, and trim to include designs from traditional to modern in order to provide the Interior Design industry with the proper tools to continue its rapid growth. Distinctive. Diverse. Dramatic. Definitely Duralee®.

The Global Home & Contract Furnishings Newspaper Published by Sipco Publications Inc.

“‘T

he bloom is off the rose,’ as they say, for textiles produced in China. Two factors contributing to this are increased demand for quality due to higher costs and China’s difficulties in ‘going green.

’”

When China burst onto the scene, prices were so Brian cheap that the quality issues were being masked. Rosenstein Having been to China, I’ve seen firsthand how the textiles are processed and handled, and the quality left much to be desired. Today, people want to get their money’s worth and quality is no longer immune to U.S. standards. While pricing in China is still lower than in the U.S., the gap is certainly shrinking. Now, the costs are rising and so are everyone’s eyebrows. Throw in skyrocketing fuel costs as well as the shipping delays in getting material to the U.S., and it becomes even easier to compare Chinese and U.S. pricing. The need for better quality, coupled with these increasing prices, seems to be putting China in somewhat of a lurch and may also be spoiling the fun for the future Vietnams and Indias. This makes the desire for better quality all the more important, and harder for the Chinese markets to achieve. The second issue causing problems for China is the struggle to “go green.” None of the Asian entities are in a position to compete with the U.S. when it comes to the eco-friendly push. China is making efforts to produce goods in a more sustainable way, but there are no indications that they will able to meet the U.S. certifications that are now being mandated by the manufacturers. Not only must we offer a green product (or finish), but we have to be able to prove that it’s green through third party testing facilities. China is clearly not in a position to support these requests, neither foreign nor domestic. Everyone has been looking for the reason to “steal” the business back from China without having to fight the price war. The increasing quality requirements are a small part, but the sustainability push is far more prevalent. It’s either pure genius on the part of our government or one heck of a coincidence that the green movement arrived shortly after China’s industrial revolution started sucking away all of the domestic business. Going green could be our country’s greatest pull-through marketing campaign because it possesses the ability to curb the loss of business to Asia while at the same time improving our environment, our planet and our future.

PRESIDENT Michael Schneider Sipco Publications Inc. 145 Main St., Ossining, New York 10562 USA

Tel: 001.914.923.0616 x12 Fax: 001.914.923.2247 E-Mail: eric@sipco.net

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Rebecca Goldberg Sipco Publications Inc. 145 Main St., Ossining, New York 10562 USA

SENIOR EDITOR Kelly Hushin Sipco Publications Inc. 145 Main St., Ossining, New York 10562 USA

Tel: 001.914.923.0616 x 11 Fax: 001.914.923.0018 E-Mail: rebecca@sipco.net

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Kelley Granger Sipco Publications Inc. 145 Main St., Ossining, New York 10562 USA

Sincerely, Brian A. Rosenstein Director of Operations TSG Incorporated TSG Incorporated operates out of five production and warehouse

nonwoven fabrics. Read about the company’s latest partnership with G3 Technology Innovations to provide GreenShield nanotechnology through the Balance program on page 22.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Hannah Joseph Sipco Publications Inc. 145 Main St., Ossining, New York 10562 USA

INDIA

JAPAN

Space & Time Centre 3rd Floor, Segar 650 Shopping Centre 76, J.P. Road, Andheri (W), Bombay 400 058 Fax: 91.22.624.2706

Attrait Fashion Inc. Osaka Higashi P.O. Box Zeniya Dai-ichi Bldg. 1-6-19, Azuchi-machi Chuo-ku Osaka 541 Japan Fax: 81.06.264.1316

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Subscriptions to Fabrics & Furnishings International are US$130 prepaid for four issues. Subscriptions in India are $200. Mail or fax orders (Visa or MasterCard accepted) to

Tel: 001.914.923.0616 x 21 Fax: 001.914.923.0018 E-Mail: hannah@sipco.net

ADVERTISING SALES UK, BENELUX EFTA Peter Gilmore Peter Gilmore Associates 57 Keyes House Dolphin Square London SW1V 3NA U.K. Tel: 44.(0)20.7834.5559 Fax: 44.(0)20.7834.0600 E-Mail: pgilmore@sipco.net

THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES SELL SUBSCRIPTIONS TO FABRICS & FURNISHINGS INTERNATIONAL:

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facilities in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, providing chemical applications and mechanical finishing techniques to woven and

Tel: 001.914.923.0616 x 14 Fax: 001.914.923.0018 E-Mail: michael@sipco.net

INDIA Rehka V. Contact: Mileage 141 Third Crasa Centro Mico Layout Bangalore 560076 India Tel: 91.80.26685821 Fax: 91.80.26684670 E-mail: mileage@sipco.net

MEXICO Adriana Michael Tel: 1.613.526.0480 1.613.620.1957 Fax: 1.613.526.6709

TURKEY Sevim Keskinci Bati Mah. Hatboyu Cad. Bahar Apt. No. 8/21 Pendik-Istanbul Turkey Tel: 90.532.236.25.24 Fax: 90.216.390.20.27 E-Mail: skeskinci@sipco.net

ITALY, GERMANY, SPAIN Isa Hofmann Niederwaldstrasse 4 D-65187 Wiesbaden Germany

Email: info@ihofmann.com Tel: +49 611.890.59640 Fax: +49 611.87086

CHINA VIctor Pan 6/F Building 40, No.333 Qinjiang Rd., Xuhui District, Shanghai 200233 China

Circulation Dept., Sipco Publications, Inc, P.O. Box 107 145 Main St., 3rd Fl., Ossining, NY 10562 USA Fax 001.914.923.0018 Fabrics & Furnishings International is shipped via air mail to 74 countries.

E-Mail: adrianamichael@rogers.com

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Email: victor@texindex.com Tel: 0086-21-51 50 59 59 Fax: 0086-21-51 50 59 00

Known for his bold colors, iconic patterns, and signature style, Duralee® has harnessed the creativity of designer Thomas Paul for his first fabric collection, Thomas Paul Prints Exclusively for Duralee®. Featuring eyecatching patterns in numerous inspiring colorways, Thomas Paul Prints Exclusively for Duralee® focuses on distinctive design that is unpretentious and versatile. A five-book color set of 100% linen and intimate linen blends, the Highland Court® Strafford Collection is punctuated with innovative weaving, printing and embellishing techniques designed to add a touch of glamour to any setting. With sophisticated colorways, and an abundance of solids and textures in rich qualities, the fabrics of the Highland Court® Strafford Collection are classic and familiar, yet luxurious, fresh and usable. There are three qualities that a hospitality designer requires from a contract fabric: durability, versatility and fine design. With this in mind, Duralee Contract® has created the Ensemble Multi-Purpose Collection, featuring high-quality fabric construction in a wide range of styles. Every fabric throughout this collection is suitable and for drapery, top of the bed and upholstery. The Ensemble MultiPurpose Collection features 12 new patterns in a wide array of colors, all commercially washable and easily maintained. Duralee Fine Furniture® has added 12 new pieces to the current 1000 sku collection of fully upholstered sofas, lounge chairs, beds, benches, ottomans, exposed wood chairs and tables. Duralee® manufactures its own furniture line in a 180,000 square foot facility in Morganton, NC, and to date is the only fabric jobber to do so. The collection has custom upholstery options, 28 hand finish options and remains one of the largest bench made collections available to the trade. With our newest pieces on display in our many showrooms nationwide, Duralee Fine Furniture® is versatile and accessible. Please visit www.Duralee.com www.HighlandCourtFabrics.com www.DuraleeContract.com www.DuraleeFineFurniture.com for more information.

Autumn 2008 ■ F&FI

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HIGHLAND COURT luxury fabrics & trimmings

Exclusively available through Duralee to architects and interior designers. (800)387-2533 www.highlandcourtfabrics.com

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Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s F&FI Autumn 2008 | Vol. 18, No. 4

12 36

Match Middle East attendees soak up the sun and the dunes

Covington Purchases Heirloom Decorative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

China Tries to Stay Afloat with Return to U.S. Domestic Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Bargain Buying Opportunities Shrinking in China, India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Advansa Targets FR Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 TSG Teams With GreenShield for New Balance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Fabric Library Seeking New Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

18 24

Silk Prices Soar After Sichuan Earthquake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Contract/HospitalityNews Arc|Com Funds Green Power Project Through New Carbon Conscious Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Elvin Introduces Self-Cleaning Green Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Kim Heiman Keeps Busy with SK and Standard . . . . . . . . . .24 Havranek Replaces Girrbach at Trevira . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Milliken & Company Raise Prices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Stanley Benny Leaves Townsend Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Departments

Knoll Textiles Launches Knoll Luxe; Targets High-End Residential and Contract . . . . . . . .27

Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

NatureWorks Becomes First Licensed Supplier of Ingeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Photo Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Crypton and Tietex Team Join for Expansion in Asia, Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

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F& FI N E W S

(Continued from Front Cover)

Berman Increases Capacity with Fine-Tuning of Plant in the process of consolidating two plants into one 300,000 square foot facility in Bamberg under the watchful eye of Berman who spends several days a month in Bamberg overseeing the progress. The Baltimore, MD plant is now only used for administration purposes and art will eventually be closed when it’s sold in the future. The expansion will increase capacity by one-third with the installation of a third wide-width coating line. Permanent press and water repellant finishes for the residential market are also applied in the plant for use in muslin fabrics for the craft industry and all of the blackout lining for the hospitality trade will now be

produced under one roof in Bamberg, Berman said. “Contract is two thirds of our business today and still growing while our export business now includes container load shipments to China and 90 other countries,” he said. “Our three pass Roc-lon blackout is going into the Macao casinos by the container load today. The Chinese want the best they can buy and they can only buy it from us.” The company already produces an open line of prints for blackout and recently added a third Lemaire machine for wide width printing of custom designs available in as little as 50 yards per pattern. Rockland also produces

Covington Purchases Heirloom Sipco News Network

EW YORK, New York — Covington Fabric & Design, LLC has purchased the assets of Heirloom Decorative Fabrics, LLC, the Westportbased converter owned and operated by industry stalwart Tom Bruno and co-owner David Silverstein. “Tom’s return to work under the Covington banner marks another significant step towards our goal of returning the Covington brand to a leadership position in our industry” said Roger Gilmartin, Covington president and CEO. “Tom will assume the responsibility for the sales and marketing functions of the merged entities and brings back into our business an unparalleled knowledge and experience of the sector,” said Gilmartin. “This acquisition, Tom’s arrival and the recent appointments of Marion Murray, creative director, and John Severson, CFO, should be a very clear message to all of the seriousness of our family’s commitment to restoring the Covington brand,” said Mark Kahan, Covington’s chairman. “Every company is judged by the quality of its executive leadership. We are now putting together the right management team to face the industry’s challenges and take the company forward to new heights,” said Kahan. The assets of decorative fabric supplier Covington Holdings LLC were officially purchased by members of the Kahan family on March 24. “An important collateral impact of Tom’s appointment is that it will allow us to move Steve

