Fabrics & Furnishings - Winter 2014 Issue

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Volume 25, Number 1

Winter 2014/2015

The Global Home & Contract Furnishings Newspaper

Against the Tide, Italian Suppliers Forge Ahead; Create New Qualities, Find New Markets

Mills, Converters Work to Improve Deliveries, Streamline Operations, Add Value to Higher End

Giovanni Vaj

Luisa Arrigoni

Luca Ferrari

Vay Successfully Converts • Pg 13 Limonta Broadens Range • Pg 22 DiNole Goes Hi-Tech • Pg 18

Vaj Brothers Build Successful Converting Business in Chieri, Italy Pg 13

Massimiliano (Max) and Maurizio Forasassi

Marco De Benedetti and Aldo Boselli

Forasassi Outsources • Pg 26

Boselli Re-energizes • Pg 22

ItaliansMean

Jabtex Launches Remodeled Dubai Showroom Pg 37

D’Décor Opens First of 12 Retail Stores in India; Owners Ajay, Sanjay Arora Seek Lead-Time Cuts

Customers celebrate at Bru’s 20th birthday: Naser Al Sager of Al Riyash Trading, Kuwait; A.K. Arabi Katbi of Décor Class, Jeddah; Nader Oubari of Jabtex International, Dubai; Zaki Kalha of Jordan; Shihab and the chairman Hafiz Selawy of Bravo Design, Doha, Qatar. Pg 12

Ena Shaw Adds Seventh Nameplate • Pg 18 Pg 29 Ajay and Sanjay Arora

w w w. F a b r i c s A n d F u r n i s h i n g s . c o m

See page 14 for other stories

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FF&FI FI NE L EW T TSE R S

Letters to the Editor — More on Samples Abuse Dear Eric, First of all we would like to thank you for your newspaper, which we read always with great interest as we think it’s quite the only one in our market reporting interesting and real facts.

And we have been confirmed in our idea reading your great letter on the Autumn 2014 issue. Really, really thank you.

It’s hard to believe that what you illustrate in the letter is something everybody in the textile market knows (and lives) perfectly, but nobody “dares” to explain it so clearly and precisely. You

The Global Home & Contract Furnishings Newspaper

gave a perfect and complete description of all the insane process.

It’s so many years that every one of us has to struggle with this total lack of decency, that it is difficult to believe that something could change in the future. The matter has become a constant abuse, and, as a producer (or as an agent of course) you feel you have no choice other than to adapt to the system, if you want to keep a hope to have a chance at the end. But, after so many years, I can tell you that even when you accept such an unrespectful way, (continued on Page 12)

520 West Avenue, Suite 701, Miami Beach, FL 33139 USA Website: www.fabricsandfurnishings.com Telephone 001.917.251.9922 | ISSN: 1523-7303 Publisher & Editor | Eric S. Schneider Associate Editor | Marc Weinreich Art Director | Roxanne Clapp, RoxC LLC Corporate Secretary | Gail Goldman, PhD. CORPORATE CONSULTANTS Printing/Distribution | Interprint Web Printing Web Design | Synthovation E.U. Legal Counsel | Herman Nayaert SIPCO NEWS NETWORK

Table of Contents F&FI Winter 2014/2015 | Vol. 25, No. 1

U.K. | Geoff Fisher

Belgium | Jan Hoffman

USA | Marc Weinreich

EDITORIAL & PUBLISHING

Bru Throws 20th Birthday Party. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Fradin Rides off to Sunset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Vaj Brothers Build Successful Italy Based Converting Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Richloom Appoints Mitchell VP, Furniture Fabric Sales, Merchandising . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Cousins Elyassi, Melamed Turn Belagio Into Major Trim Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Sirio Tendaggi Sees A Future In China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Proposte Schedule Earlier Than Ever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Tessile Di Nole Specializes in Velvets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Limonta Interiors Tightens Grip On Fabrics Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Boselli Targets More Home Fabric Business Under De Benedetti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Isabelle De Borchgrave Gives Art to Life and Life to Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25 Forasassi Outsources Everything But Weaving To Prato Based Suppliers . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 GM Fabrics India, Aims to Become a “One Stop Shop” For Home Furnishing Fabrics . . . . 28 D’Décor Opens First of 12 Retail Stores in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Covington’s Tarver Smells the Roses of ‘Best Year Yet’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Hotel Starts Boost Dubai Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Jonathan Mark Designs Adds New Heimtextil Wall Covering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Western Exhibitors At Intertextile Shanghai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Keystone Weavers Sold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Conneaut Leather Acquires Cortina Leathers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Anne Hood Named Director of Merchandising at Regal Fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Sue Patrolia Promoted to Director of Product Management at Regal Fabrics. . . . . . . . . . 37 Jabtex Launches Remodeled Dubai Showroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Contract/HospitalityNews Hospitality Business Surfs Business Wave at BDNY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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DESIGN The Products of Tomorrow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33

Departments Photo Gallery - MoOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Photo Gallery - Intertextile Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Advertiser Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

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India | S. Vishwanath

www.fabricsandfurnishings.com

EDITOR & PUBLISHER USA, EUROPE & CHINA Eric Schneider Tel: 001.917.251.9922 E-Mail: eric@sipco.net

ART DIRECTOR Roxanne Clapp Tel: 001.813.991.1860 E-Mail: rox@sipco.net WEB DEVELOPER Rocco Cerullo, Artisian Designs Tel: 001.954.914.4758 E-Mail: recerullo@artisian.com

DISTRIBUTION Mike Panella E-Mail: mikep@apc-pli.com

ADVERTISING SALES

TURKEY INDIA ITALY, GERMANY, SPAIN, FRANCE Sevim Gunes Rekha V. Isa Hofmann Tel: 90.532.236.25.24 Tel: 91.80.26685821 Tel: +49 611.890.59640 Fax: 90.216.390.20.27 Cell: 91.93.42821379 Fax: +49 611.87086 Email: skeskinci@gmail.com Email: info@ihofmann.com Fax: 91.80.26684670 Email: s_wishwanath@hotmail.com

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Email: info@getdesignbooks.com/vasant14feb1967@gmail.com

Winter 2014/2015 n

FF&FI FI NE L EW T TSE R S (Continued from Page 8)

Lexi Keeton and Michael Collins are married and living in Australia

Letters to the Editor you have quite no chances at the end.

Customers pick up free samples (with free shipments of course) as a normal practice, as something due to them, and no discussion allowed.

So this leads to the paradox that a producer/agent should be happy during an entire fair or business trip made writing samples orders for everybody!

Please, try to explain this crazy way of working to one of your friends in another business, outside textile: you’ll see - we tried - they don’t even understand what you are saying, because that’s completely against all business logic; but it’s now our usual and only world!

Textile has been highly and irreparably damaged by these absurd behaviors, and now it’s possibly too late to do anything; but we are really happy to know somebody else in the World keeps the eyes open, and does not agree at all with it.

Thank you again, Benedetta Tosi ASTRA NOVA ITALY ________________________ Good morning Eric, “I just received my Autumn Edition of FFI and would like to put my two cents in with regard to designers asking for samples and not using them.

I have witnessed this for years; piles and piles of mill samples in studios hardly being touched until the janitor is called once every year or so to hall them off to the dumpster.

If mills worldwide would institute a policy and ask the designers to return all unused samples, whether they need them back or not, it should give the designer at least some sense of responsibility toward them.”

JOHN STENGER VP SALES VIP SAMPLES, INC. ________________________

Lexi is the daughter of the legendary Johnny Keeton, ‘super agent.’

HU mamma mia !!! is it true ?

You’re right on everything and you probably forgot that also “suppliers” and “agents” are not all “saints” and nice …. “categories” are always very tricky, to describe an attitude ages ago one of our nicest customer told me what his “grandma” was telling him when he was young: “it’s nice to be important, it’s important to be nice”…. I guess it may work for any “categories.”

Everything starts absolutely from the top for sure and ….. it’s easy to spot it if you’re on “the road” …. “nice” customers do usually have “nice” designer teams … (and vice versa) and I guess it is up to you to decide with whom you want to work …. I’m usually looking for the nice ones ….

Ciao, Luca Ferrari, Tessiutura DiNole Velvets ______________________

Lexi Keeton and Michael Collins are married and living In Australia. Lexi is the daughter of the legendary Johnny Keeton, ‘super agent.’

digits numbers at the reverse side of your charge card.’

Not thinking anything wrong, since the call seems to come from the front desk you oblige.

But actually, it is a scam by someone calling from outside the hotel. They have asked for a random room number, then ask you for your credit card and address information. They sound so professional, that you think you are talking to the front desk.

If you ever encounter this scenario on your travels, tell the caller that you will be down to the front desk to clear up any

For Your Safety: Hotel Scam This is one of the best or worst scams I’ve heard about.

You arrive at your hotel and check in at the front desk.

Typically when checking in, you give the front desk your credit card (for any charges to your room).

You go to your room and settle in. All is good!

The hotel receives a call and the caller asks for (as an example) room 620, which happens to be your room.

The phone rings in your room.

You answer and the person on the other end says the following: ‘This is the front desk. When checking in, we came across a problem with your charge card information.

Please re-read me your credit card numbers and verify the last 3

ONTICH, BE — About five hundred customers from sixty countries helped fabric converter Bru Textiles celebrate its 20th year on September 9th at company headquarters here.

The event coincided with the opening of MoOD at the Brussels Exhibition Center.

Company owners Jason Neiman and his brother Gary proudly showed off Bru’s new automated warehouse which is said to be thirty

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meters high with a capacity of 118,000 rolls according to customers hosted at the event.

Bru was a pioneer in automated warehousing in the textiles industry.

The technology helped the company score dramatic growth in plains and textures with deep color lines.

Bru turnover is estimated at 120 million Euros which is almost $180 million. This makes Bru one of the most successful fabric converters in the world.

F&FI

problems. Then, go to the front desk or call directly and ask if there was a problem. If there was none, inform the manager of the hotel that someone tried to scam you of your credit card information, acting like a front desk employee.

This was sent by someone who has been duped........and is still cleaning up the mess.

P.S. Please, consider spreading the word by sharing this story.

Who knows, you might just help someone avoid a nasty experience.

ANYONE traveling should be aware of this one!