Marrandino back to head up the sales team in our contract business,” said Gilmartin. “This is a growing segment in our industry and this move will place the emphasis on this part of business that it needs and warrants.” Bruno graduated from what is now the University of New Hampshire and joined the sales management training program of Waverly. He was vice president of sales for the Spectrum Fabrics division of Covington Industries and then for Covington itself. Prior to forming Heirloom he had been spearheading the sales effort at Weathervane Hill and Tompkins Roth. Bruno officially took up his new duties on July 14. David Silverstein, who had 50 percent ownership of Heirloom Decorative, said that Covington would continue to run Heirloom as a separate entity. He also indicated that the discussion of sale had been going on for a little less than a month. “I think the economy was very scary and it was just good timing for personal reasons for both Tom and I and we didn’t know how long this was going to last,” said Silverstein. “Did I think we could battle it out? I think we could have but it was a safe play.” While Bruno will continue with Heirloom under Covington, Silverstein indicated that he would not. Instead, he will continue in his special field of business administration, but not necessarily in the textile industry. “I am going to be responsible for a few company things to be cleaned up here,” he said. The Massachusetts offices of Heirloom will close and operations will move to South Carolina, he indicated. F&FI

Roc-rol, a laminated textile roller shade with a foam core that can be printed on either side, in two different patterns depending on customer specification. The company has developed textiles for digitally printed signage, fine art canvas and craft fabrics. Rockland also sees other applications for its coated textile technology in the future. “We are also exporting our products to the Chinese,” Berman said. “Imagine an American company selling textiles to the Chinese,” he laughed. “Nobody in China can do what we do and we are not going to teach them how we do it either.” Berman said Rockland has no plans to produce Roc-lon in China. “This is a highly automated process and with the value of the dollar what it is today and with the RMB up 15 percent this year, we can offer tremendous value in our products. The technology required for Rockland to produce 96 percent firsts in blackout lining is not easily obtained. It involves many

different techniques in the way the foaming is done.” “It’s either blackout or not. Our products will not let light through and our competition overseas makes great seconds. They haven’t figured out how to make first quality three pass blackout yet. We also

22 cents a yard because they produce linings with high formaldehyde polymer content, they still cannot make a comparable product to Roc-lon,” Berman said. At the same time, Roc-lon,” is in the process of getting a green Oekotex designation.

“I

magine an American company selling textiles to the Chinese. Nobody in China can do what we do and we are not going to teach them how we do it either. —Mark Berman

”

hear of increased cost of labor in China, even a labor shortage and demand for higher wages is building there. We have a terrific labor pool in Bamberg. The Chinese cost is going up while the dollar is going down.” “We have no plans to produce in China. The only way to keep our technology secret is not to share it with anyone. Even though the Chinese have a price advantage of

The work on the Bamberg plant should be completed by 2009 and will allow the company to produce up to 144 inch width, coated fabrics for industrial applications and offer coating services to other customers on a commission basis as well as to our own growing business, said Berman, the son-inlaw of the founder Zandy Lederman, who passed away a few years ago. F&FI

(Continued from Front Cover) American Export Hindered By Container Shortage his company couldn’t get booking for containers until August. “There is a big delay on containers,” he said. “The problem is because they don’t send as many containers out because they don’t have much freight coming in.” “What’s happening now is that the low dollar is making exports very attractive to foreigners,” Marx continued. “Fuel surcharge on airfreight is getting high and shippers are looking for alternative shipping routes such as the ocean, and now there are surcharges on ocean freight in addition to delayed bookings. “ “We had a million pound shipment going in December and the customer had to wait two months in order for us to get space,” he said. “This has become a major problem since the end of last year.” Stan Fradin, president of Rockland Stan Fradin Mills, can also attest to this phenomenon. The U.S.-based manufacturer of drapery and blackout linings has had to accommodate waiting periods up to two months long. “Where before we were able to book [a container] that week, we are now having to book six to eight weeks in advance,” said Fradin. “You used to be able to do it all the time because we had this tremendous influx [of product] and now we don’t have that influx and the result is that we’re shipping out less.” The extended waiting periods have not only slowed export, but they have made prices unpredictable. “Quotes for vessels are good for 30 days,” said Fradin. “If we’re quoting prices on any given day to customers, and those prices are good for 30 days but the vessel isn’t available for 60 days, the shipping price might go up. If I finish preparing a product for shipment and go to get the container and can’t get it because of the shortage and then am told to wait four weeks, then it’s no longer, let’s say

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$3,000 to get it to Saudi Arabia, it’s $3,600.” “The final freights are calculated at the time of shipment,” Fradin continued. “We will issue shipping quotes, but with the understanding that the consumer has to absorb the extra costs. And before the 30-day quotes were good for four or five months, but now you have this shortage and the cost of transportation goes up. It’s one of the major issues that results in cost increase.” Like many other companies, Rockland has had to adapt to longer waiting periods by booking shipments in advance. “We’re no longer waiting for the goods to be prepared,” said Fradin. “We’re estimating the amount of time it will take for the goods to be prepared. The worst-case scenario is that the four or five weeks come and the goods aren’t finished. You just have to roll it over and get the next container.” “The other thing we’re doing is communicating to our customers that prices are subject to change — that’s inevitable,” he continued. “You get accommodation in some markets and others are not as understanding as others. A market like Thailand cannot understand why it’s taking so long to get goods whereas England sees that all the time.” “It’s not just something that’s affecting Rockland Mills — it’s nationwide,” said Fradin. “The difficulty is that the U.S. dollar is weak so now you have this opportunity to sell a lot of goods overseas but you’re being hindered by the inability to get those goods overseas. The issue has been going on probably for six to eight months, but it’s getting worse, not better. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel.” The Wall Street Journal reported in April of this year that the shortage of shipping containers in the U.S. can be attributed to several factors, including the “global commodity boom.” F&FI

Autumn 2008 ■ F&FI

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Consumer Base Returns to U.S. After Chinese ‘Vacuum’ China Hikes Up Prices, U.S.-Made Regains Appeal by Hannah Joseph

SSINING, New York — With a closing price gap between Chinese and Americanmade goods, U.S. producers now report a spike in sales due to returning customers. The shift in the market has led the industry to speculate about what significant economic and social causes drive the recent shift away from China and the return to domestic production. It was reported by the Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) that in 2005 “China’s textile and apparel exports amounted to U.S. $117.5 billion with an annual growth rate of 17.3 percent, accounting for about 24 percent of the global textile and apparel trade.” Kenneth Kochekian, the owner of International Leather,

According to Kochekian, Chinese inflation has progressed at a rate of three to four percent over the last 10 years and of the 500 tanneries that existed in China in 2006, 300 of them have closed their doors due to pollution violations. Because of increasing costs and the diminishing amount of suppliers in China he said we’re seeing a “leveling of the playing field.” Linda Hwang, a manager in environmental research and development at BSR, substantiated Kochekian’s claims. In an interview, she discussed China’s evolving political climate and how it has affected manufacturing practices and prices. “We’re generally seeing China become more of a consumeroriented culture where consumers have increasing access to information as people do in more developed countries,” Hwang said. A middle class in China is emerging with an increased awareness of social issues including toxic dumping and labor conditions. “They’re seeing the impact on

“F

our economic factors have caused the cost of production in China to rise: the currency exchange rate, inflation, mandatory pollution controls and minimum wages. —Kenneth Kochekian

”

described this phenomenon as a “vacuum.” “Fifteen years ago China opened its doors,” he said. “There were no labor regulations and you could employ somebody for a bowl of rice and a bed. There was a vacuum in the United States and everything was leaving — the manufacturing facilities were sucked into Asia.” He indicated that four economic factors have caused the cost of production in China to rise: the currency exchange rate, inflation, mandatory pollution controls and minimum wages.

their own health due to environmental pollutants,” said Hwang. The textile industry, with specific regard to its dyeing processes, is one of the largest contributors to water pollution in China. A reported 12 percent of the national GDP is made up of textiles coming out of the Guangdong Province alone, and the area must now respond to growing rates of pollutant-related disease and chronic health problems. “[China] imposed additional limits on how many toxins could be in the water,” she continued.

“It’s becoming more like the way the U.S. regulates their water.” According to news source CHINAdaily, a revised Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law took effect in June that fines enterprise heads and others directly responsible for causing severe water pollution incidents up to half of their income from the previous year. As a result of such stricter laws on pollution, many Chinese mills have been forced to close. “Just in the Guangdong Province there is probably something like 70,000 textile factories, and about 2,000 of those closed over the last year,” said Hwang. “In many cases if the law requires that a factory has to put up the resources to construct an on-site water treatment plant, a lot of factories can’t afford the cost so they just shut down.” For remaining Chinese textile factories, rising labor wages and expensive waste management systems have taken their toll on profit margins. In addition to increased fuel costs, these factors have caused a swollen export price. The price gap between Chinese-made products and domestic products is lessening, forcing customers to reexamine their purchasing needs. Although increased focus has been placed on working and living conditions in China, many industry officials remain appalled by manufacturing practices in China. With a soft residential market and a growing desire for eco and socially “friendly” products in the hospitality sector, many customers are forgoing the bargain in exchange for textiles with a clean conscience. “Last year I personally went to China,” said Brian Rosenstein, director of operations at finishing company TSG. “They were piling fabrics on the floor and putting them into the machines. The truck was inside of the building and people were throwing fabric rolls right into the back of that truck. I couldn’t go back there because of the fumes.” “There’s not a doubt in my mind,” he continued, “that if we wanted to launch our Balance™ Program, we would not be able to do that in China. There is no way that MBDC would certify us if we worked out of any of those plants for Cradle to Cradle.” According to the Cradle to Cradle Certification Program Version 2 as released in 2007, testing for heavy metals is “required for all materials coming from regions of the world showing to have heavy metal contamination issues or concerns.” Cradle to Cradle certification

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“C

ustomers are realizing that when production stops because [an imported product] is off, there is a price attached to that. —Rocco Simone Sunbury Textiles

”

also requires applicants to supply written statements that indicate “fair labor practices, corporate and personal ethics, customer service and local community.” Even with reportedly improving working conditions, China’s labor practices are a far cry from American standards of ethics. “You wouldn’t believe how they work in China,” Roma owner Abner said at Showtime. Indicating to his booth, he said: “In a space like this you’d see 20 people working in dim lighting and with no air conditioning. They work hard and fast. You can’t compare it to America.” “There are some lines that will only put eco-friendly domestic products in their brands,” said David Silverstein, former vice president of operations at Heirloom Decorative. Having previously manufactured solely out of China, Heirloom began working with a U.S. mill for its eco-friendly line, which uses recycled cotton yarns and vegetable dyes. “Green” has become more than a consumer demand-oriented movement; it has infiltrated the international political sphere. In June 2007, the European Union pledged to uphold a set of regulations under the REACH agreement (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical substances). REACH requires manufacturers and importers to report on the properties of their products’ chemical properties and register this information with the European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki. According to officials at

DeBall, a Canadian velvet manufacturer, Canada recently enacted a law calling for the heavy fining on importers bringing toxic materials into the country. The law places responsibility on the importer to ensure the safety of the product. As recent findings have underscored the inconsisten(Continued on page 15)

“Y

ou wouldn’t believe how they work in China. In a space like [our booth at Showtime] you’d see 20 people working in dim lighting and with no air conditioning. They work hard and fast. You can’t compare it to America. —Abner Roma Textiles

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Textile Firms Strategize Survival While Dollar Drops

“I

n today’s textile world, people are paying a lot of attention to energy conservation. You have to see which machines are drawing more power. The next project of mine would be to consider [starting] a small power plant.