Submitted by Anonymous

Say hello to the honeymooners Mr. And Mrs. Marco De Benedetti seen at Delano Hotel in South Beach. Marco is the Sales Manager for Boselli

Fradin Rides Off Into Sunset Dear Eric ,

Bru Throws Party for 20th Year

K

Neomagic Fabrics-Kostas Metridis Weds In August! From the left side: Maria Metridis, Athina Metridis, Kostas, wife Mina Metridis, Maria Metridis, All Are Cousins Of Kostas

I guess this letter will end up having two meanings. The first meaning is that on the official Rockland Mills USA level, I’m retiring after 48 years with Rockland on July 1, 2014.

The second meaning is that I will continue as an independent consultant on behalf of the company, basically performing many of the functions previously in my area of responsibility for another year or maybe longer. I doubt I will be traveling to trade shows and I also doubt I will be in as much or as close a contact with you in the future as I may have been in the past. But make no mistake, I will be here in the background by phone, email and computer.

The last 48 years have been a flash of time since almost without exception, they have all been a joy and a delight in my experience as President of Rockland Mills. It would not have been made possible without you and countless others who helped support me and who gave me the opportunity in letting my company grow to its level of importance in our industry. It has always been my belief that a company is not known by their product alone but also by the customer list they serve. You are the customer and I thank you for your past business and your friendship and I look forward to the hope that you will continue your association with Rockland in the future in the same strong way that you have in the past.

I wish you all the best of health, happiness and success. I also look forward to our paths possibly crossing again some point down the road. Thanks for a great ride.

Very truly yours, Stan Fradin, President Rockland Industries

www.fabricsandfurnishings.com

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Vaj Brothers Build Successful Chieri, Richloom Appoints Mitchell VP, Furniture Fabric Sales, Italy Based Converting Business Decision to close their family mill a decade ago paid off ItaliansMean Sipco News Network

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Italy — Giovanni Vaj, President and his brother Enrico stopped production in their family mill in 2005 and ten years later, they are operating a $35 million fabric converting business in residential and some contract, serving the EU that grew 30 percent in the last five years according to the owners.

Giovanni handles sales as President and brother Enrico is responsible for product development and the local Italian market.

Ten years ago, our competitors told us we were crazy to close the mill. Many never thought we’d get off the ground with the new converting business but they were mistaken. Those who stayed with their mills are having a very tough time today,” Giovanni says. “Some mills have lost up to 50 percent of their business.” In contrast to this decline, Vaj says it is getting the business of more and more of the largest editeurs and jobbers in Europe. “Russia is still a large market but it has suffered in the last hieri,

nine months.”

They sold off the last weaving equipment in 2009 and focus on commission weaving their dual-purpose taffetas, plains and textures principally in Italy and to a lesser extent in Turkey. Vay stocks raw material in the form of yarn including FR yarn and greige. The price range of the Vay line is seven to nine Euros but it starts at 2.5 Euro and is as high as 20 Euros in three-meter widths. Vay does 70-80 collections a year and produces 1.8 million meters a year compared to Brutex of Mechelen, Belgium, for example, which produces a

Giovanni Vaj

reported five million meters a year just to give an idea of relative size.

Brutex is in the same space as Vay, only four times larger converting plains and textures. Vay is ‘Avis’ versus Brutex as ‘Hertz.’

“Business is successful, but we can do better,” Giovanni reasons.

“About 97 percent of our orders are in Europe but we are looking to do more business in Central and South America. Vay has one account in the USA which is not a target market…yet.

“We prefer direct relationships with large accounts. We deliver in 48 hours from receipt of order.

We want to give each customer exclusive product. We grew seven percent in 2014 in a very difficult market.”

“Our goal is not to have four distributors selling our same products in the same market.”

Giovanni says his goal is not to grow too fast. “We are consolidating our gains and improving our operations to better service the customer.”

“Half of our finishing is done in Italy; 40 percent in Turkey and 10 percent is finished in China,” Giovanni says. “Plains require hand finishing for a plush finish, structure and many colors in the range.”

F&FI

Merchandising

He expects to build new R-Studio Brand for Richloom Sipco News Netowrk

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EW YORK, New York — Richloom Fabrics Group has named Nolan Mitchell Vice President of Sales and Merchandising, Furniture Division for its mid level and mass market driven upholstery collections.

With his appointment, it looks like Richloom is taking a more active role in bringing out new brands for commodity products. R-Style, a successful upholstery brand wil now be joined by R-Studio.

“Richloom also named ten year veteran Lisa Ayers, VP of Upholstery Design. Lisa and her team came up with new styles of presentations for both the R-Style and R-Studio lines

with the goal of captivating buyers’ attention in quick visual snapshots.

We can’t wait to unleash this to our customers at Showtime.”

To head the charge here, Mitchell has moved to New York from Shanghai.

He reports to Jim Richman, President of Richloom. Mitchell was most recently VP Asian Operations of Richloom’s Shanghai office. He held that post based in Shanghai for five years and prior to that, he spent 15 years in the private label casegoods industry.

At the same time, Kerry Lanzit replaces Nolan in the Shanghai office where his title is General Manager of Asian Operations Overall, Mitchell said that Richloom upholstery has been holding its own this year in a tough business climate.

“We’ve been working smarter than ever before.

The bulk of (continued on Page 35)

Cousins Elyassi, Melamed Turn Belagio Into Major Trim Business Pantone 158 C

and even feather trimmings.

Farshad arrived in the USA in OS ANGELES, California — 1981. He bought Art Sales, shortly Belagio Enterprises has built after arriving. Art Sales was started a $25 million operation by bringing in 1945 to sell laces and trims to fashion apparel styling into the the apparel industry. It was also a master distributor for Conso home decorative trim business.

Currently, rhinestone and Trims. He bought a 40,000 square ‘blingy’ products with high eye foot building and a second bonded appeal are selling well at Belagio, warehouse near Los Angeles according to the owners, Farshad Airport to support the business.

In 1985, Farshad bought R.J. Melamed and his cousin Danny Elyassi, Vice President, Sales and Singer, a handbag and notions company. He built this business Marketing.

The company has 4,200 sku’s of into one of the largest suppliers trim including outdoor, jute, linen, of leather items in the world. It crystals, laces, embroidery, leather helped bankroll Belagio when his cousin Danny joined the business and started Belagio Trim in 2001.

“We learned a lot about business from supplying companies like Rayovac battery and Gillette,” Farshad points out.

During the time Belagio started, the domestic apparel business disappeared Belagio still makes some of its own lace along with the apparel and trim lines on this ancient Singer trim business. Danny machine saw the potential of the Sipco News Network

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home decorative trim business. He originally had a store in downtown Los Angeles, Imperial Trimming.

He sold it prior to joining Farshad.

Under Danny’s management, Belagio became an importer of trim, working with factories in Dalian, China and further south.

Today, 70 percent of the trim comes from China and the balance is from India, Thailand and other countries, Danny says.

Belagio bought out Skyline Trimmimg, Nantucket and Bomar and is in negotiation to buy other trim companies. “We can grow through acquisition alone,” Danny says.

“We can increase our share of a declining market. Trimming has been soft. Trim companies with high operating costs have disappeared.”

“We don’t sell retail. Our market is the bedding and furniture manufacturer. We service them China to China; retail chains are 30 percent of our businesses today while the jobber and converter is 40 percent of our business. We do another 30 percent internationally with the legitimate retailer and distributor in Japan, UK, Germany,

Pantone 446 C

Netherlands, and France. Italy, Russia, Spain and Australia.

“We have an office in Hangzhou, China under the Belagio name. Zoey is the manager of that operation,” Danny points out.

“Our China-toChina business is This is the growing and so is our Los Angeles domestic business. home of The overall business Belagio will also grow along Enterprises with the economy. and R.J. We are self financed Singer and have no debt,” Farshad says.

Belagio brings out two collections a year. “We ship from stock in one to three days from receipt of order; special order can be shipped in eight to ten days.,” Danny says. “We cover trim price points from $1 for simple trim to $10 a yard for rhinestone and silk trim.”

“We’re looking for more trim distributors. We show our lines at Showtime USA twice a year; Las

Danny Elyassi and Farshad Melamed Vegas twice a year, New York, Los Angeles and we’re thinking of showing at Heimtextil in Frankfurt.

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ItaliansMean

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LUILOR – A FAMILY SUCCESS STORY FROM FASHION TO UPHOLSTERY “WE ARE COMMITTED TO CLOSE PARTNERSHIPS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS” RESIDENTIAL UPHOLSTERY IS OUR WORLD

Sirio Tendaggi Sees A Future In China Sipco News Network

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AGNAGO, IT—Sirio Tendaggi sees an opportunity to sell its high end lines of cashmere and wool fabrics to the Chinese based on the firm’s recent experience at Heimtextil Asia, its third time at the event.

“They looked at our line and they liked it,” says Diego Vercellino, Sales Manager. He admits that China will try to copy the European fabric designs but nevertheless,

Mario Biscolleti, develops Sirio Tendaggi’s linen range

“the Chinese will spend the money for something they really like; we will have to adapt our products to their taste.

They like the fashion and quality of Italian weavers,” he says.

S i r i o Allessandra Paganini, owner with Diego Vercellino Tendaggi sees While the company stared in further potential for its products with the world’s editeurs, especially silk production 20 years ago, blends in the USA. “We’ve been in linen of polyester and silk are the future, qualities for three years now and he adds.

Sirio Tendaggi is owned by our handwriting is very different Allesandra Paganini and produces from the competition.

“Sales are up 20 percent in digitally printed plains and sheers 2014, returning to 2007 levels and over 25 Euros a meter. The com2015 looks like a greater year for pany’s total production is 25,000 us,” Vercellino reports. New infor- meters per month; 1,000 meters mation systems are being installed a day using 1,000 types of novelty at Sirio Tendaggi in 2015 that will yarns. F&FI take them out of the Stone Age, he laughs.

At Luilor premises everything seems to be prepared to welcome and serve customers from the local market and abroad. A bright, clear and inviting showroom gives immediately an overview on the current jacquard fabric patterns.

The company founded in 1990 by the owner Marco Biagioni is run in 2nd generation now by him and his two sons Luigi and Lorenzo. This is by the way the meaning of the company name – the initials of LUI gi and LORenzo.