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According to an article published in The New York Times in April of this year, the euro rose to an all time high against the dollar, reaching $1.60. It’s now settled around $1.58. The same article also reported that oil prices rose to around $120 a barrel — which has been superseded by the price of around $147 a barrel, as of July 11 — only three short months after it had weighed in at $120. Even large-scale companies that have a monopoly over raw material supply have been grappling with rising oil prices and have come out much below anticipated profit margins. The Associated Press (AP) reported in late May that the Dow Chemical Company, based in Midland, Michigan, USA, is raising its prices by up to 20 percent to offset energy costs. Dow Chemical makes products ranging from propylene glycols used in cos-

—Rajnish Arora metics to acrylic-based products used for wastewater treatment. The company supplies crucial ingredients used in the manufacturing of paints and textiles and sells its products in more than 160 countries. According to the AP, Dow Chemical’s chairman, Andrew N. Liveris, said that the new costs are forcing “difficult discussions with customers” who are undoubtedly facing their own financial crises without having to allot more investment money to such necessary products. Wouter Hof, commercial sales manager at PinTail®, a wholesaler in the Netherlands, said that his company has felt the effects of the dollar and is looking to places other than China for further business. “Prices are going up and up in China because I’m paying in the dollar,” he said. “They don’t want to argue with me every month

“W

ith this rate we can live for a while. Where yarn is concerned, we can only compensate a little bit because the product is high quality and we want to keep our level.

”

—Friedrich Delius

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about pricing. The dollar was the worldwide currency, but I predict the euro will become the number one currency. What’s happening in the U.S. economy is very bad. The euro is very strong. Millions of Europeans are going to America. China is more willing to sell to Europe than America and the costs in China are constantly increasing.” With many fabric purchasers moving away from China, which requests foreign purchases to be made in dollars, countries like India and Vietnam have become bigger contenders in the marketplace. “I’m getting more orders and more designs are being developed in my factory,” said Rajnish Arora, president of Dicitex Furnishings in India. “People prefer to do business in India with reference to the euro increase.” “But it has hit us in terms of investment,” he continued. “The same machines are more expensive this year. I have to think twice now before investing.” This is a serious consideration for Dicitex since the company has been investing in new machinery every month in preparation for a new 35,000sqaure-foot factory which is set to be operational this month. “What’s really hitting us is the oil issue,” Arora continued. As a dyeing/finishing house that’s driven by oil, Arora noted that prices for normal operations have skyrocketed. In response, the company is changing over some of its boilers in the dyeing house to coal energy. “Initially, the investment is more, but the day-to-day costs will be less,” said Arora. “In today’s textile world, people are paying a lot of attention to energy conservation. You have to see which machines are drawing more power. The next project of mine would be to consider [starting] a small power plant.” Another European company exhibiting at Proposte who had concerns about the American economy issue was Delius Textiles. “We’re strongly affected by the American market,” said Friedrich Delius, managing partner. “It’s become difficult because of exports. It doesn’t affect us in Europe. But in the Middle East, lots are buying in the dollar. In the Far East, business is quite strong.” Delius anticipates more difficulties from the dollar, despite the company’s ability to thrive in the market in recent years. “With this rate we can live for a while,” he said. “Where yarn is

Photos clockwise from Top left: Rajnish and Anjali Arora of Dicitex Furnishings with the World Mills 50 logo; John Glen, sales director and Scott W. Davidson, managing director for Morton Young & Borland, dressed in traditional garb; Hendrik Ober, export manager and Friedrich Wilhelm Delius, managing partner, Delius Textiles

2008

concerned, we can only compensate a little bit because the product is high quality and we want to keep our level.” “It’s not a German thing, it’s a European thing; we all work

“T

he American wholesalers and editors are the most affected. Normally the big guys price our goods at $2 to the pound anyway. We’re in the top end market. It’s only people who have the money to afford it that are buying. —Scott W. Davidson together and have an understanding,” said Delius export manager, Hendrik Ober, in reference to how he and the company have been dealing with the failing dollar. “American customers have a harder time.” Like many fellow European suppliers, Delius has placed most of its focus on its contract business, specifically honing in on the flame

retardant niche with its Trevira CS offerings. These ranges in addition to the company’s high-end options, are what Delius believes will set it apart and allow it to thrive. Representatives at Morton Young & Borland (MY&B), a more than 100-year-old weaver of high-end decorative fabrics, said that they have witnessed definite problems in the textile industry with regard to the dropping dollar and the rising prices of oil and materials. However, they too feel they have found a way to avoid the crisis by catering to an elite echelon of clientele. “The low to mid-market are more affected by the issue,” said Scott W. Davidson, managing director of MY&B. “We’re in more trouble against the euro because we buy a lot of raw materials from Europe. For example, if we were buying yarn at 8£ a kilo, it’s now 10£ a kilo. But the American wholesalers and editors are the most affected. Normally the big guys price our goods at $2 to the pound anyway. We’re in the top end market. It’s only people who have the money to afford it that are buying. People who have $140 for a yard are always going to have $140 for a yard.” “American agents for European mills suffer most,” added John Glenn, sales director for MY&B. According to him and Davidson, the company is unlikely to suffer as much as some of its competitors simply because its product is of a much higher quality and caters to customers that are already willing to pay very high prices for the product. With 12 meter looms, MY&B manufactures cotton-based laces and sheers that are sold to American wholesalers like The Robert Allen Group. Davidson and Glenn stated that the wholesalers in the U.K. and Europe are aware of the situation and aware of the fact that the pound is the best against the dollar — which puts their company at an advantage. They also contended that as a product of the dollar drop, U.S. wholesalers are going to stock less. F&FI

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Textile Bargain Pricing Harder to Find in India and China Inflation and High Energy Costs Affect Production by S. Vishwanath

UMBAI, India — As commodity prices are hitting the roof, Indian furnishings exporters are reconciled to the fact that

cheaper price points are over and have increased the prices up to 15 percent to safeguard profit margins. Now China cannot afford cheaper prices for its mass produced furnishings as inflation has hit and the currency is appreciating against the American dollar. India’s inflation is at 12 percent plus and exporters have no option but to revise prices and are finding

new methods to stay on course. Europe and America are already under recession and with consumer spending capped, the exporters have limited options except to curtail all such expenses that increase the cost of the product. Eventually this would hurt demand in export markets as well as at home. “It is not easy to control costs in these inflationary conditions. A

skilled professional costs three times more, energy costs have doubled and raw material is [up] 25 percent,” said Inderjeet and Mandeep Wadhwa, brothers of Seasons Furnishings Limited, New Delhi, India. Dye and chemical prices alone have gone up to 75 percent as many factories are closed due to pollution problems in China and spare parts for machin-

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Consumer Base Returns to U.S. After Chinese ‘Vacuum’ cy and danger of many Chinese products, importers are no longer buying indiscriminately to maximize their dollar. Laws aside, domestic producers are already noticing a significant rise in sales. The consumer base is returning to the U.S. with horror stories about dealing with Chinese manufacturing facilities. Because major American competitors folded after the massive outsource of manufacturing, remaining mills are reaping the benefits of returning customers. “We’re one of the last velvet suppliers in the U.S. and we’ve definitely seen an increase,” said JB Martin’s Michael Benjamin. “What we find the most is that a lot of customers are coming back to us because they’re not getting the quality they expected, especially in velvet. We’ve been dyeing for 100 years and they’re seeing the difference.” “We have one-piece minimums, and 300 yard minimums for custom colors,” continued Benjamin. “We hear that if you want to buy from China, you have to buy 500 yards per color. Customers had to deal with the frustration of waiting up to 16 weeks to receive their orders and then not getting what they expected.” At a dollar or two more a yard, shipping periods of 4-6 weeks and the guarantee of quality, Benjamin said that customers have realized the advantages of buying from the U.S. Rocco Simone, senior vice president of sales at Sunbury, said that Sunbury’s business has gone up due to the exclusivity of Sunbury’s product as well as the 30 percent increase in oil cost over the last six months. “Customers are realizing that when production stops because [an imported product] is off, there is a price attached to that,” he said. “Customers are now coming back to Sunbury and saying that they understand cost is a bit more but we give them the quality and the service that creates a good partnership.”

Autumn 2008 ■ F&FI

Above left: Debbye Lustig, vice president of design and merchandising of Cone Decorative; Right: New fabric by Cone, Lonesome Dove “We give our customers exclusivity,” he continued. “The thing about China is they make a lot of one thing. We make smaller quantities of more things.” Simone said that Sunbury’s business over the last four years has been the most the company has seen in the last 54 years due to the diversity of their product portfolio.

Debbye Lustig, vice president of design and merchandising of Cone Decorative, also reported an increase of sales due to returning customers. “We’ve found that while certainly we are importing some goods, that shorter supply chains and dependable quality from the U.S. has become increasingly important to our customer base,”

Jozien Vet, design director and Stephan Sayer, sales director of DeBall

“V

elvet made in Canada + Furniture made in USA = Quality — DeBall’s motto

”

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said Lustig. “So we supply the U.S. market out of here, and we produce some goods out of our manufacturing base in China for all of pan-Asia.” Lustig emphasized that the Chinese mill Cone uses is 100 percent owned by Cone Decorative with no Asian partners. While Lustig agreed that sales had been negatively affected by the consumer shift to China, she said that sales have recently started to equal out. She also relayed some of the problems customers had experienced abroad. “Much of our customer base prefers American goods because of the dependability and short lead times,” she said. “Customers were disappointed with Chinese products because their goods would get stuck overseas or in customs or the quality was not what they expected. Goods would end up stuck on the shelf.” “There is a speed to market that you can’t duplicate overseas,” Lustig continued. “I’d say specifically in residential furniture with business being soft, that design excellence is really overcoming a somewhat reduced price,” she said. “We seem to be gaining market share quite significantly as a result. I’d say that it’s been happening over the last year and a half.” U.S.-made products often guarantee standard shipping times and stable prices. Moreover, these products are oftentimes consistent in quality and style and offer certain exclusivity. All of this comes with the added reassurance that domestic manufacturing practices adhere to government and industrial regulations to ensure the health of the environment and its inhabitants. This package value, as customers are quickly learning, exceeds the already-weakening bargain of buying from China. “Many of them have experienced what the true cost of doing business overseas is and the true value of American goods,” concluded Lustig. “It’s their story to tell.” F&FI

ery are higher due to the strong euro. Seasons Furnishings did not predict such high energy costs a few months ago and conducting business under the circumstances is proving difficult. “However, we are not particularly hit for lack of orders as we are not feeding the mass market segment, instead we are well focused in luxury and design orientated collections and our new line of outdoor fabrics has been well received in the market place,” the brothers added. Now the company is armed with a FR range that meets German, French and American standards and it has also reduced the delivery periods to four weeks. “To select Asian and Middle East markets we offer ready stocks of a range of colors and styles, and small but regular repeats have encouraged us a lot,” said Inderjeet. Seasons Furnishings is evolving to be a trusted vendor with quality supplies as quickly as possible to its

Inderjeet S. Wadhwa of Seasons Furnishings customers reducing avoidable inventories at their warehouses, he added. Dicitex Furnishings Limited in Mumbai, India is also adopting costcutting measures. The company has implemented measures to help curb the cost of production including using rain harvested water to feed boilers and retrofitting additional equipment to reduce and use less energy in factories. “We are seeking a price increase of 10 percent to cover the increased input costs and many of the customers have obliged as we are unable to absorb the increased manufacturing costs,” said Rajnish Arora, the vice chairman for Dicitex Furnishings. Margin-wise, it is expected that most of the exporters will earn less profits as the full price increases even though is desired will not be granted by the importers since supply options are plenty but the earlier so called competitive, cheap price era is over. China and India are facing higher inflation so far in this decade. The three-month average of growth in Chinese exports to the U.S. has fallen to an annual rate of 3.5 percent in April, down sharply from 16.9 percent a year ago. F&FI

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Roc-lon Blackout Drapery ÂŽ

Be sure to visit us at booth 7/B60 at Decosit 2008, September 13-16 in Brussels, Belgium We look forward to seeing you!

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Fabrics and Linings... The World’s Standard of Excellence The Rockland Mills programs of Blackout drapery linings and fabrics are truly world class. Our customers in over 80 world markets, both commercial and trade, know that they can rely on the quality, variety, delivery and performance built into every yard of fabric. That’s because every yard is manufactured with strict quality control, using the finest textiles and best technology available. There’s over 40 years of manufacturing know how and expertise in every product produced by Rockland’s Maryland and South Carolina plants. Whether for residential or commercial use, for total Blackout or Dim-Out, with or without flame resistant finish, there is a Rockland product for the job. Rockland Mills’ Blackouts are available in widths from 48 inches (122 cm) up to 110 inches (280 cm), and in every color of the rainbow, in plain or textured fabrics. Our Blackouts are even available with printed designs from an extensive pattern library, or if you prefer, we can use your custom designs or colors. Roc-lon Blackout linings can also be purchased as ready-made Blackout liners or draperies which are ready to hang, and which are produced under the same strict quality standards.

PERFORMANCE FABRICS

where style follows function ©R o ck

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. 20 0 8.

Contact your local selling agent for more details and information regarding our complete program of Roc-lon products. We have sales representation in every major world market.

Rockland Mills Division, Rockland Industries, Inc. P.O. BOX 17293 BALTIMORE, MD 21297 PHONE: 1-410-522-2505 FAX: 1-410-522-2545

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE CALL 1-410-522-0088 E-MAIL: MAIL@ROC-LON.COM WWW.ROC-LON.COM

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Advansa Targets FR Business by Eric Schneider

AMM, Germany — Advansa, with three plants in Adana, Turkey and Hamm, Germany is working with about 20 European customers to expand its Securelle® FR upholstery and bedding fiber business in Western Europe up against tough leading competitor, Trevira®CS. Advansa, a specialty apparel and home furnishings fiber producer, became a reality about two years ago after purchasing the

fiber technology from DuPont which sold the business to its joint venture partner, Sabanci Group, the parent to Advansa. With close to 300,000 metric tons of fiber extrusion, Advansa’s website said it is the largest manufacturer of polyester fiber products in its operating region of Europe, Middle East and Africa. In addition to specialty fibers and yarns, Advansa also produces standard polyester staple fiber and filament yarn both pre-oriented yarn (POY) and textured yarns

depending on what the mill user requires. Securelle is the brand name for fabrics made 100 percent of Advansa’s FR fibers or filament yarns. These fibers are inherently flame retardant and used for the contract furnishing segment including the bedding industry, as well as in the transportation area. “In Securelle, we have made a case for a softer hand with a more cotton-like touch than any other FR polyester,” said Luciano Colasanto, market manager, Europe. “We have also figured out

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a way to offer the Teflon® stain release finish on the Securelle polyester especially for drapes and upholstery fabrics, but there are also promising developments by weavers who plan to enter the market for medical garments with Securelle.” “Generally, polyester prices are not up enough to reflect the true cost of the ingredients. We need a bigger increase to make money in this business but the customer is not prepared to pay any more which would be the ‘right’ price for standard polyester products made in Europe,” Colasanto said. “On top of this, Chinese and other Asian polyester producers under-

Luciano Colasanto

cut the European market with prices that wouldn’t even cover our real cost, and in some cases are of substandard quality. The quality control in those countries is partly lacking even with the correct technical knowledge, but they will eventually figure it out. To be competitive against such imports, in addition to our own production, we have started to cooperate with suppliers of commodity products in Asia. In order to secure the expected Advansa quality standards, we send our technicians to develop these products in Asia, Turkey and Germany,” Colasanto explained. “We have reached the point where it’s just too expensive to make even FR polyester so we have to find other less expensive places to produce our product.” Colasanto himself is an interesting story. He was born in Italy but moved near Krefeld in 1969. His background includes 21 years at textile machinery manufacturers, including 14 years at Barmag texturizing and spinning machinery which was good experience since Advansa makes its products on the same machines. Advansa announced on July 9 that similar to many others in the market, current economic conditions have forced the company to increase its pricing by 0.10 €/Kg in response to the unexpected rise in Paraxylene costs during the summer. Heinz Meierkord, the company’s vice president of marketing and sales, said in a statement that he knows the price increase will put many businesses in a difficult situation but that it’s a necessary step to maintaining a functional industry. Advansa was formed in 2000 as an innovator in the polyester market through manufacturing, selling, researching and developing products while providing technology and service solutions. Colasanto, who was born in Italy but moved near Krefeld in 1969, has 21 years experience at textile machinery manufacturers, including 14 years at Barmag texturizing and spinning machinery. Coincidentally, Advansa employs those machines to manufacture its products F&FI

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TSG Uses GreenShield™ to Create New Balance™ Program Leading Finisher Enters Public Eye with Green Technology and New Marketing by Hannah Joseph

IGH POINT, North Carolina — TSG Incorporated, a fabric finisher specializing in chemical applications and mechanical finishing techniques, officially launched its Balance™ program at Showtime this June. TSG has named Balance as the first of its kind to offer “green” finishing options. The program includes several finishes, which, through the partnership of TSG and G3 Technology Innovations (G3i), utilize GreenShield nanotechnology. “Balance is an umbrella program,” said Brian Rosenstein, director of operations, at TSG in late June. “To the best of my knowledge there’s nobody else out there who offers a comprehensive line of eco-friendly finishes like TSG does. We’ve got back-coatings, non-halogenated fire retardant finishes, stain repellants and abrasion enhancers. Nobody else has the capabilities to do what we do.” “GreenShield is the backbone for the Balance program,” continued Rosenstein. “TSG has been working with GreenShield for over a year now and we have just gone to production with this in the last two months.” GreenShield is a

Brian Rosenstein, director of operations at TSG nanotechnology provided by G3i to TSG that “enables surface functionalization of nanoparticles… thereby reducing the overall chemistry necessary to perform a specific function,” read a release by G3i. “GreenShield technology can revolutionize the textile industry by allowing multiple chemical properties to be applied in the same pass,” added Rosenstein. “I

am not aware of any other technology that allows the application of a stain repellent, flame retardant and abrasion enhancer in one pass using one chemical. That is currently a three step process for us.” Third-party testing companies such as the McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) and Air Quality Services have positively assessed several of the Balance processes. In fact, MBDC assessed TSG with a GOLD level of Cradle to Cradle Certification for its abrasion enhancer and upholstery and wall covering back-coatings. Ll three processes, indicated Rosenstein, are recyclable, polyester-based and made from 24 percent postconsumer recycled product. Rosenstein also indicated in July that TSG has achieved Cradle to Cradle certification on both Balance EF stain repellent that uses low amounts of fluorocarbons and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and Balance LC35, which is a high-performance finish pro-

“G

reenShield technology can revolutionize the textile industry by allowing multiple chemical properties to be applied in the same pass. I am not aware of any other technology that allows the application of a stain repellent, flame retardant and abrasion enhancer in one pass using one chemical. —Brian Rosenstein

”

tective treatment with a moisture barrier that is antimicrobial and fire-retardant. Balance LC35 uses non-halogenated fire retardant that contains no bromines. Instead, it is a phosphorous-based treatment, which Rosenstein indicated has no negative effects. Additionally, Air Quality Services, Inc., an ISO 9001:2000 registered IAQ company for product testing, estimated in April of 2007 that TSG’s product would possibly meet GREENGUARD criteria. Rosenstein indicated that the only factor hindering TSG from attaining the GREENGUARD certification was the cost of the test. “The reason we’re getting MBDC certification is not for fun,” said Rosenstein. “It costs a lot of money [from $10,000$20,000], but we’re being told that we won’t get business unless we get that certification. Fabric companies are being told that by their customers, the manufacturers. A lot of it is hospitality-driven.” TSG developed its Balance technology to cater to these customers. “We started really working with it a year ago because the requests came through for environmentally friendly technology,” said Rosenstein. “Because we have our own in-house research and development resources, we were able to respond to that very quickly.” The demand for an eco-friendlier finish among manufacturers is also the drive behind TSG’s new marketing strategy. “Going green

Fabric Library Seeks New Managing Director in South Africa Mariana Levitt Asked to Leave Position by Margie Inggs

URBAN, South Africa — Mariana Levitt, the managing director of Fabric Library, has left her position just a year after her appointment. Fabric Library is one of the most important fabric wholesalers in South Africa today. Kevin Wright, group managing director of Wellington Industries, which owns Fabric Library and is part of the Claus Daun group of companies, said he had not been happy with her performance and asked her to resign. “I asked her to spend more time in the market but she didn't listen,” he said. Wright stressed, though, that her lack of perform-

ance had not affected the company’s finances. Wright also said that Levitt had done a good job of developing Fabric Library’s ready-made division for five years. In her position as managing director, she had replaced Hugh Stevenson. Stevenson resigned his post in July 2007 after purchasing Fabric Library’s shutters division, Custom Lifestyle Shutters. Fabric Library sold the division because it wanted to concentrate on its core business. Stevenson was Fabric Library’s managing director for six years prior to purchasing the shutters business. “The business, which imports shutters and provides a measuring and installation service for custom-made shutters and doors, is doing fantastically well,” he said. Before joining Fabric Library, Levitt worked for Loads of Living, a South African home

decor retailer, as a product developer and designer. “We tried to recruit someone to replace Stevenson, who had left a bit of a hole, and when we couldn’t find anyone we decided to look internally,” Wright said. “Levitt’s brief was basically to fill Stevenson’s shoes, to stabilize the ship and to navigate it through the tough trading market through which we have been going.” He said that in the beginning Levitt made a good job of changing internal matters, tightening up discipline and making changes to the warehouse and distribution mechanisms. “However, over time she didn’t do enough in terms of sales or marketing or team building,” he said. He said he was currently looking for someone with leadership qualities, a strong sales and marketing orientation and good team building skills.