This personal approach seems to be the success recipe of Luilor. Business contacts are followed up mainly by Marco, Luigi and Lorenzo Biagioni and the commercial director Stefano Morotti, who joined the company four years ago.

A significant renovation campaign has been started since 2012 including the purchase of 10 new looms last spring.

Another six new looms will be integrated until beginning 2015 to end up with a total of 60 state-of-the-art jacquard looms.

Luilor is producing heavy jacquard upholstery fabrics for editors only. Previously

they used to cover the fashion market. And this is perhaps the reason for their quick response and creative spirit. The speciality of the 3 designers creative team are natural fibers like linen, cotton, silk and wool all with a very natural appeal. Very few polyester is blended. Experimenting and playing with different yarn types and structures, special finishing techniques and always performing new ideas is what makes the brand so unique.

The average age of Luilor’s staff is 31 – a fact that spurs and boosts the push and drive for novelties and the passionate search for unique customized solutions every day. 90 % of the business is residential and 80 % the export volume. With 70 employees Luilor produces around 200 pieces per day and 1,3 million meters/year.

Marco Biagioni: “We used to grow step by step and that is what we are looking for in the future. We want to be one of the major players in residential upholstery”. Stefano Morotti adds: “We are committed to close partnerships with our customers around the world.”

Stefano Morotti on left and Marco Biagioni

Maria Grazia, Sirio Tendaggi’s designer

Diego Vercellino Selection of linen from Sirio endaggi

Proposte Schedule Earlier Than Ever Due to May 1 Expo New dates April 27-29, 2015 Sipco News Network

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IBIONNO, Italy —Proposte has scheduled early dates for 2015, April 27-29 due to the May 1 dates of the International Food Expo in Milan which is held every four years. “The customer wants to attend Proposte on the earlier dates,” according to Piercarlo Vigano, President of Proposte. “By holding Proposte a

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few days before the Food Expo, visitors will find there will be enough hotel rooms,” Vigano explained.

The head of Vigano Tessuti also said his business grew in 2014, especially the export end of it. He expects 2015 to be a very good year for his firm, which was started by his grandfather in 1930 and now has its fourth generation in place with his daughter

Alessandra now involved. Vigano exhibits at Proposte as well as Evteks, MoOD and Heimtextil.

Vigano makes upholstery in the eight-16 Euro range for flat weave and 11 to 25 Euros in velvet construction. Digitally printed velvets are also available in the 25-28 Euro range, about 35 per cent more than plain vevets, Vigano says.

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Interesting Vigano texture

Piercarlo Vigano

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Contract/HospitalityNews

C/HNEWS I Hospitality Business Surfs Business Wave at BDNY N ew York — The hospitality fabrics jobber was in strong evidence at the 400+ exhibits at BoutiqueDesign-NY in November as the industry celebrates its best year yet since 2008.

To a man, everyone had a great year, making the hospitality market the one bright spot in Furnishings fabrics. There was talk of a 70,000 yard order written for curtaining at Wynn Hospitality in Las Vegas. That’s a big order--which hadn’t been seen in quite awhile.

Robert Duban, EVP of Kravet said the industry was up five to ten percent but he also said that Kravet beat 2013 by a country mile, with a double digit sales increase. Jobbers are buying more fabric from the North Ametican suppliers but China figures heavily in commodities.

Turkey and India are also being sourced for contract goods.

–Eric Schneider

Lance Keziah, President of Crypton® with Rick Hickman and Stacey Tarkington of Tri-kes; Randy and Craig Rubin, Principals of Crypton Koni Kim, CEO of Koni Hospitality, Chula Vista, CA. Buys fabrics from China and Mexico and Jay Dash, contract consultant in Las Vegas and his brother, Gary Rosenthal, VP Contract, Duralee Fabrics, New York

Jeff Gower. Executive VP, National Sales Manager, KB Contract, a converter and distributor of hospitality fabrics showing off new Nassimi Turkish velvet line

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Deborah Herman, President, Fabric Innovations with Melanie Cardile, Hilton Worldwide

Rick Hickman, VP Sales, Tri-kes, Dallas, TX with Stacey Tarkington, VP Marketing.

The pair buys fabrics for this major wall covering distributor. Note: Tri-kes specializes in unique textures like this polyester jacquard for contract.

Tommy Lee, owner of Appian Textiles.

Eight year old contract fabric converter in Archdale, NC. Features US made fabrics and Brazilian made vinyls. He poses with a solution dyed Sunbrella® item made by Sunbury Mills.

Bernie Feldman, President, Justin David, San Diego, CA with Ron Halfon, VP Wholesale Manufacturing, Paradise Pillow Inc. Philadelphia, PA

Deborah Lazarus, President and Eric Lazarus. VP Sales & Marketing for Lazarus Mfg., Medley, FL

Rocco Tallarita. VP Contract Sales for Richloom® Fabrics Group, any with David Litvak, Principal of Village Hospitality, Las Vegas Hospitality Showroom.

www.fabricsandfurnishings.com

Stefan Lasek, National Sales Manager and Robert Duban. EVP, KravetContract, New York

Winter 2014/2015 n

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Tessile Di Nole Specializes in Velvets, Streamlines Production Ferrari emphasizes automated equipment to be competitive ItaliansMean Sipco News Network

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OLE, Turin, IT—“Many customers look for price alone and that’s what makes the market so difficult,” says Luca Ferrari, owner of Manifattura Tessile Di Nole, the Italian velvet producer with 7,911

custom colors to its credit.

“Every mill has to specialize in something in order to survive.

This is no time to produce average products. You need to have quality, delivery, service, exclusivity with a worldwide base of customers.”

“Quality means service and exclusivity,” he points out. One must look at who will remain in business. If you look only in terms

of today, you can repeat the mistakes of the past.” His mother used to tell him that if he sells nice fabrics, you’ll meet nice people,” Ferrari laughs. He started with Nole in 1991 after his father bought the company in 1974. The mill started in 1913.

Nole has been present at Intertextile in Shanghai for two years and the company is find-

ing high-end wholesalers in China who want European goods. “Nole makes upholstery but it can also be used for decorative fabrics. China and the USA are Nole’s two growth markets, Ferrari says.

Ferrari says that German customers look at the balance sheet of their suppliers. “The Germans want continuity. They’re investing (continued on Page 28)

Ferrari likes to keep it simple

Ena Shaw Adds Seventh Nameplate With Montgomery Brand Purchase 83-year-old company is today a major global fabric, blackout buyer Sipco News Network

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T. HELENS, Merseyside, UK-Ena Shaw Ltd., which bills itself as the UK’s “premier manufacturer of readymade and made to measure curtains and blinds” purchased the Montgomery brand from administrators in September and has added it to its stable of readymade curtain ranges.

“The stocks and intellectual property of Montgomery Furnishing Limited were acquired on 21st August 2014 by Curtain Concessions Limited (“CCL”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ena Shaw Limited,” said Richard Potter, Managing Director of Ena Shaw and third generation owner.

Ena Shaw is one of the largest UK manufacturers of custom made soft furnishings, trading via their Richard Barrie, Curtain Express, Tru Living and Q Design brands.

“CCL was set up specifically to run curtain concessions and will continue to run independently from Ena Shaw from a new office and readymade warehouse in Mold, North Wales,” he added. A number of Montgomery staff have

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joined the new operation including Barry Goodman-King as Sales Director. All manufacturing will transfer to Ena Shaw. A number of the Montgomery manufacturing team have also joined Ena Shaw including Sarah Shaw, the Montgomery Manufacturing Manager.”

Shaw said: “We are delighted to have acquired the Montgomery brand. Their concession driven business compliments our own trade customer base. It is important that the two companies maintain their own identity and specialist skills. We have committed to a major re-stocking program to repair the damage done by many weeks of uncertainty whilst the company was in administration. I hope Montgomery customers and distributors will continue to support the brand as we re-establish the service and quality for which it was widely known.”

Ena Shaw also operates in the contract market as Ena Shaw Contract, which undertakes projects in the hospitality, care and social housing sector.

Most notably, curtains for all 14,000 windows of the London 2012 Athlete’s Village were measured, manufactured

and fitted by the Edna Shaw Contract team.

“Ena Shaw also operates a furnishing store in St Helens, Merseyside, which has traded since 1932,” Potter added. “The store Ena Shaw sews curtains in its 85,000 square foot has seen significant investment in the last 18 months and has seen positive acquisition is well known in the UK increases in sales as a result. marketplace. At press time, Potter offered Stephen Clancy and David no further comments about the purchase Whitehouse of Duff and Phelps were to Fabrics & Furnishings International. appointed joint administrators of Since 1999, Enashaw Ltd. has also Montgomery Furnishings Ltd. on 1 July sold customized curtains and blinds 2014, a company founded last year to buy through a site called Curtain Express. the assets and business of Montgomery co.uk. This site gives seven-day delivery Tomlinson Ltd., a well known converter service for curtains to the retailer and and manufacturer previously owned by consumer. Ena Shaw services the retailer Grahame Tomlinson which fell on hard with soft furnishings and fabrics. times. Ena Shaw was the successful Prior to that, the manufacturing bidder in purchasing the intellectual branch started in 1982 initially supplying assets of the Montgomery brand from velvet curtains via mail order followed by the administrators. an expansion to supply made to measure Ena Shaw is now in the middle curtains to retailers under the Richard of creating a new website for the Barrie brand.

Montgomery brand under the In 1996, the company moved to an ownership of ‘Curtain Concessions Ltd.’ 85,000 square foot factory and warehouse This name was part of the intellectual in St. Helens where it stocks fabric cuts and assets of Montgomery brand. pieces. It offers customized curtains and Richard Potter, the third generation blinds in seven days. This was followed by family owner and MD of Ena Shaw has the acquisition of Q Designs, TRU Textiles not issued any details of the purchase and Whiteheads brands. Together with of Montgomery but the news about the Contract Solutions and now Montgomery,

www.fabricsandfurnishings.com

office and factory in the UK Ena Shaw offers product under seven different brands. The company also owns Enashaw Home, a retail outlet in St, Helens, Merseyside that sells furniture brands like Stressless, Sits, Leather Editions, Parker Knoll and G-Plan upholstery, some of the biggest UK furniture brands/manufacturers.

It also offers floor coverings and soft home products.