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Meanwhile, Leslie Donel Douglas, who was the design director at Fabric Library for many years, left in April 2007 to join Halogen International, another South African fabric wholesaler as its advertising manager. She was replaced by Sally Ives at Fabric Library who has also since left. Two people now occupy Ives’ former design role. Fabric Library began in 1965 importing furnishing fabrics from the U.K. and Sweden and was a pioneer in the cut-length business in South Africa. Today, the company is a major supplier of contract fabrics to markets in South Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean Islands and provides a no-minimum product through its warehouse stock. Fabric Library also works with some of the world’s best-known fabric houses, including Fabricut, Roo and Osborne & Little. F&FI

Balance officially launched at Showtime in June. is obviously something that is good for the environment. You want your company to be sustainable and we’re going through doing what everybody else is doing,” said Rosenstein. “We’re getting rid of Styrofoam cups and putting in special light bulbs, but what it ultimately boils down to is staying in business. Going green won’t keep us in business but responding to the needs of the industry is the main basis for the launch of Balance. It has been officially launched at Showtime...We weren’t calling it Balance until Showtime but we were using Balance processes before then.” “We are a technology company,” continued Rosenstein. “In the past we’ve been the guy behind the guy behind the guy. Nobody wanted to admit they used a finisher; they would come up and call us up and say they wanted a backcoating and then sell it as their product. They took care of all the marketing and we didn’t care about playing low man on the totem pole as long as we got the business. Now everyone is asking us to participate in the selling and marketing of products. It’s very recent. We’re now being put in the position to get our name out there.” “This is so new we have not even begun to figure out whether the new need for marketing will help us financially or not,” Rosenstein added. “From the shows we’ve been going to we’ve found out that people are very happy about what we’re doing. We created Balance to attract the designers and salesmen and our customers’ customers. So far we’ve met vast amounts of praise, but not only praise, we’re getting ‘thank you.’” Paul Bennotti, vice president of marketing and business development of G3 Technology Innovations, said “Up until now, the chemicals used for finishing textiles have not been under the intense scrutiny for their environmental and human health impacts. Now the complete fabric can be evaluated for how green it really is.” “The finishing process is not just a second thought to textiles,” Bennotti continued. “But rather, it plays a major role in making fabrics meet the performance characteristics required by many end uses of the contract market: hospitality, healthcare, educational, institutional and corporate.” F&FI

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F& FI N E W S Silver State Introduces First Performance Velvet Line by Tracey Wallace

ALT LAKE CITY, Nevada — Silver State Fabrics has introduced Luxurious Velvet, its first line of performance velvet. Each pattern exceeds the heavy upholstery specifications of 50,000 double rubs and has a stain resistant finish that repels stains as well as making the fabric easy to clean. There are 92 sku’s in the new Luxurious Velvet collection. “Our Luxurious Velvet has the beauty of residential upholstery with the specs to place it in any hospitality application and environment,” said Manoli Sargetakis, principal of Silver State Inc. Luxurious Velvet offers hospitality designers a new confidence in using this fabric option when specifying for restaurants, lounges, clubs and spas. “The textures of this collection range from a matte, slubbed velvet, like an antique café velvet, to a bright iridescent quality that sparkles in the light, to a mysterious crushed velvet look. The colors are clean and pure,” said Sargetakis. F&FI

Price of Silk Rises After Earthquake and Floods Destroy Mulberry Farms in Sichuan, China by S. Vishwanath

ICHUAN PROVINCE, China — Indian silk furnishings and made-up exporters who have a carved a sizeable market share globally have been hit hard by sky-rocketing prices of raw silk and short supply due to an earthquake in China’s Sichuan province, their primary supplier. “The earthquake and subsequent floods in Sichuan have affected the import prices of raw

material, which have gone up by about 30 to 40 percent,” said the Indian Silk Export Promotion Council Chairman T.V. Maruthi. More than 100,000 people have lost jobs in silk manufacturing centers across the country and the yarn prices are up by 40 percent. The earthquake, a 7.8-magnitude that struck on May 12, killed thousands of people and leveled as many as 80 percent of the buildings in Beichuan county. In other silk related news,

Himatsingka Seide, Ltd, a leading exporter of luxury silk decorative fabrics, which has always recorded profits suffered its first ever loss in recent years. The public listed company’s bankers have advised that the market-tomarket loss on forward derivatives contracts is nearly $40 million. Meanwhile the company has contested bank claims in the court of law. The company also recently bought stakes in Divatex, U.S.A. and Bellora, Italy. F&FI

Sichuan is the primary supplier of dupion raw silk to Indian exporters

Aritex Founder Aristide Bourguignon Dies At 56 by Eric Schneider

ONTICH, Belgium — Aristide Bourguignon, the 56-year-old founder of Aritex in Kontich, Belgium, passed away from unspecified causes on June 4. A small, private family service was held. Bourguignon started his business with almost nothing and in less than a decade became a major Benelux fabric wholesaler. About 10 years ago, Aritex became an editeur with its own collections sold worldwide, a supplier recalls. Four years ago, Aritex absorbed another small wholesaler in Belgium. Bourguignon’s son, Gaetan, 30, and daughter Laurence, 27, will continue the business of this 30-year-old editeur. Aritex is also the distributor of Warwick Fabrics in the Benelux region. F&FI

Autumn 2008 ■ F&FI

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HAVRANEK STEPS UP

LUXE RESIDENTIAL

NEW PARTNERS

Gerhard Havranek takes over Ulrich Girrbach’s position at Trevira as head of marketing.

Knoll markets actively to residential for the first time with Dorothy Cosonas’ new line.

Crypton teams up with Tietex and expands markets in China and Europe.

See page 26

See page 27

See page 29

Contract/HospitalityNews T h e

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S p e c i f i e r

GREEN I Arc|Com Teams with GreenLife, Leads Effort to Reduce Environmental Footprint by Kelley Granger

HICAGO, Illinois — Arc|Com, a leading distributor in the contract fabrics industry, has announced that it has launched a carbon neutral program to help offset its footprint. The company celebrated the launch at Chicago’s Neocon by offering to offset booth visitors’ airfare or lifetime carbon accumulation through random drawings. “I don’t think anyone else in fabric is doing this, and we’d love

eco-tex fabrics, another of Arc|Com’s environmental ventures

to bring a bunch of other people on board,” Arc|Com president Jeff Layne said of the new program. Arc|Com has teamed with GreenLife, a provider of high quality environmental credits, to fund a fuel switch project in Pecs, Hungary. Arc|Com’s financial support will back the Pannonpower Company’s swap from traditional coal power to sustainable biomass energy. Mark LaCroix, the executive vice president of business development for GreenLife, said that in projects similar to the Pecs, Hungary venture, the sale of offsets plays a critical role in bringing a project that would likely not happen otherwise. Carbon credits or offsets are general terms that refer to any of several specific types of credits which can be purchased to take responsibility for cleaning up carbon emissions produced by electricity consumption, air travel, driving and other human activities. “The project did not make sense financially for the power company without sale of these offsets,” LaCroix said. “They allowed the switch to happen.” Arc|Com is publicizing its work with GreenLife in the hopes that other companies will have its

carbon impact, assessed as well. “I’ve become convinced that this is a very important tool in the fight against climate change. It’s not the only tool, and maybe not the most important tool, but it is one that should be out of the box and be used,” LaCroix said. GreenLife is tapping into the voluntary market in the U.S., as there are not yet compliance standards like there are in other countries — the U.S. is not one of the more than 160 countries globally

that have signed the Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. LaCroix said, however, that change is expected with both presidential candidates indicating support of a cap and trade system. According to GreenLife, a cap and trade system is designed to manage emissions by limiting the total allowable emissions and sanctioning the trading of allowances between participants to meet a particular goal.

STANBUL, Turkey — Elvin Textile, a leading decorative fabric producer in Turkey, exhibited at Evteks this year with its newly-developed Green Guard, a self-cleaning fabric technology, and Flame, a decorative fabric that was presented with the Red Dot Award for Product Design of 2008. After two years of partnered development between Elvin and the Middle East Technical University and one year of testing for industrial application within the Elvin factory, Green Guard launched at a press conference in Turkey a

week before Evteks. “Its properties are self-cleaning,” said Osman Nuri Canik, general manager at Elvin. “When applied to a curtain, it clears itself under sunshine within 48 hours without washing. There are no chemicals and it is very environmentally friendly. We expect a good reaction from the hotel contract business.” Green Guard was created using nanotechnology. It does not require water or any other supplies in order to self-clean. At Evteks, Elvin also showcased its newly awarded Flame decorative constructed fabric. (Continued on page 29)

(Continued on page 28)

C/HNEWS I Heiman Transitions from Standard to SK by Hannah Joseph

INCINNATI, Ohio — As previously reported, Kim Heiman bought 79 percent of SK Holdings this year and currently sits as president of SK Textile. She adds SK to a large roster of activities, which include maintaining the position of senior vice president of decorative products at Standard Textile and organizing multicultural events in Cincinnati. Heiman spoke to F&FI about what the sale of SK

means for the future of SK and Standard, as well as her function at both companies, and discussed her active role in her community. Heiman finalized the purchase of SK Textile in Kim Heiman February after four months of negotiations. “SK is very customer oriented,” she said in a May interview. “They have relationships with the customers. To me that was the most attractive thing about SK.”

TECHNOLOGY I Elvin Textile Unveils Self-Cleaning Fabric by Hannah Joseph

GreenLife has been operating since October of last year and offers a diverse portfolio to earn credits from U.S. based renewable energy certificates to Kyoto Protocol approved carbon credits. The portfolio includes solar, hydro, wind and other projects. LaCroix said the difference between his company and others in the carbon offset business is that GreenLife is able to guarantee delivery. “Others don’t have the depth in

The sale of SK gave rise to questions about the future of SK and Standard as separate entities. With a 23-year career at Standard and a husband who is president and chief executive officer there, Heiman has deep roots at the company. Did the personal acquisition indicate a merging of Standard and SK? “The two companies have different ownership and there is no plan for any sort of merger,” said Heiman. “Going forward, Standard Textile may utilize SK for our man(Continued on page 26)

Inside Contract/ Hospitality News Soaring Costs Force Milliken & Company To Enact Immediate Price Increase . . . . . .26 Stanley Benny Leaves Townsend, New Collection Unveiled . .26

Red Dot Award winner “Flame”

NatureWorks Becomes First Supplier of 100 Percent Ingeo . . . . . .28

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Havranek Brings 30 Years Experience to Trevira New Head of Marketing Reveals Plans for Future by Hannah Joseph