Ena Shaw founded her company in 1932 with steady growth for its six brands since then, the corporate website says.

Shaw started her own workroom in what was Lancashire where she made curtains and loose covers for retail sales. That area is now called St. Helens, Merseyside.

Her two sons carried on the business and with Richard Potter, the third generation continues the business with management outside the Potter family.

The company employs over 180 people and received a major vote of confidence by winning a UK Government contract to provide the Olympic Village with curtains for 16,000 rooms in 2012.

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Limonta Interiors Tightens Grip On Fabrics Market, Expects to Increase Market Share Globally In 2015 With more products in their bag, Arrigoni, Malagutti lead the charge ItaliansMean Sipco News Network

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OSTAMASNAGA, Italy — Limonta Interior Coverings expects to broadly diversify its upholstery and drapery fabric lines in 2015 to offset a decline in the overall fabrics business and the resulting smaller orders according to Luisa Arrigoni, Export Area Manager. (Her boss, Sales Manager, Davide Malagutti was on the road during this interview.)

As part of this plan, Limonta will introduce a new collection of luxurious yarns for the high end market, together with a contract collection based on natural yarns that will change completely the contract market.

Previously, Limonta produces flame retardant vinyl and fabrics.

For the past three years, Limonta has expanded also its outdoor fabric collection with polypropylene yarns and this will continue.

These new products, as many as 300 sku’s, will be shown at Proposte April 27/29. “That’s the only fair utilized by Limonta. We work with our customers individually all year long,” she said. (Knowledge sharing among all divisions of Limonta is encouraged and results in some pretty innovative developments according to to Limonta’s corporate brochure.)

“With 70 percent of our business geared to export today, more significant financial resources are being put into the Interior division in an effort to continue its growth of three to five percent in export” Arrigoni pointed out. Limonta sells products all over the World from a total of 70 production looms in two to three shifts. We deliver 90 percent on time,” she added. Europe

is the largest market for Limonta; Italy, Germany and England are still growing with the USA in second place but the company also sells to Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan offering exclusivity in designs and colors to its customers.

“We edit and adopt fabric lines according to the needs of our customers.”

The financial figures are private for Limonta but it ranks in the Top 20 fabric suppliers in the world, according to Fabrics & Furnishings International research.

Limonta is also leading the list of the top five interior suppliers in sales in Italy. Limonta is becoming more vocal, more marketing and presentation oriented and expects to build its first showroom ever in its main office in Costamasnaga. In short, Limonta expects to be more aggressive and more open with the marketplace than ever before while the Italian competition stays in the

background, Arrigoni explained “By offering more product categories like outdoor and contract with many more sku’s in each category, we expect to increase our share of a declining fabrics market worldwide,” she said. Limonta has 15 looms dedicated to producing nothing but samples for its customers and this will continue with an ever more diversified line. Limonta, now with eight divisions in the group, was founded in 1893 and is on its fourth generation of management Limonta is one of the largest industrial companies in Italy with 1,360 employees in ten factories.

The Interior division dyes yarn for yarn dyed collections, and piece dyes greige for its line of jacquards and dobbies. It produces its own designs on six CAD stations; has a vast digital archive of all of its designs going back 122 years and finishes its products internally. Limonta fabrics and Coatings Division pro-

Davide Malagutti duces a line of synthetic leathers for fashion as well as a line for interiors.

Artificial leather is a growing business in interiors as well as fashion for Limonta, Arrigoni said.

Davide Malagutti is the Sales Manager and Luisa Arrigoni together with Giusy Marelli are export area managers working with Malagutti on the interior Coverings Division of Limonta Group. F&FI

Boselli Targets More Home Fabric Business Under De Benedetti ItaliansMean

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Sipco News Network

lgiate,

Comasco, Italy—E. Boselli & C. is taking advantage of a slower lingerie market to push more deeply into home fabrics under the direction of Marco De Benedetti who joined the company this past June as manager of decorative fabrics.

Boselli expects to capitalize on its expertise in producing home

fabrics “with the same soft hand as its lingerie fabrics in lightweight and heavyweight variations,” says Aldo Boselli, a principal of Boselli and the fourth generation of family ownership. “Even technical fabrics will feature a soft hand including anti bacterial shower curtains and cubicle curtains for hospitals,” he says.

The 40 year old De Benedetti was export manager at Clerion for the past five years and is excited about the larger canvas he will be (continued on Page 26)

Marco De Benedetti and Aldo Boselli

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Isabelle De Borchgrave Gives Art to Life and Life to Art; She Now Enters New Phase With Fine Artwork for USA Sipco News Network

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RUSSELS—Isabelle De Borchgrave, artist, colorist and fashion designer of all things beautiful has been designing home furnishings fabrics and other home products at popular retail price points for nearly 50 years.

A new poster line of her artwork is available through Soicher Marin and now she wants to launch a major retrospective of her artwork in America.

Most of her work has demonstrated a long shelf life in traditional, classic designs.

She has designed tiles and then dinnerware for Villeroy & Boch starting in 1976; Gian of France for faience and more recently for Fabricut, a total of 40 designs and 200 sku’s, This artist in residence now lives in a 12,000 square foot studio that was a former parking garage made over into a beautiful, light filled space. At any one time,

Isabelle has 10-15 young designers who work with her, turning paper into three-dimensional structures.

“The design for fabric and fashion starts with paper and I have been working with paper since before I could walk,” she says. Paper patterns is the precursor to every garment made but Isabelle takes

Isabelle De Borchgrave with husband Werner De Borchgrave

Metal sculpture by Isabelle De Borchgrave

the paper pattern to the next level as a finished product you cannot tell from textiles. (It is the most amazing textile fakery you have ever seen!)

Consider yourself lucky if you are invited to dinner there because it is a beautiful experience with

her long-time friends including her husband Werner who says he cleans her brushes but he is really the marketing mastermind behind her success.

Isabelle’s latest success is an extensive collection of fabrics for Fabricut (licensed through HB2)

Longstanding design for Gien China of France and matching papergoods

Isabelle De Borchgrave with best friend Sybille

Paper chandelier

Part of The De Borchgrave Studio, Brussels

Model of De Borchgrave studio in Brussels

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Metal sculpture by Isabelle De Borchgrave

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Paper structure—not textile with painting

Winter 2014/2015 n

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Matisse featured in De Borchgrave art posters

Matisse is the name of this Koi in the De Borchgrave pond.

(Not Shown) Gaugin, Tanizaki and Klimpt

Part of the Fabricut Collection introduced nine months ago by Isabelle; Wallpaper to come. that seems to be selling well with a wallpaper collection planned Werner De Borchgrave, master of cerfor the near future. She has designed fabrics for P/Kaufmann, emonies Covington, Boussac, Tricia Guild and Patrick Frey; carpets for DePoortere and linens for Libeco. She is also a friend with just about everyone who has made a mark in the textile world from artists, designers to manufacturers.

This year, she was part of the MoOD exhibition in more ways than one; she was on the tour list for journalists at MoOD with a cocktail party at her studio home. In addition to that, she has designed fabric collections for many of the MoOD exhibitors over the years, giving inspiration to the exhibition in the process.

Her unique niche in the market comes from her work as an artist who wandered into textiles but she is still painting and creating art from heavily crafted paper, something she has done since she was a child with just as much passion today as her she had in her younger days.

The Brussels borne artist who’s family came to Belgium in the 16th Century designed a line of paper napkins for Casparo called ‘Mille Fleur’ that is still selling well, she says.

“You can build a collection in two hours at her studio—not Werner De Borchgrave with wife two days—said a designer who works for Fabricut. Everyone Isabelle. “I clean her brushes,” raves about her studio with its extensive archives.

Werner says.

And what about retirement? Never, she says. “We took ten years off in the 80’s to raise our two adopted children; a son who is a 28 year old film maker and a daughter, 31, who works on websites and visual communications.

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De Borchgrave print for textiles

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De Borchgrave print for textiles

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Forasassi Outsources Everything But Weaving To Prato Based Suppliers This practice greatly reduces overhead and increases versatility, the owners say ItaliansMean Sipco News Network

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ONTEMURLO, (Prato) Italy — Prato’s mills are proving that subcontracting everything but the weaving can pay big dividends to owners like Massimiliano and Maurizio Forasassi, brothers and second generation owners of the mill by that name.

By contracting out most everything, the brothers can control their overhead according to the orders. Forasassi employs

“We start with the yarns and 16 people but the firm supports 75 families who are independent invite our customers to work with suppliers. The company shows its us on their collections and colors. collections outside Villa Erba each We try to think out of the box. We May but it also produces collections can make everything in Trevra®CS. in October and January. (continued on Pgae 29) Forasassi makes jacquard linen weaves and chenille in fancy yarns in upholstery fabrics which sell for 12 -30 Euros a Forassasi headquarters in Prato meter.

(Continued from Page 22)

Boselli Targets More Home Fabric Business Under De Benedetti Raymakers pioneered: • Trevira CS velvets • Dual purpose velvets • Brushed designs for velvets • Bio-degradable dyestuff and finishing chemicals • GOTS certified organic cotton velvets • Piece program of > 1000 velvets

Now Raymakers launches: • Multi layered patterns for velvets

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company. He is the great grandson of the founder Enrico Boselli. Aldo’s cousin Marco handles sales for the company and shares running the overall business with Aldo.

At 117 years old, Boselli is one of the oldest textile companies in Italy with a business in outerwear, lingerie, industrial textiles and home fabrics.

“Boselli developed its silk cloth business more than 100 years ago,” Aldo points out but viscose and synthetic fabric production was developed during WWII; followed by nylon in the ‘60’s; polyester a n d

FR came in the 70’s along with Trevira®CS for the contract market.

Other eco friendly fibers at Boselli include Ingeo® by Cargill Dow and recycled polyester.

The company does its own dyeing and printing. Twisting, texturizing and spinning are also done internally. Weaving plains and jacquards is achieved in a separate factory about 60 miles from the Olgiate based headquarters.

Boselli exhibits at Proposte.

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able to paint at Boselli, a $16 million vertical producer of plains, jacquards and curtain sheers in wide widths.

Prior to Clerion, he worked for a family business in blinds and shades.

He expects to bring that expertise to Boselli and has already sold some product to the alternative window coverings industry in the USA. Boselli stocks raw materials at its weaving plant, which includes mostly European yarns. It offers two to four piece minimums from stock and custom colors in two piece minimums De Benedetti will handle export markets in France, England, Spain, USA and the rest of the world to supplement efforts by Sabrina Maenetti, a 10 year veteran of Boselli export who handles sales in Italy, Germany and Switzerland.

Boselli started the home fabrics division 20 years ago and it’s about 25 percent of the total business today; De Benedetti is expected to grow this business significantly in the next five years according to Aldo Boselli, who heads up the production and administration departments of the

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Marco De Benedetti in the Boselli mill

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www.fabricsandfurnishings.com

Enrico Boselli, Founder of Boselli, 1898

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GM Fabrics India, Aims to Become a “One Stop Shop” For Home Furnishing Fabrics, Plans Homez Offers In Stock

by Vishwanath.S

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ndia — Brand Homez, to offer stock program collection with minimum one roll per SKU order G. M. Fabrics, India is aiming to become a “One Stop Shop” has widened its product range by adding digital prints & velvet fabrics collections. With steady growth, on an average the mill

currently utilizes its 85% capacity despite ups and downs in the market. “We are now equipped for improving our performance further as we have taken multi-pronged actions both in expanding product range, as well as upgrading the infrastructure facilities”, said Gurvinder Singh, Managing Director, GM Fabrics. The company will be

offering its new collections during Heimtextil includes Drapery & Upholstery fabrics from $3-8 a linear meter, velvets between $5-10, and digital collections at $5-7 range, but delivery of digital printed fabrics will be within 2 weeks as compared to 6-8 weeks of conventional printing, he Gurvinder Singh added. ‘ During the show, we are also launching brand HOMEZ, through our distribution division, a select stock program with minimum order of one roll per SKU’, added Gurivinder.

Along, G.M. Fabrics is also introducing new range of embroideries with value added techniques like sequins, stone, laser cut appliqués, ribbons & cording with the varied price range of US$ 5 to 13, and will also display Ready Made Curtains & Cushions. The company has successfully installed Dye-House Automation, Cutting / Packing Automation & Robotic Warehouse for production optimisation and efficient inventory management systems.

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(Continued from Page 18)

Tessile Di Nole / Ferrari in a collection and they want it to last. Nole only sells to editeurs and not to furniture manufacturers or retail shops,” Ferrari says.

Nole buys yarns for yarn dyed and piece dyed fabrics. It does its own warping and dyeing.

Nole invested in a yarn-changing machine, robotized its color kitchen and robotic warping as well as automated packing equipment in order to reduce overhead.

“The customers can look at our website now see goods in production and exact delivery date within 24 hours after order placement.”

The range of the Nole line is 18 Euros to 110 Euros in cotton and viscose and cashmere, linen and silk at the high end. “Plain velvet goes on forever. Currently, textured velvet and embossing is the fashion.”

“China is king of the bottom end of the velvet market,” Ferrari says.

“The Chinese still use formaldehyde in their fabrics.”

Ferrari says that many mills use to be weaver in Italy but now import fabrics. F&FI

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D’Décor Opens First of 12 Retail Stores in India; Owners Ajay, Sanjay Arora Seek Lead-Time Cuts The pair hopes to continue 10-15 percent growth each year

by Vishwanath.S

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UMBAI--D’Décor has plans to add 11 more retail stores in India under the name ‘The D’Décor Store’ with the 4,000 square foot flagship in Mumbai already opened. The stores feature complete line of D’Décor’s own collections and has plans to stock up to 10% imported fabrics.

D’Decor produces a wide range of furnishing fabrics and retailers cannot stock the full range due to expensive floor space & our stores will give complete range of D Decor product experience under one roof for total home designing. The stores will be hav-

ing fabrics and accessories along with imported stocks choice too, added Sanjay. D’Decor has also launched curtain blinds and made to measure product for the Indian and Global market. The company has also introduced three-meter curtain panels with embroidery and made-to measure curtain blinds to the domestic market, which is supported by a separate factory. D’Decor is now catering to 450 retailers in

India and expects a steady growth rate each year.

D’Décor has installed a new product range in 100 % cotton fabrics with special finishing done internally. ‘These finishing machines provide soft and luxury

touches. These brushed fabric collections are in good demand in the US, Europe and India too.

We are looking to earn a good share in this segment,’ Sanjay said. (continued on Page 31)

(Continued from Page 26)

Forasassi Outsources We produce everything in Prato within ten miles of our factories. By finishing outside, we are very versatile,” Max says.

“We have never felt any downturn in our business which caters to editeurs. We work faster than the mills in the north of Italy and we work 24 hours a day to get the job done for our customers,” Max says.

“This year was a great year for us and we look for a 10 percent increase each year in sales. The business is growing overall and about eight years ago, the export business started growing too. Europe and the USA are its two top markets today.

“Everything we need is local including the yarns, spinning and outside dyeing and finishing where we are part owners of the dye house,” Max explains. “Prato is the capital of finishing, especially wool and synthetics,” he feels.

“The only thing we have in our two factories is weaving with 24 jacquard looms, warehousing and administration,” he points out.

The pair has been in the home fabrics business producing upholstery fabric for 22 years. Prior to that, their father was weaving garment fabrics but that business was retired along with dad about eight years ago. “We started the home fabrics business with dad’s blessing and money,” Max laughs. F&FI

Covington’s Tarver Smells the Roses of ‘Best Year Yet’ Major U.S. Converter sees all markets rising Sipco News Network

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EW YORK—“Covington finished its best order month in September and October since 2008,” says Greg Tarver, CEO. “This made up for a slow start in January and February,” Tarver explains.

Today, the company’s top three markets are retail mom and pop stores—where the biggest

Greg Tarver growth has occurred for the company followed by furniture manufacturers and jobbers.

The Southern Furniture Market in High Point, N.C. and the general U.S. economy is

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also helping Covington exceed its goals with a better economic environment according to financial news reports.

As a result, Tarver is investing in new business development through Donald Rifkin, a company executive with an MBA and extensive experience in marketing, he points out. “We are investing in a research department with a digital archive so we can look up old images and create samples for our customers,” Tarver adds. He feels these moves will help further develop a customer base “we didn’t even know we had before,” he said.

Covington has been developing outdoor markets in the marine and canvas areas for example.

“We have finally found our stride with consistent design that is paying off big with our jobber business,” Tarver feels. He said that small-scale patterns in jacquards and dobbies are selling but “prints have been phenomenal for the last three furniture markets.”

Covington was always a major print converter and was not the first to see the China tide rising

for woven exports to the USA but today, “we’re Asia-centric in our sourcing with 65-75 percent of our sourcing in Asia,” Tarver adds.

He also points out that Mexico is growing as a sourcing area for Covington. He says that “leadtime from Mexico is very good and some product is now made in the USA; great price/value means logistic efficiency today.”

Tarver points to distressed damask and Ikat prints as examples of current Covington best sellers.

The company is focused on natural fabrics with textured base cloths, he says. “Washed fabrics is a category that continues to do well

Jaipur in 912 Kohl

for us—anything with a relaxed look sells well today.”

One of the highlights of Covington’s resurgence as a vendor comes from the ‘Jennifer Adams’ brand which Tarver terms “already a great success.”

“Jennifer has brought us a new customer base which drives bodycloth sales in the furniture business for Covington. Her designs filled a void in our line, namely the West Coast California look—soft and not too cluttered.

She has created a true, sincere Croydon by Jennifer Adams partnership with design and Home in 619 Truffle sales.”

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Karma in 150 Mardi Gras

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Hotel Starts Boost Dubai Business Sipco News Network

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UBAI, UAE — Some Dubai government officials in attendance at the recent Dubai Hotel Show expect over 300 new hotels to be built here with many other existing hotels to be refurbished in time for the Expo 2020 World’s Fair in Dubai, October 2020April 2021.

The last Dubai Hotel Show took place at the Dubai World Trade Center September 28-30, 2014.

The show organizer, DMG said over 600 exhibitors, mostly from the Gulf States and Asia, and approximately 17, 000 trade visitors from 98 countries were present. “The show was very upbeat based on future growth of new hotels in the region, including accelerating growth in the mid level three and four star categories,” according to Larry Brill, an

export consultant in the USA. The Dubai Hotel Show featured an American Group Stand, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s, Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA).

The OTEXA stand which included nine companies featured Rhona L.K. Schonwald, a fine artist who is licensing her designs for bedding, upholstery, wallcoverings, and carpets for the hospitality industry and JVA Art Group, artwork and photography fabrication and solutions.

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Jonathan Mark Designs, a division of Fidelity in Wayne, NJ, adds new Heimtextil wall covering designs. Shown here: Murale

Rhona Schonwald, Designer of Fulton MD, is talking with Sara Assmann (in black), Director of Business Development and Government Relations, Al Habtoor Trading Enterprises.

Western Exhibitors At Intertextile Shanghai, Patiently Wait For Chinese Buyers to Buy Their Products The growing Chinese demand for Western Furnishings Remains In tact but when will it fully develop?

By Vishwanath.S

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HANGHAI, China — Overseas exhibitors with the exception of a few large American and European big name firms, find the potential China market is still a riddle to solve.

Those who are working with Hong Kong based agents, or with an agent in China have a long way to go to establish a distribution network; retailing still seems to be a challenging task.

These were some of the findings at Intertextile Shanghai this year.

The next show location shifts to a brand new facility close to Hongqiao airport, Shanghai. This may hep the Western producers’search for new China based customers.

Boyteks, the fast growing Bursa, Turkey based mill, finally smiled after its fifth showing as the company finally signed an agreement for distribution with a Chinese partner.

‘Yes finally we made it and we look forward to market our high-end upholstery collections and mattress ticking through 200 retailers, said Mevlut Baydar, Senior Marketing Manager, Boyteks.

Escolys had a different tale to share. Escolys, a producer of interior decoration fabrics,said it is still finding ways to partner with a local distribution company in China

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Jonathan Mark Designs Adds New Heimtextil Wall Covering Designs

after two showings in Shanghai.

“Currently we market through our agent based in Hong Kong and we export from Hong Kong.

This is a long route to reach the China market. We need to establish a workable system to reach the Chinese retailers’ said Dirk de Wilde, Sales Manager.