ATTERSHEIM, Germany — Gerhard Havranek stepped into the position of head of marketing at Trevira CS & Strategic Business Development in Trevira GmbH on June 1. After being introduced during a transition period by his predecessor Ulrich Girrbach, Havranek has fully assumed his duties of managing international marketing strategy worldwide. He now manages all of Trevira’s representative offices. F&FI spoke with Havranek about his experience in the industry as well as his future plans for Trevira. Havranek supervises current marketing projects and develops strategies for new markets. More specifically, the position entails traveling and constant internal and

external communication. He reports to Hemant Sharma, Trevira’s managing director for sales & marketing. He works with a team of market development managers for the different regions as well as the branding and promotions team. Havranek came to Trevira with more than 30 years of experience in the textile industry ranging from product development to managing director. He had an extensive career as a textile engineer at Bayer AG, a German chemicals company specializing in textile applications. This career has taken him to South America and Asia. Experience abroad will help Havranek realize ambitious goals he has for Trevira. “One of my targets is to do more business in Asia,” he said. “I want to find more channels in China and Japan and of course Germany, the Middle East and also South America. We believe that South America is a growing market with

the market for safety fibers. With Reliance as our parent company now, the signs for Trevira point towards growth. The Trevira CS brand and its position in the market belong to our most valuable assets.” Most recently, Trevira added Trevira CS Bioactive to its portfolio. The product contains fibers

(Continued from page 24) Gerhard Havranek a high potential. There are a lot of possibilities.” As far as Havranek is concerned, Trevira will have no problem opening foreign markets. “Trevira CS is the best-known flame-resistant fiber on the market for many years now,” he said. “We have a sophisticated, globally established marketing concept and Trevira CS holds a large share of

Soaring Costs Force Milliken & Company to Enact Immediate Price Increase by Tracey Wallace

PARTANBURG, South Carolina — A recent spike in costs upwards of 15 percent for Milliken & Company’s products and services is a direct reflection of the company’s struggle against rising oil prices and the costs for raw materials, energy and freight. The textile and chemical manufacturer is the latest to announce such a dramatic price increase. “Over the past year we have

witnessed the dramatic acceleration of a trend that began around 2002, which transformed a 20year pattern of global commodity price deflation into one of long-term commodity price inflation,” said Joe Salley, president and CEO of Milliken & Company. “While this pattern extends broadly across almost all commodity factor inputs, it has recently been most disruptive in the price of oil, which drives the cost of our petrochemical-based raw materials, our energy and

our freight.” ”We are well aware of the many pressures our customers face even under normal circumstances, and we take this decision reluctantly, but in recognition of the new global economic reality in which we are all living,” added Salley. Milliken is widely known for their sustainable practices and customer service, and was recently named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. F&FI

Kim Heiman Transitions from Standard to SK ufacturing capabilities and expertise and SK may decide to work with some of the fabric lines Standard Textile offers in the marketplace.” Heiman is now responsible for SK’s operating and strategic development, finance and human resource. She indicated that her top responsibilities include making sure the management infrastructure is topnotch, overseeing computer systems, resource management and increasing SK’s ability to manufacture different kinds of products with higher volumes. “This is an opportunity for me to bundle my various business experiences in sales, marketing, production, finance and operations and apply them to the challenge of growing SK into a major supplier of decorative

“The two companies have different ownership and there is no plan for any sort of merger,.” —Kim Heiman

Stanley Benny Leaves Townsend Leather by Tracey Wallace

OHNSTOWN, New York — Stanley Paul Benny, executive of Townsend’s Gulf Business foundation, is no longer with the

company. Vinod Arya, new to Townsend Leather, has taken over the activities in the region of Dubai under the capacity of senior sales executive. Arya joins Townsend with 20

Leathers from the new Fuente collection

and yarns with an inherently antimicrobial function. “The product range is constantly being developed by adding new specialty yarns,” Havranek said. Trevira is a company of the Reliance Group and is known world-wide for specializing in the production of high-tech polyester fibers and filaments. F&FI

years of professional experience in product and interior design and has spent the past four years in Dubai. “I was looking forward to continuing my career in interior design and its related products,” said Arya. “Townsend is one of the top brands — it has its own market presence. Simultaneously it offers immense exposure to the interior designing field and a significantly huge Middle East market.” Stanley Benny was with Townsend for three years and now plans to migrate to the U.S. Also, Townsend has created a new collection of leathers called Fuente. The collection is inspired by cigars and comes in four colorways ranging from mellow to rich. F&FI

www.sipco.net

products in the hospitality industry,” she said. As for her continued presence at Standard, Heiman’s title has changed to managing director in the decorative products division. “I have a great team and I trust them to do their job,” she said. Heiman also indicated that she did not know if she would stay with Standard in the future. Heiman surrounds herself with a strong network of support systems at Standard and SK, she indicated. In fact, the management has stayed mostly the same at SK since she took seat as president. “I am fortunate to work with Stanley Kassap, executive vice president, Debra Centurion, vice president of

sales and marketing and Todd Kassap, vice president of operations,” she said. “Their dedication to our customers and the depth of expertise in this industry are unsurpassed.” Running an entire company while retaining an advisory position at another keeps Heiman extremely busy, but surprisingly, she still makes time for what she values important — her community. Past president of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, Heiman co-organized the city’s first Multicultural Music Festival. The event brought together Israeli, Ethiopian, Caribbean and Middle Eastern sounds and took place just before HD Expo in Las Vegas, which she also attended. Heiman is an executive committee member of Rockwern Day School, Yad Vashem and serves as the campaign chair for Israel Bonds of Cincinnati. Her work toward multicultural unity goes back to the late 90’s, when the Cincinnati Enquirer named her Woman of the Year. Heiman’s management of international operations at Standard resulted in Israelis and Jordanians working together, despite being longtime adversaries in a land of political unrest. According to the Enquirer, it was Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel, who nominated her as Enquirer’s Woman of the Year. Keeping a packed and determined schedule, Heiman has demonstrated the change an individual can realize in her workplace and local and international communities. “Margaret Mead said, ‘Never doubt that a small group of concerned people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has,’” Heiman said. F&FI

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G r e e n

NatureWorks Becomes First Licensed Supplier of 100 Percent Ingeo Spunbond Material by Tracey Wallace

LAIR, Nebraska — NatureWorks LLC is welcoming its new Chinese spunbond partner, C.L. Chemical Fibers, along with the signing of the fourth Ingeo Master License Agreement this year. Ingeo is a material made from plants instead of oil and C.L. Chemical

resources. The product uses 65 percent less fossil fuel and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 90 percent. Ingeo spunbond fabrics range in color and weight making the product applicable to all areas of business use from medical to multi-use shopping bags.

oec fri

dl en y

Fibers is the first licensed Ingeo spunbond producer to offer a full range of 100 percent Ingeo fabrics. Increasing environmental awareness worldwide has created a high demand for Ingeo fabric, a material made from plants and derived entirely from annually renewable plant

''The company is already a step ahead of its competition in understanding the message behind Ingeo and as the first licensed supplier of 100 percent Ingeo spunbond material. We look forward to a strong partnership for nonwoven innovation in Asia-Pacific and beyond,” said Robert Green for NatureWorks LLC. F&FI

At SHOWTIME, the world’s leading producers of decorative coverings take over High Point, North Carolina to introduce their latest products to the industry. Plan to attend the largest showing of home furnishings textiles in the western hemisphere.

(Cont. from page 27) Knoll Textiles Knoll. Luxury to me is what people want at a gut level. It’s up to me to make sure it’s a strong and consistent point of view rooted in classic modernism. That will be the mantra for this brand.” Cosonas also said sustainability is important to Knoll as a whole. “In terms of Knoll Luxe, I wanted to keep it a cleaner point of view and let the fibers speak for themselves.” The fabrics include materials that are made in whole or in part with natural and rapidly renewable fibers, and Galloway, Stirling and Garden City patterns have no backing or finishes and are recyclable. Knoll Luxe fabrics are also GREENGUARD certified to guarantee they do not emit toxins in indoor spaces. The next Knoll Luxe collection will be launched in November. Although she could not release the name, Cosonas said the collection will be created with a high-end fashion designer. F&FI

(Cont. from page 24) Arc|Com Leads Green Initiative their portfolio to back up the claim,” LaCroix said. “Underperformance is a major issue in the carbon market.” The Arc|Com project in Hungary is estimated to produce offsets for seven to 10 years, after which LaCroix said the company will be encouraged to fund another project.

December 7-10, 2008 June 7-10, 2009 Official Showtime Travel and Concierge Service:

Travel Quest www.travelquest.com Register now online at

itma-showtime.com

Mark LaCroix of GreenLife

International Textile Market Association, producers of Showtime High Point, North Carolina

www.sipco.net

Arc|Com is involved in other sustainable efforts, including the production of its environmentally responsible line eco-tex. F&FI

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Te c h n o l o g y

Crypton Enters China and Europe with Tietex Asia by Eric Schneider

SPARTANBURG, South Carolina — Tietex Asia Ltd. based in Thailand has been named an exclusive licensee to produce Hi-tex's Crypton fabrics in Asia according to Martin Wildeman, CEO of Tietex International, Ltd., the parent company. Crypton provides a patented integrated moisture barrier system to a broad line of fabrics. “We will launch a line of Crypton fabrics for sale to the European market at Decosit through Tietex Europe, BV located in Oirschot, The Netherlands,” Wildeman confirmed. Crypton will be available initially with the Tietex line of Murena® brand fabrics, it was learned. Murena employs a

patented microstitching process invented by Tietex. Tietex has installed equipment in its manufacturing facility in Laem Chabang, Thailand to “Cryptonize” a line of fabrics geared to the European market. Specially designed lines of Tietex fabrics will also be marketed in Asia featuring the Crypton technology. Tietex has distribution centers in The Netherlands and Australia

as well as its 40,000 square meter manufacturing plant in Thailand, about two hours south of Bangkok. As previously reported, this plant produces body cloth or upholstered furniture kits for shipment to China. Hi-Tex started to produce the Crypton process in 1994 and since that time, has signed up more than 50 suppliers for contract and residential applications and has achieved a growth of 20 percent a

Left: Randy and Craig Rubin of Crypton year annualized, a Crypton spokesman said. The appointment of Tietex was the result of a thorough review of Asia-based mills by Crypton principals Randy and Craig Rubin. Corporate offices are based in West Bloomfield, Michigan with a manufacturing plant in Kings Mountain, NC. F&FI

(Cont. from page 24)

Elvin Unveils Self-Cleaning Fabric

Canan Sonmez Canik, designer and president, and Osman Nuri Canik, vice president Presented with the Red Dot Award for Product Design in June, Flame will be shown in museums around the world. According to the Red-Dot official homepage, Flame is constructed of “slim fabric strips that are interlaced and slightly crimpled to develop a corallike structure” which is drawn and then “transferred to the material by laser technique.” Flame is made of 100 percent polyester and reaches 150 centimeters wide. Elvin is a 50-year-old company specialized in readymade, twisted, and woven window treatments. For Decosit, Canik indicated that the company will exhibit new products such as Trevira CS antibacterial curtains and window treatments. F&FI

Autumn 2008 ■ F&FI

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Valdese Takes Center Stage in HIGH POINT, N.C. — Twice a year, Showtime brings the textile community together in the manufacturing heartland of America at High Point, N.C. For four days, 800 exhibitors attend Showtime to launch and exhibit their newest collections of fabric, leather and trimmings. The Showtime schedule also includes a packed roster of seminars and networking events. Perhaps the largest social event of Showtime is the Valdese Party, which was held at the High Point Country club this year and celebrated Valdese and its customers with catered food and beverage. —HJ