Companies like Shanghai Orient West Decorative Fabrics Co., Ltd. are jubilant with improving market conditions; entry to new territories is rewarding while the domestic demand is booming too. ’We recently signed our biggest single order for eight million meters of printed bedding fabrics from a China based customer and current capacity of 100 million meters is tied up and expansion continues,” said David Li, CEO. US markets are warming up too and entry to Brazil with full-fledged warehouse and distribution is in place,” he said while adding “the company wants to repeat the same in Argentina too. We have also entered the US retail market with top retail chains since June 2014. We will emphasise printing and outdoor fabrics will be launched soon,” Li said.

In the past shows, Zhejiang Shengli Textile Co. Ltd,, China,

Keystone Weavers Sold Sipco News Network

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North Carolina — Banyan, a private investment firm headquartered in Miami, Florida and majority shareholder of Burlington® Technologies (BT) has announced their acquisition of Keystone Weaving (KW) located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The transaction was asset based and included the purchase of Jacquard and Dobby looms, related textile weaving equipment, the Keystone Brand, and Keystone’s business for both Home Fabrics and Apparel Fabrics Markets.

The core weaving businesses for Burlington® Technologies include their two flagship companies, Se7en which provides woven jacquard fabrics for Home Furnishings Markets, and Bentex which produces fabrics for Corporate, Healthcare, & Hospitality spaces. BMS (Burlington® Manufacturing Services) is a another division of BT that produces and supplies yarns both internally and to external customers in the home furnishings, apparel, and industrial market segments.

Both Se7en and Bentex primarily use synthetic yarns to manufacture their fabrics and Keystone relies upon natural fiber yarns such as cotton, linen, and wool. Mike Durham, President of BT stated that “there is enormous upside to this merger.

While KW and Se7en sell products to some of the same customers, they do not overlap due to the variation of construction each company utilizes. Keystone’s product mix is evenly distributed between jacquards, textures and plain fabrics. As a result, the large infusion of Dobby looms into the existing BT equipment mix provides an enormous opportunity for an even greater array of fabrics for Se7en and Bentex.”

Sloan Caplan, President of Keystone stated that his family has been in the weaving business for more than 80 years and they have decided to apply their energies to other interests. “We have been reensboro,

extremely pleased with our growth in the Home Fabrics arena but my father (Eli Caplan) and uncle (Perry Caplan) and I felt it was a good time to sell”, said Caplan.

Along with the purchase, several key members of the KW management team will join BT. Members of operations, design, finance, and customer service have elected to move with the new company. Initially, twenty five new jobs are being created, and with the planned growth, a significant larger number is expected to follow. These additional payroll dollars will provide a major boost to the local economy.

Ray McKinnon will join BT as VP of Merchandising and will oversee the function for both Se7en and Keystone. She previously served as Merchandising Consultant for Keystone. In her new role, she will be responsible for each division’s brand development and recognition, as well as provide leadership and guidance for product development.

Bob McKinnon, former CEO of CV Industries and more recently a consultant for KW has been named Chairman of BT. McKinnon stated that he is excited about the merger. He said, “It is timely and positive for all concerned. Being affiliated with Eli Caplan and his family was a very rewarding experience because he not only is a very good person but had the courage to resurrect his family’s 80 year old business at a time when the economy was in a very poor condition.”

McKinnon went on to say that “BT’S 300,000 square foot weaving operation is one of the best in the U.S. as it provides tremendous fabric design flexibility and exciting and creative options for our customers. We are planning and working diligently to make this merger seamless so that we can meet and surpass our customers’ expectations. (continued on Page 35)

(continued on Page 35)

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F FI NE W S (Continued from Page 29)

D’Décor

Along with their first expansion into retailing their products, D’Décor owners said they expect to reduce fabric production leadtimes from six weeks to two weeks beginning in April 2015 to further accelerate sales and reduce inventories.

The pair expects these two activities to boost sales of the parent company in excess of $250 million in 2015 and 10-15 percent growth is targeted over the next five years. (Fabrics & Furnishings International named D’Décor the largest mill in the world by sales volume in the autumn, 2014 issue) D’Décor’s $250 million plus sales level is especially significant when one considers it only began operating in 1999 with an $8 million turnover. ‘We acknowledge and thank the support extended by our customers and the decorative fabrics fraternity as a whole ’, Ajay and Sanjay say.

‘In the last 12 years we have earned the customers and are now are in the process of implementing the biggest task that we have taken in the reduction of the delivery period to two weeks instead of current 4-six weeks’, Ajay said.

(Incidentally, the Turkish companies are able to deliver the merchandise to the European market within six to 10 days and this fact is certainly motivating D’Décor to improve its deliveries.)

To prepare for the reduced lead-times, D’Decor anticipates substantial changes in its mill operations. Faster delivery and an improvement in services means an increase in inventory levels, increased man power that would contribute to increased prices too. ‘Yes, but the inventory levels at our customer’s warehouse would also reduce proportionately though frequency of ordering may increase’, answered Ajay. ‘Though the capacity utilization is between 80-120% now, the aim is to reduce the utilization a bit by adding more value fabrics’, he added.

D’Decor’s Current weaving capacity is 1, 20,000 meters a day and is consistently adding 10 % capacity each year. Delivering sheer to velvets, digital prints to a wide range of embroidered fabric collections in the home textile segment, D’Decor feels there is no reason to complain on the market conditions now unlike in 2008 when the recession hit one and all.

‘The global decorative fabrics market has started looking positive and our efforts to increase the market share have produced positive results and this remains a constant goal.’ F&FI

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Conneaut Leather Acquires Cortina Leathers Sipco News Network

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EW YORK, NY – Conneaut Leather, a U.S. manufacturer of upholstery leather since 1903 in Conneaut, OH has acquired the sister companies Cortina Leathers and DMS Leathers.

“Bringing together these two great companies offers our customers a ‘best of both worlds’ leather solution” says Jack Prause, President of Conneaut Leather. “In addition to what Conneaut Leather has always stood for—producing American-made leathers with competitive pricing and short lead-times--we are now

able to offer a broad array of in-stock, high-end Italian leathers as well. This is a combination that no other company in the U.S. can match.”

Conneaut Leather brings to the marriage its manufacturing capabilities such as large in-stock lines, custom leathers, strikeoffs, special finishes including Crypton™ and cut-to-pattern which have made it a leader in the office furniture, hospitality, automotive aftermarket, and residential OEM markets. For over thirty years, Cortina Leathers, led by Elayne and Meryl Siegman, has been synonymous with quality and elegance

among the architectural, interior design, commercial end-user and aviation industry–-always raising the bar to introduce unique and technologically-advanced products. This will continue with Elayne and Meryl remaining in critical roles leading the A&D and Aviation businesses for the combined company.

Cortina Leathers exceeds Conneaut Leather’s hopes for an organization that they could partner with whose core values and brand identity align seamlessly and one which will (continued on Page 35)

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F FI D E S I G N

THE PRODUCTS OF TOMORROW

By Jennifer Castoldi

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he emergence of new technologies combined with the utilization of old craft techniques is a huge inspiration to design producers today, just as well as embracing the traditional master’s skill and mixing it with modern colors and materials leads to contemporizing the market.

Timorous Beasties

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ombing technology, craft, and experimental practices brings about some pretty impressive concepts developed by today’s creative minds.

Timorous Beasties take the marbleized trend to a new level. The company’s Ex Libris Velvet Fabric takes full advantage of the color blending and limitless palette available today through digital printing. The 100% cotton pile textile is suitable for drapery and light upholstery with a large repeat of almost 49 inches wide with a 58.7 inch repeat.

Vallila

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t Decorex 2014 there were a number of interactive installations under the heading “In the Making” where cherry-picked exhibitors showcased their timehonored craftsmanship behind high-end, handmade wares. Spina, the luxurious passementerie and home accessory design house, set up their design studio in the middle of the show so visitors could see firsthand the extreme detail and love that goes into each and every piece.

Watts of Westminster, a company over 140 years old has returned to making their FRONT London wallpapers using a hand block printing process.

Original blocks and papers on display made a statement that their traditional designs are just as coveted now as they were the century prior.

FRONT London invited their master weaver from India, where he revealed intricate weaving practices and hand-knotted Jan Kath’s SPINA Erased Heritage Tabriz Canal Arial rug during the exhibition. Seeing these masters live reinforced the skill that goes into these specially crafted designs.

Watts of Westminster

Tessitura Toscana Telerie

Schlossberg

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hen looking at the latest home fashions you can almost feel the hot, humid, pungent air of the rainforest. Tropical climates make the plants flourish and flowers bloom in extraordinary shades and configurations. The wildlife is lively and the vegetation practically drips from every angle, the blue of sky only a distant memory under the dense foliage. Products and patterns are embracing the heat of a tropic frenzy. Popular design features include: Parrots, Toucans, Hummingbirds, Tropical butterflies, Exotic feathers, Banana trees and leaves, Palm leaves, Hibiscus, Plumeria flowers, Birds of Paradise, and Heliconia.

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F FI D E S I G N

HEIMTEXTIL 2015-16 Trend Preview

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n 2015 internationally acclaimed Heimtextil Trend forum is moving to a new location: Hall 4. Rather than a forum, the trends are to be presented as the Heimtextil Theme Park, which is all about ‘Experience’ with the aim to promote and drive innovation as well as to stimulate the future of textile manufacturing. The four textile trends to watch out for include: Sensory, Mixology, Discovery, and Memory.

SENSORY

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s digital sterility pervades our lives there is bound to be a reaction, so interior designers are creating new environments that appeal to very human stimuli to generate more sensorially satisfying, immersive experiences such as tactility. Tactile textiles are soft, airy, matt and softly fur-like and used in spaces that employ subtle light play to reinforce the surface effects. As a sensorial contrast, fabrics with polished surfaces or enamellike shine and smoothness are used together with paper-dry surfaces and oily finishes.

MIXOLOGY

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n our cosmopolitan world, diversity is the new status quo. The coming together and fusion of cultures has inspired us to create a modern ethnic heritage. We celebrate our new collective by experimenting, playing and assembling collages of our separate identities in a studied, seemingly spontaneous confusion of crosscultural exchange.

DISCOVERY

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esigners always seek to envisage the future, not to contrive a sci-fi film aesthetic but a more pragmatic study of materials and their place in a future world. Looking at the cosmic and the microscopic we see deep, light-absorbing space-black and star-like twinkle; crackled, time-scarred surfaces; and we sense mystical gravitational force fields. The fabrics of our future will reflect the aesthetics of our expanded world view; they will be protective, performing and fit for extreme time-warp speeds.

Jennifer Castoldi is the CEO and Chief Creative Director of Trendease International.

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

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MEMORY

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ed up with consumerism and left feeling empty by social media relationships that don’t fulfill, consumers now wish to prioritize personal fulfillment and well-being.

A good look around reveals that all the basic ingredients for happiness are there, in objects we feel an emotional connection to; we just need to identify them and place them in full focus. The fabrics in our convivial homes will be honest, utilitarian textiles such as denim, plaid and canvas, with familiar patterns that stimulate the memory.

www.fabricsandfurnishings.com 33

F FI P H O T O G A L L E R Y

MoOD MoOD changed its location this year to a new hall at the Brussels Exhibition Center with the same space as in the previous location.

European buyers turned out and most were pleased with the selection of exhibitors.

One even remarked “how easy it was to shop our current supplier list without wasting too much time.”

In spite of a lackluster business environment in the EU, MoOD pulled off another show. See Sevim Gunes, Fabrics & Furnishings you next year!

International agent, Pendik, Turkey with friends Barbaros and Uyan Osman.

Ajay Arora, principal of D’Décor with Ena Shaw Buying & Product Dvelopment Manager Billy Lindsay (left) and Amanda Johnston, Design Manager of the St. Helens, Merseyside, UK wholesaler

Rafael Pascual, President of AquaClean Group in Alicante, Spain with Platon Kallergis, principal of Kallergis Ltd., a wholesaler from Greece

Hamza Sevsevil, principal of Cerotex, Istanbul with Albena Docheva, General Manager and Dotcho Dochev, Managing Director of Velex Inc., Ltd., Sofia, Bulgaria with Tommy Hagelberg and son Mathias Hagelberg of Sydtextil, Vackelsang, Sweden

Kai Winders, Design Manager, Steinhoff UK Upholstery, Mid Glamorgen, UK with Boyteks Shaw, Oldham UK agent, John Haley; Harvey’s Upholstery Head Buyer Lisa Broad with assistant Nicola Beasant, Essex, UK and Soyer Orhon, Boyteks Area Sales Manager, Bursa, Turkey

Catherine Njoroge, Simca Stores representative from Nairobi, Kenya is shopping for seconds and closeouts but Shaya Zeiler of Flocktex, Keir Malachi, Israel doesn’t produce seconds!

At Dicitex Furnishings, Mumbai, we found Mr. Parag; Mr. Vats; Mr. Ferrari (back row) with customers Angela Komaroni and Helena Racd, princiopals of Laguna Textiles, a wholesaler based in Szohbathey, Hungary. The other two men are with Dicitex.

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Pepe Costa, Sales & Marketing Director for Crevin of Barcelona, Spain with Majje Nasstrom, owner of Sits, upholstered furniture producer Hollviken, Sweden with Per Anders Johannsson, Sits fabric Buyer; Katarina Jakuboksca, Buyer, Fargotex Group, Lomza, Poland and Joszef Kosiorek, Chairman of the Board, Fargotex. Sits designs in Sweden but produces in Poland.

Francisco Vila, principal of Vilber of Spain with customer Raffaella Ascheri, Purchase and Marketing Manager for Zodio, part of the Adeo Groupe, Milan, Italy

Gurvinder Singh, principal of GM Fabrics , Mumbai, India with Ulrich Fürus, owner of Fürus GmBH a major 25 year old wholesaler in Krefeld, Germany with colleague Rolf Thies and Dinesh Kandpal, GM Fabrics right hand to Singh and Johannes Heinzel, export manager for Fürus.

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Omer Aynar and Hande Ozyapici, principals of Casa di Luna, Istanbul, Turkey

Carles and Oriol Roig, principals of Textil Roig of Barcelona, a 60 year old jobber are selling their lines to USA, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy and France in one meter minimums. Over half of their business is export with 20 percent growth this year. Bravo!

John-Andrew Ovenstone, Managing Director of Warwick Fabrics (UK) Ltd. with designer Steve Townsend, Bourtonon-the-water, Gloucestershire said that MoOD was smaller than previous years but more focused. “It was absolutely worth our time. We were able to see six of our 12 vendors in a short period of time.”

Two US agents: Elaine Taylor Gordon and Maria Kremer Garber

Winter 2014/2015 n

F FI NE W S (Continued from Page 31)

(Continued from Page 30)

Keystone Weavers Sold Conneaut Everyone in our organization is convinced that Banyan is totally committed to helping us be the best. Plans are to begin relocating looms in early September and complete the project by late November. Special care is being taken to have a continuation of Keystone fabrics being woven during this process.”

John Miller, Chairman of Banyan, summed up the venture when he said that “the joining together of three excellent weavers is in perfect step with the “on-shoring” process that is taking place in the home fabrics and furnishings arena. Our challenge is to take advantage of the opportunities awaiting us and our competitors.”

Se7en, Bentex and Keystone will remain as independent divisions and maintain the integrity of their product characteristics although Ray McKinnon will interface with all. Sales staffs and showrooms also will remain independent.

Corporate headquarters and weaving manufacturing will remain at the Burlington® Technologies facility located at 5928 Highway 87 North, Gibsonville, NC 27249. F&FI

continue the tradition for excellent service, profound leather expertise and impeccable quality.

“This is an exciting time for all of us at Cortina Leathers and DMS” says Meryl Siegman, President of both companies. “As a family owned and operated business for over 30 years, we are thrilled to be part of Conneaut Leather, an established, well-respected and progressive company which shares our principles for quality, service and integrity in all they do. We now have the ability to satisfy all leather needs for every market sector.” F&FI

(Continued from Page 13)

Richloom Appoints Mitchell VP, Furniture Fabric Sales, Merchandising Richloom’s upholstery under its R-Style brand is sourced in China, namely solids and jacquard but prints are created in the USA. “There is growth in prints,” Mitchell pointed out.

R-Studio, a new brand in Richloom’s upholstery branch will be developed by Mitchell who feels that commodity bodycloths for the motion, sectional and stationary furniture business can achieve greater growth in the future. Richloom expects to bring out more product, 25 new designs in fact, under the R-Studio umbrella beginning at December Showtime.

“We’re also going to take a different approach in how we present fabrics at Showtime. This will include social media as a way to dramatically attract the buyer’s attention. Richloom’s complete upholstery offering will

be coordinated to the solids in R-Studio,” M i t c h e l l explained.

Although Richloom upholstery Mitchell had been living in Shanghai, he has attended Showtime for the past five years so he is not new to this event. He will be in evidence at Showtime this December.

In other developments for the company, a spokesman pointed to its second dedicated website in SolariumFabrics.com; the first site was dedicated to Richloom Contract.com.

F&FI

(Continued from Page 30)

Western Exhibitors At Intertextile Shanghai, Patiently Wait For Chinese Buyers wrote spot orders during the show but not anymore. Nevertheless, the show was satisfactory to Shengli and it was more a renewal of contacts with its regular domestic buyers. “From overseas we had expected more buyers, but was limited to Middle East and UAE customers’, commented Yunsong Yao, President, Shengli Textile.

This 20th edition of Intertextile Shanghai, had a 10 percent increase in buyera to 43,189 buyers from 94 countries with 1,334 exhibitors (highest ever the show organizer says) from 31 countries and regions while the top five visitor countries and regions besides Mainland China were Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Russia and the US. ‘We are now holding the next edition in 2015 at a brand new venue, which will provide

Winter 2014/2015

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better facilities at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (Shanghai) announced, Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager and Grace Lin Assistant Group Manager, Trade Fairs, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, Hong Kong.

Why is the show moving to a new location? ‘ The new location is easier and more visitor friendly in terms of location proximities, which is closer to other airports as well each hall is much bigger; almost twice the size of the current halls and we will be able to house all the international exhibitors in one hall alone,” Wen explained. The new location will be closer to the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, and is closer to the city center than Pudong Airport . It is a brand new building and we have to be ready for further growth

by adding better services to exhibitors as well as to visitors,” she added.

According to a study done by HKTDC (Hong Kong Trade & Development Council) China’s furniture market is vastly expanding in replacement market as there were about 438.93 million households. Based on the assumption that people would replace their home furniture once every 10 years, around 44 million households would replace their furniture each year at a cost of Rmb1,000 on average. The total value of the furniture replacement market would amount to Rmb44 billion a year. Moreover, urbanisation, as China’s leading policy of stimulating domestic demand in the years to come, is bound to bolster the development of the furniture market. F&FI

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F FI P H O T O G A L L E R Y

Intertextile Asia 2014, the 20th edition of Intertextile Shanghai, Home Textiles show attracted over 1,400 exhibitors, largest number of exhibitors ever exhibited and over 40,000 visitors visited the show. 3 halls spread over 150,400 square meters, exhibitors from 31 countries participated in the event. The three-day fair was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre from 27 to 29 August, Hall W 1, called the European hall had pavilions from exhibitors from Belgium, Italy Turkey and others. It was visually evident that few of the Turkish exhibitors who are exhibiting since 6 years had finally made a base with local distribution partners.

Hall W2 housed individual exhibitors from other 13 countries. 1000 Chinese exhibitors occupied balance 11 halls. While the Chinese exhibitors were targeting both domestic and importers, the overseas exhibitors were waiting to meet the prospective partners who has distribution network for reaching the retailers in a promising and growing China market.

The show also included international Trend Forum and made a debut of Home Decoration Trend Area. Design and trend seminars had full house attendance from the Chinese reflecting their increased interest in importance Oswaldo Schenquerman, Argentina, David Li, CEO of innovation and design aspects. Maximum visitors Home Furnishing International, New York; Rodrigo came in from China followed by Europe and America.