Showtime Highlights

Neil Nahoum of Valdese, Christy Almond of Robert Allen, Zack Taylor of Valdese, Jennie Wilde of Robert Allen, Stu Cosgriff of Valdese

Mark Buytenhuys director sales, Brimar; and designer Patricia Champagne, Les Textiles Patlin

Natalie Scott of Outdura Shuford Mills, LLC shows off Outdura’s new line to Andrew Wolff, president of Artistic Fabric

Jay Clifton, Valdese; Jennifer White, Valdese; Angela Green, Room and Board; Candace Payne, Shenandoah Furniture; Chris Lester, Shenandoah Furniture

Allison Elder, Westgate Interiors; Jean Brown, president, Westgate; Melissa Freebern, Hobby Lobby; Billy DeSousa, Westgate

Bob Walters, Valdese; Woody Williams, Precedent; Roberta Hayes, Wesley Mancini; and Ron Cooke, Smith Bros of Berne

Michael Benjamin, JB Martin; Ghislain de Kertanguy, account manager, JB Martin; Annabella Shedd, Deco Tejidos

Brek Jacobsen, Valdese; Christy Harmon, Fleetwood; Cindy Robinson, Gantt; Martha Clifton, Valdese; Regina Payne, Van Guard Furniture

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Autumn 2008 ■ F&FI

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International Presence Spurs

Trend Halls at Evteks 2008 ISTANBUL, Turkey — Every May, Evteks transforms Istanbul into a textile stomping ground for manufacturers, wholesalers and potential customers. This year Evteks, the second largest trade fair in the world, saw its largest international exhibitor presence to date. Fifteen Spanish companies showcased together to show the latest Spanish trends as part of the “Home Textiles from Spain” exhibition. Evteks also launched its first-ever Trends Forum during which famed designers such as Gunnar Frank spoke to attendees about the latest trends in fabrics. The seminar program ran in conjunction to the Trends Halls which highlighted collections that embodied trends such as “Haute Couture,” “Crazy Couture,” “Classic Couture” and “Eco Couture.” Another highlight was the fashion show hosted by fabric company Baydemirler which took place every day of Evteks. The show, based on the opulent wedding traditions of the Ottoman Empire, captivated any visitor who happened to be in Hall 3 midday. —HJ This year Baydemirles put on a fashion show themed after the opulence of the Ottoman Empire to promote its Brillant lines

Gunnar Frank

Emmanuela Colombi of Il Magnifico looks at Nursultan/Espiole products while Nursultan partner Mustafa Gumus looks on

Abdulhamid Esmerer, foreign trade representative, Gurle; and Selim Kamhi of Neotek

Chafik Berrada, Diva; Murat Secim, export manager, Teksko; Abuzer Tanriverdi, owner, Teksko; and Zulal Yogunali, designer at Vakko

Bedii Berktin, freelance exporting agent, Trimland; Ozer Ozbarut, vice president, Trimland; Rustu Berktin, freelance exporting agent; and Ihsan Demirkan, freelance buying agent

Autumn 2008 ■ F&FI

Mucahit A. Asan, regional director, Aydin; Raffi Haji Akian, sales manager, Bycop; Mahmoud Bahssas, executive manager, Alkabbani Company for Decoration and Contract; Ali Sami Aydin, principal, Aydin

Lucia Erquicia, Maison Décor; Alfredo Vivero, director of operations, Maison Décor; Kabir Sehgal, director, Beekalene fabrics

Esra Guney, product planning assistant, Rekor; Ruhi Tezel, export manager, Rekor; Kiki Adamopoulde, Epavlis AE; and Helen Doussi, Textiles

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Sipco Will Get Sipco is a boutique publishing and event production firm which offers innovative sales and marketing tools to compete in the hospitality interiors industry. Our niche-oriented products champion the people behind the hospitality industry and level the playing field for even the smallest companies who often get lost in the mainstream market.

Sipco Publications & Events www.sipco.net Editorial: Rebecca Goldberg, 914.923.0616 x 11 rgoldberg@sipco.net Sales and marketing: Michael Schneider, 914.923.0616 x 14 mschneider@sipco.net

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You Noticed

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT SIPCO

“I

always look

forward to receiving my issue of Boutique Design as it is a comprehensive magazine about what is going on today in the hotel industry; it has a lot of new, cre-

”

ative designs and products.

— Andi Pepper Andi Pepper Interior Design

As the only hospitality interiors magazine that focuses specifically on boutique hospitality, boutique DESIGN (BD) is the authority on the boutique hotel, spa and restaurant market. About designers and for designers, BD features major hospitality projects, industry news and products which are relevant to the industry in each of its bi-monthly issues.

“ No

other publi-

cation gives the in-depth information and spans the breadth of the international

market

Contract/ Hospitality News does. Insightful, cutting edge and

Fabrics & Furnishings International including Contract/ Hospitality News is the only newspaper for the specifier. It features breaking news from vendors in all categories of hospitality design, such as: furniture, light-

incredibly diverse — the articles, features

and

vision

this

publication make it an excellent tool for all serious hospitality designers and an essential part of my firm’s reading and refer-

ing, textiles and floor covering.

”

ence materials.

— Carl Ross President, Carl Ross Design, Inc.

Hospitality Match is an innovative way of reaching the specifier. Prequalified high-end buyers are matched with FF&E suppliers through a

“I

want to thank

you very much for

one-to-one meeting format. There’s no wasted time and effort as with a traditional booth and aisle show and meetings are guaranteed.

inviting me to participate in Hospitality Match. I had a very enjoyable time meeting both my fellow designers and the many vendors whom I had never met before. I commend you for putting together such a friend-

”

ly group of people.

—Christopher Wheeler Director of Design Sheraton Hotels & Resorts

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The Valdese Party and NeoCon

NeoCon World’s Trade Fair CHICAGO, United States of America — The annual NeoCon World’s Trade Fair was held June 9-11 at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. As usual, it showcased the latest in fabrics, flooring sustainable products, interesting designer/manufacturer collaborations and much more. Jane Hamley Wells moved into a new showroom a short distance from the Merchandise Mart and Valdese Weavers covered the evening hours with a spectacular party on the top floor of Hotel 71. Here are the people and products you may have missed if you were unable to attend. —KG

Mike Shelton, Blake Millinor, Joe Feege and Jennifer White of Valdese

Scene from Chicago

Jane Humzy in the new Jane Hamley Wells showroom

Jeff Layne, Arc|Com, and Mark LaCroix, GreenLife in front of Arc|Com fabrics

Clodagh and her Bentley Prince Street collaboration

Stephanie Moffett, design director, and Edwin Rysenbury, president and founder, Mokum Group, with the Everyday Objects collection

Brek Jacobsen, Valdese, and Kathy Gowdy, Momentum Group

www.sipco.net

Matthew Whiteford, Mark LeClair and Tommy Shores of St. Timothy Chair

Chieko Machado, Valdese; Kristin Fraidenburgh, designer; Claudia Webster, Valdese

Keith Stinson, CF Stinson, and Margie Spake, Valdese

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For the Second Year, Sipco Brings

Hospitality Match to Dubai DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — For an event focused on building lasting, successful relationships and fostering business growth, Sipco couldn’t have chosen a more exciting place than Dubai. For the second year in a row, Hospitality Match Middle East was held in the booming city of Dubai, this time in the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Just over 20 suppliers attended the event and were visited by more than 25 buyers over the course of the three-day meeting and networking schedule. Highlights included the informative seminar on conducting hospitality business in the Middle East, where speakers from DiLeonardo International, VOA and Townsend Leather gave their input. And certainly not to be forgotten was the desert tour where 50 of us bashed the dunes, rode camels, belly-danced and ate a traditional Arabian dinner under the desert stars. – KH Brian Thompson, Impex Development; Robert Green, MTI Whirlpools; Glenn Rosser, Electric Mirror; Tim Beckett, Townsend Leather; Joe Stella, RPW Design — all enjoying a drink at the Hibiki Lounge in the Hyatt Regency

Jeff Robboy, Baci by Remcraft, Kelly Hushin and Samantha Mittler, Sipco Publications & Events and Marlene Robboy

Jean-Marie Bourdon, ACCOR and Elham Sitan Abu Shour, Grand Hyatt Amman

Brian Annandale, Impex Development; Max Mohan, Pacific Century Group (Americana Brands) and Brian Thompson, also from Impex Development

Gerlof Menkveld, Hospitality Circle Group and Elaine Schroder, Kravet

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Haigh, J&P Carpets; May Lui, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International; John Yu, also from J&P Carpets

The scene in the ballroom where suppliers and buyers conducted their various 20-minute meetings over two days

www.sipco.net

Nancy Jackson, Architectural Systems; Shela Neo Chiew Teng, Wilson Associates; Ronald Jackson, Architectural Systems and Elaine Schroder, Kravet

Jonathan Wolk, Centrepoint Architecture; Elham Sitan Abu Shour, Grand Hyatt Amman; Felix Carbullido and Mark Rago, Smith & Hawken

Roy Harris, MTI Whirlpools, Michael Schneider, Sipco Publications & Events, Robert Green, MTI Whirlpools

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F& FI G L O B A L M A R K E T P L A C E

Advertiser Index

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boutique DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 CIFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Classical Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Crypton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Dicitex Décor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3 Dicitex Furnishings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Duralee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7 Express Air Freight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Fleetwood Fine Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 International Textile Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Kravet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Mannifatura Vay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5 Premiere Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Richloom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-21 Rockland Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-17 Textirama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Townsend Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Tietex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 UTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Valdese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Tulu Opens Showroom in Istanbul Ikat Pioneer Caters To Market With New Designs by Hannah Joseph

STANBUL, Turkey — Elizabeth Hewitt, antique textile dealer and original pioneer of the Central Asian Ikat resurgence, opened her first showroom in late May of 2008. The showroom features her original designs as well as original textile documents under her textile design company, Tulu. In an interview, Hewitt discussed how buyer demands for authentic pieces have shaped her career and more recently created a favorable market for her new company.