Prieto President of Quaker, Brazil LLC, Jack Cobb, American Decorative Fabrics, Ellie Xue, Home Furnishing International, Matheus Ronsen, Quaket Textile Brazil

Thaveechai Sirikulthada, director, Casa Chonburi Company Ltd., Thailand with his customer Eiam Achavakulthep, President E. AND V. Company Limited, Bangkok, Thailand

—Vishwanath.S

Fabiano Gori, CEO, Bartolini Home, Italy with his customer Jerry S. Seaga International Co., Ltd., Taiwan

Maurice Chien, President, Eurasitex Corporation, Taiwan, Ashok Nanwani, Partner PT. Amardeep Indosakti, Indonesia, Gurvinder Singh, Managing Director, G.M. Fabrics, India, Kenny Kalwani,York Furnishing FZT, Dubai.

GRACE L.V & Mars L.V., Managers, New Fabrics Division, Zhejiang Babei Textile Co Ltd with their buyer (center) Rambozzi , Huizhou Yixuan Furniture Co. Ltd., China.

Mevlut Baydar, Senior Marketing Manager, Boyteks, Bursa, Turkey with his customer Tiantian, Nanjing City, Nanjing Zongjia Textile Tenique Co Ltd.

Yunsong Yao, President, Zhejiang Shengli Textile Co., Ltd., China with his buyer (left) Feras Al bachat, General Manger, Bin Rashid Group, UAE Kuniardi M. Tjandra, Director, P.T. Ateja Mills, Tritunggal, Indonesia with Monica Gunawan, Assistant Manager Sales & Marketing, P.T.Ateja with customer (left) Ranee Nagasiri, Director, VC Fabric Co. Ltd., Bangkok

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Thomas Jeong, (right) Managing Director Decorama Inc., Seoul, Korea with his customer Wei Yue Fu, China

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Winter 2014/2015 n

F FI NE W S

Anne Hood Named Director of Merchandising at Regal Fabrics

Sue Patrolia Promoted to Director of Product Management at Regal Fabrics

Sipco News Network

Sipco News Network

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IDDLETON, MA -- Regal Fabrics has hired Anne Hood as its Director of Merchandising.

She was most recently Vice President of Upholstery Fashion with Century Furniture. Hood brings an industry insider’s perspective and will lead Regal’s new efforts to become a more significant supplier to the furniture industry.Anne Hood Steve Kahan, Regal’s president spoke about the business decision to hire Hood.

“Regal is making a strong commitment to the furniture segment of our business,” said Kahan. “Hiring Anne Hood to lead these efforts is a huge step forward. Anne Hood She is one of the furniture industry’s most highly respected merchandisers. Anne will help Regal better understand the needs of furniture manufacturers and respond with targeted designs, qualities and service.”

Hood issued a written statement in which she talked about her excitement to join Regal.

“I’m so excited to come to Regal Fabrics. I have been buying from Regal for years and they’ve always had great fabrics and been extremely reliable. They’re a gem of a supplier and I’m anxious to get that message out to the rest of the industry.”

Regal Fabrics is a converter of upholstery fabrics, produced for Regal mainly in China by a closely monitored group of weaving partners.

F&FI

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IDDLETON, MA -- Sue Patrolia has been promoted to Director of Product Management at Regal Fabrics. In this role, she will manage Regal’s product development, sales support and marketing efforts.

Steve Kahan, Regal’s president, spoke more about her new responsibilities. Sue Patrolia “It is great to be able to recognize Sue’s many contributions to Regal’s success and to promote her to this new role,” said Kahan. “As Director, Sue will be responsible for managing all aspects of our fabric development efforts, from concept to introduction. This includes directing the efforts of our design team, coordinating fabric development with the mills, implementing Sue Patrolia marketing/RP efforts, managing sample preparation and organizing introducing the new lines at Showtime.”

Regal Fabrics is a converter of upholstery fabrics, produced for Regal in China by a closely monitored group of weaving partners.

F&FI

Jabtex Launches Remodeled Dubai Showroom Sipco News Network

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UBAI — After 17 years in the market, Jabtex has opened a state of the art showroom for designers, architects and hotel owners.

In 1998, Nader Oubari came to the

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Emirates and established JAB and Kobe, situated in an impressive showroom.

Unfortunately by the end of 2007, the conflict with Jab took place which gave birth to a new company- JABTEX. “Nader Oubari can stand alone, promote any line and does not need to be promoted,”

Oubari himself says.

“JABTEX built a good reputation in the country and created a great impact on hotel projects. Oubari of Jabtex has proved his achievements in the midst of recession and high competition.”

Here is a pictorial of the new showroom:

Rami Oubari at 3: Next generation Jabtex owner

www.fabricsandfurnishings.com 37

F FI C A L E N D A R December DEC 7-10 ITMA MARKET SHOWTIME ITMA Showtime is one of the leading fabric industry trade events in America.

The show serves as an ideal business platform for eminent corporate professionals to interact with each other and exchange the latest news, views and perspectives from the industry.

The event is billed as the largest decorative items-related trade show in the Western Hemisphere and it lives up to this hype by drawing in more than 800 trade visitors with direct purchasing power. Participants are offered the chance to participate in the several informative seminars, forums and discussion sessions that are organized during the show and home furniture items, fabric products, handbags and decorative fashion accessories are some of the chief items of exhibit here.

The show is extremely popular among visiting participants and an average of 110 business appointments are scheduled during the event every day.

Exhibitors at the show are also listed in the official ITMA Member Directory.

300 South Main Street High Point, North Carolina United States Of America showtime-market.com Phone: (336) 885-6842 email: info@itmashowtime.com

corporate participants. Representatives from foreign design studios are present here as well. The latest textile design trends are closely scrutinized at the Future Cafe section of the show. The total number of exhibitors participating in the event stands in excess of 125 and the show boasts of large scale media participation as well.

Penn Plaza Pavillion 401 Seven Street, New York, NY printsourcenewyork.com

JAN 14-17 HEIMTEXTIL FRANKFURT Heimtextil Frankfurt is the most prestigious show for the textile industry

as the professionals will get to exhibit new and trendy designs and creative work that will impress them and fulfill their needs. A new range of products is launched and the attendees will also get to know about the recent developments made in this sector. The exhibitors get to meet potential buyers the popularity of the show has brought in the participation of the leading companies from domestic as well as from the international market.

The textiles or fabrics displayed in this show are designed to fit perfectly to the requirements of the home decoration sector as well as apparel segments.

Attractive designs, perfect blend of colors and texture are sure to attract a huge

from the attendees present in this show.

The attendees come across the branded products which are available at affordable range so that all the business enterprises can benefit from this show. The show will be running for three consecutive days and will be taking place at Javits Convention Center, New York.

11th Ave & 655 West 34th & 38th St New York, New York United States Of America texworldusa.com 770-984-8016 ext. 401

JAN 23-27 MAISON & OBJET The trade show will be targeting professionals from the field of Home fashion

JAN 13 – 14 PRINTSOURCE Printsource New York is one of the largest surface and textile designing sector trade shows in the United States. The show serves as an ideal corporate podium for leading industry experts from this sector to interact with each other and express their opinions regarding the latest market innovations and updates. Held over a period of two days, the event welcomes more than 2650 visitors, with product developers, textile designers, manufacturers and retail chain owners being some of the key attendees. Attendees can browse through a vast collection of paper products, home textiles, apparel items, kitchen and bath accessories, stationery supplies and wall coverings at the show and the event also offers great networking opportunities to all

Roissy Charles de Gaulle, Paris Ile-De-France, France maison-objet.com/

March

Advertiser Index

For more information about one of our advertisers, see the page number listed:

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Penny Sikalis Penny Sikalis, an award-winning and highly-regarded executive in the textiles, licensing and trade show industries has formed a creative management consultancy, SIKALIS + co., based in New York City.

After twenty years at tradeshow firm George Little Management in management and business development capacities, and prior years handling marketing at leading textiles companies, Penny has a wealth of expertise building brands, developing and implementing strategies to help businesses grow – in the U.S. and overseas.

SIKALIS + co. will offer management consulting — specializing in creative approaches to achieve revenue and profit growth – for manufacturers, lifestyle brands, designers, tradeshow/event organizations and associations.

Areas of focus will include: strategic analysis and planning; project management; integrated marketing programs including copywriting/ content management; event/ conference development, planning and execution; licensing expertise; and strategic partnerships.

For more information, contact: penny.sikalis@gmail.com or +1 917.544.6443.

F&FI

January

Aqua Clean Fabrics . . . . 27 Aznar Textil. . . . . . . . . . . 23 Boyteks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Classical Elements . . . . . . 1 Covington. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Crevin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Crypton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 D’Decor. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7 Dicitex Furnishings. . . . . 39 Edmund Bell Fabrics. . . 31 Evteks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Sikalis Forms Consultancy

Express Air Freight. . . . 28 GM Fabrics. . . . . . . . 20, 21 Kravet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Luilor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Messe Frankfurt. . . . . . . 25 MoOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Raymakers. . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Richloom Fabric Group.15 Rockland Mills. . . . . . . . 2, 3 Sirio Tendaggi. . . . . . . . . 35 Vay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

number of buyers from all round the world.

Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1 Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com/ Phone: +49 69 75 75 - 0 Fax: +49 69 75 75 - 66 09

and design. The trade show will be attracting trade visitors from across the world. MAISON&OBJET show is not open to the general public. It will serve as a unique opportunity for buyers and suppliers to establish foundations for new business contacts.

JAN 19-21 TEXWORLD USA

The targeted visitors For Maison & Objet are: importers & exporters of decoration, home and office design, furniture, lightning, fabrics - clothing textiles, handicraft products, fifts & souvenirs, home exhibitions, kitchen & bathroom accessories & the general public.

Parc d expositions et Centre de Conventions

Texworld USA is the leading textile and fabric show that exhibits the best and reliable range of textile raw materials and apparel fabrics manufactured from the leading production houses. This show is known to be the perfect place where new products will be launched which in return will bring the instant feedback

www.fabricsandfurnishings.com

MARCH 18-20 China Shanghai International Textiles, Fabrics & Accessories Exhibition China Shanghai International Textiles, Fabrics & Accessories Exhibition (CTFE) shows the way to strengthen garment and textile industrial associations and clusters to compete in global market, and Free Trade Agreement. CTFE is the best choice for both domestic and international trade. As for the six years developing, CTFE has become the legend of the world textile industry.

Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center 2345 Longyang Road, Pudong New Area Shanghai, China shssny.com/en

Winter 2014/2015 n

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