Having worked in the industry as a specialized dealer in Central Asian textiles for more than 15 years, Hewitt has witnessed increasing demand for handmade crafted pieces. “There is a big demand for traditionally made fabrics,” she said. “People are hungry for unique fabrics and they know the difference between handmade and machine made.” “We’ve basically seen everything under the sun and this is a big problem for designers looking for new designs.” Hewitt became the first producer of Central Asian Ikat five years ago when she discovered that select skilled craftsmen in Uzbekistan were still practicing the 19th century craft. “All of the

Hometextile+Homedecor Slated to Coincide with Guangzhou’s CIFF by S. Vishwanath

his year’s Hometextile China and Homedecor China is scheduled for Sept. 8–11, 2008, concurrently with the 22nd China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou). The organizers are taking advantage of being held concurrently with Asia's furniture fair – the combination of CIFF, Hometextile and Homedecor acts as an "one-stop" home soft decoration purchasing platform. Participants will offer upholstery, bed coverings, curtains and shelter-wares, fabric, carpets, mirror, lighting and clock, attracting more and more buyers from home and abroad. The earlier edition that was

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held in March attracted domestic and foreign buyers, with visitor numbers reaching 82,976 and 28,225 respectively. Hometextile China 2008 will be co-organized by the China National Textile & Apparel Council and the China Foreign Trade Center (Group). China Home Textile Association, CCPIT TEX, China Foreign Trade Guangzhou Exhibition Corp. and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. are to join together as the host team combining industry associations with professional show organizers. China Foreign Trade Center (Group) and its subsidiary, China Foreign Trade Guangzhou Exhibition Corp., are exhibition organizers in China with 50 years experience. F&FI

Elizabeth Hewitt and her original designs books written about Central Asian textiles, which there are plenty, said that the craft had died out, and it basically had,” said Hewitt. “When I realized that there were a few people who could make this Uzbek Ikat who were selling them as fraud antiques, I realized that it was something I needed to follow.” She employed these craftsmen and began producing modern Ikat using traditional weaving processes. Her first large specification for Ikat was by Oscar de la Renta, who continues to buy a different Ikat design every season. “All the major fashion houses carry at least one faux, printed or woven Ikat in their line — it’s really big now,” she said. Hewitt has filled orders for big fashion as well as interior designers. Her client roster includes names such as Michael Smith and Robert Kime, the official designer to the Royal Family. “The defining thing about Uzbek Ikat is the silk warping,” said Hewitt. “It’s very dense, so you get a bold design and bold colors. It also ends up being about 70 percent silk because the warp is so heavy. The manufacturing people in Uzbekistan are individuals who are bringing back craft to the industry.” “The Turkish textile industry is suffering because there are countries who are willing to produce volumes of material for very low costs,” she continued. “Turkey has to do what Italy did — that is to go extremely high-end in quality and also design. We’re not quite there yet. We have the fibers but we especially need to focus on our

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“W

hen I realized that there were a few people who could make this Uzbek Ikat who were selling them as fraud antiques, I realized that it was something I needed to follow. —Elizabeth Hewitt

”

design.” Creating high-end products not only benefits the customer with quality material but also allows for humane working conditions, indicated Hewitt. “I want to try to make something of substance,” she said. “From the beginning to the end I’m not participating in the oppression of individuals. If anything, I hope my activity in the industry is helping people live quality lives.” Tulu, a relatively new company,

features high-end upholstery fabrics and products specified for home furnishings showrooms. Hewitt has indicated that Tulu will exist independently of Karavan, her company that deals antique fabrics, produces carpet designs and produces Ikat. “I’m not going to sell Ikat under Tulu,” she said. “I am loyal to my existing customers who already purchase the Ikat.” Tulu will feature her 16th and 18th century Turkish-inspired prints, Russianinspired prints and more. F&FI

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F& FI C A L E N D A R August 14-15 METROCON08

Location: Dallas Market Hall 2200 Stemmons Freeway Tel: Phone: (214) 631-2222 Website: www.metrocon.info METROCON is a resourceful alliance: a tradeshow and convention organized through volunteer collaboration between the Texas Chapter of ASID [American Society of Interior Designers], the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of IFMA [International Facility Management Association], and the Texas/Oklahoma Chapter of IIDA [International Interior Design Association].

15-21 New York Home Textiles Market Week

Location: New York City Website: www.nyhometextilesmarketweek.com In conjunction with New York Gift Week, select home textiles suppliers participating at 7 W. 34th Street (Aug. 15-21); and 230 Fifth Ave. (Aug. 16-21)

26-28 Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles

Location: Shanghai New International Expo Center Shanghai, China Contact: Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. 3506 China Resources Building 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong Tel: 852 2802 7728 Fax: 852 2596 8771 E-mail: textile@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com More than 800 exhibitors in product groups from bed linen, blankets, bedding, terry and toweling products, upholstery fabrics, textile wall covering, trade publications and other sectors will show at one of the world's largest home textiles fairs.

September 5-9 Maison et Objet

Location: Paris Paris-Nord Villepinte, Paris. Tel: 703- 522-5000 Website: www.maison-objet.com More than just a trade show, MAISON&OBJET is a magnetic pole for all professionals. Design, home-fashion, objects, tableware…Seven quarters explore different decorative worlds and styles: fodder for giving you fresh ideas, or changing tacks, inspiring you, and creating your own world.

9-11 Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo

Location: Navy Pier Chicago, IL Website: www.hcarefacilities.com The Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo, now in its 21st year, is the original event that brings together the entire team who designs, plans, constructs and manages healthcare facilities. HFSE focuses on how the physical space directly impacts the staff, patients and their families and the delivery of healthcare. Ideas, practices, products and solutions will be exchanged, explored and discovered at HFSE that improve current healthcare facilities and plan the facilities of tomorrow.

9-12 Heimtextil Russia

Location: Crocus Expo Exhibition Center Moscow, Russia Tel: 770-984-8016 Website: http://heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com/rossija/ The international trade fair Heimtextil Russia presents home textiles and fabrics for interior design and is the Russia’s largest specialized show in its segment. The show is a b2b event, i.e. the marketing program is aimed at attracting business attendees only: wholesale and retail trade representatives, contract market (HoReCa) players, designers and architects.

8-11 China International Furniture Fair, Guangzhou (CIFF)

Location: Chinese Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex Guangzhou, China Contact: China Foreign Trade Centre (Group) No. 117 Liuhua Road Guangzhou, P.R. China Tel: 8620 260 88 8888 Website: www.ciff-gz.com CIFF, well known as “Asia‘s Furniture Sourcing Center,” is leading the trend of furniture industry in Asia. The modern and classical furniture will still be the main topics of CIFF (Sept.), displaying the exhibits such as living room, dining room, bedroom furniture, kitchen furniture, outdoor furniture, soft furniture etc, and providing a “one-stop” platform for international buyers.

8-11 Homedecor + Hometextile China

Location: Chinese Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex Guangzhou, China Contact: China Foreign Trade Centre (Group)

No. 117 Liuhua Road Guangzhou, P.R. China Tel: 8620 260 88 8888 Website: www.hhc.fairwindow.com Taking advantage of being held concurrently with Asia’s top furniture fair — CIFF, Hometextile+Homedecor China acts as an “one-stop” home soft decoration purchasing platform, offering upholstery, bed coverings, curtains & shelterwares, fabric, carpets, mirror, lighting & clock, etc.attracting more and more buyers from home and abroad. Now, good chances for every enterprises to exploit new market here!

Toronto. Now in its 24th year, IIDEX/NeoCon Canada is owned by the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) and produced and managed by Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI). MMPI manages or owns more than 300 events in North America including NeoCon World's Trade Fair in Chicago.

17 Boutique Design Awards

Location: Venue TBA Miami, FL Contact: Rebecca Goldberg, editor in chief 145 Main St. 3rd Floor Ossining, NY 10562 Tel: 914 923 0616 Fax: 914 923 0018 E-mail: rebecca@sipco.net Website: www.boutiquedesign.com The winners of best in spa, hotel, restaurant and nightclub design, as well as the boutique DESIGN designer of the year will be announced at this award’s show.

October 8-11 93rd annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS)

18-21 The New York International Carpet Show

13-16 Decosit Brussels

Location: NPO Brussels Exhibition Center Brussels, Belgium Contact: NPO Brussels Exhibition Center Tel: +32 2 474 82 63 Fax: +32 2 474 83 97 Email: sales@bruexpo.be Website: www.brusselsexpo.be Decosit, an international trade fair for residential and contract fabrics and furnishings, offers an extensive range of fabrics in the highest quality from around the globe. For 2008, the 30th anniversary of the show, the fair will exhibit window and wallcoverings in addition to upholstery and outdoor fabrics.

13-16 Indigo (Home Furnishing Edition)

Location: Brussels, Belgium Brussels Expo, Brussels, Belgium Tel: +33 (0)3-2028 9685 Website: www.indigo-salon.com With three editions per year, two for the fashion market and one for the furnishing one, Indigo offers events to be inspired and prepare collections, get information on trends, and carry business between professionals.

Location: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Contact: Christian Falkenberg, show manager GLM, Ten Bank Street White Plains, NY 10606-1954 Tel: (914) 421-3296 Fax: (914) 948-6180 E-mail: christian_falkenberg@glmshows.com Website: www.ihmrs.com The event attracts more than 35,000 trade professionals and 1,250 exhibitors. One full-day of conference and networking activities on Saturday, November 8, is followed by three days of exhibits from Sunday, November 9, through Tuesday, November 11. The market presents some 1,250 hospitality industry suppliers and attracts approximately 35,000 in total trade attendance.

Location: 69th Regiment Armory New York City, NY Website: www.nyics.com/index.html The New York International Carpet Show is an exclusive platform for modern and traditional decorative and Oriental designer carpets. International trade buyers, retailers, home furnishings buyers, interior designers and architects are invited to attend this trade show free of charge. You can profit by doing business with the industry’s top importers in one convenient location in the middle of exciting Manhattan. In the realm of high-end decorative and Oriental carpets, we have become known as “The New York Show.” We are the metro area's only stand-alone trade show dedicated to top importers of beautiful, designer quality, handmade rugs. Conveniently scheduled during Market Week, NYICS offers buyers an exceptional opportunity to do profitable business with our A-level exhibitors — all in one convenient location. Centered in Manhattan, this annual event creates a destination that is at the epicenter of style and world class tastemakers.

21-23 Green East Expo & Conference 2008

Location: Jacob K. Javits Center New York, NY Contact: Green East 11911 San Vicente Blvd. Suite 265 Los Angeles, CA 90049 Tel: 310 984 6919 E-mail: info@greeneastexpo.com Website: www.greeneastexpo.com Green East brings together a wide-array of green products and services together under one roof giving corporate, government, and individual buyers alike the opportunity for synergistic purchasing. Green East features an expo, conference and on-the-floor special events including “Sustainable Living Spaces Inspired by Eric Lloyd Wright.”

25-26 IIDEX/NeoCon Canada 17-18 HD Boutique

Location: Miami Beach Convention Center South Beach, FL Website: www.hdboutique.com HDBoutique features a ground breaking tradeshow floor, with industry-leading exhibitors occupying area from 100-200 square feet. This intimate scale means you'll find the best design elements from both the largest manufacturer to the most exquisite artisans, providing you with an inspiring array of ideas and products.

Location: The Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place Toronto, ON, Canada Tel: 416 944 3350 Fax: 416 921 2707 E-mail: info@iidexneocon.com Website: www.iidexneocon.com IIDEX/NeoCon Canada is Canada's largest exposition and conference for the design, construction and management of the built environment. IIDEX/NeoCon Canada’s mandate is to serve the interests of interior design, architectural, facility management, real estate development and business communities through an annual tradeshow and conference that takes place at the Direct Energy Centre in

Mail or FAX this form with your credit card information to: (914) 923-0018 (USA) Sipco Publications Inc., P.O. Box 107, Ossining, NY 10562, USA. Order online at: www.sipco.net

US$130 One full year subscription: (4 Issues) Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Products you specify or purchase: ❑ Fabric ❑ Upholstery ❑ Area rugs/Machine made rugs ❑ Towels/Sheets/Bedding ❑ Fibers/Yarns/Fiberfill ❑ Window coverings ❑ Wallcoverings Type of business:

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