INDUSTRY advertorial
THE
VAKO
VISION:
SMART, STYLISH, SAFE BY GAIL GUTSCHE
W
ith a family heritage steeped in the textile
tracks. These components make their way into roman shades,
industry, it was destiny that Nanne Valkenburg
roller shades, honeycomb blinds and vertical blinds, as well as
ended up at the helm of a window treatment
drapery hardware and workroom accessories.
components business. As co-owner and
CEO of Vako, Valkenburg draws on a decades-long tradition of innovation and quality to produce the components that make for
Driving Forward Dutch design, engineering and prototyping fuel Vako’s success.
smart, stylish and safe window treatments.
“Innovating is in Vako’s DNA,” Valkenburg says. “We proudly
True to His Roots
service.”
Valkenburg’s great-grandfather, Teus, founded a weaving mill that manufactured technical slitting and folding tapes for the garment industry and for curtain tapes. Grandfather Arie joined the business, then founded a separate company he called Vako, which Valkenburg’s father eventually took over. Valkenburg bought Vako in 1997 and transitioned it to a window treatment components business. Today, the Netherlands-based company (which is co-owned by Erik Kunst) sells to large drapery workrooms, fabricators and wholesalers globally. Valkenburg likes to make clear what Vako does: “We sell components for blinds and curtains. Only components.” Highquality products include grommets, lead cords for curtains, various drapery tapes and hooks, roller blind systems and curtain
36 | wf-vision.com | July + August 2019
manufacture everything in-house, which guarantees quality and
Vako is also unique in its customer centricity. “The knowledge in our company is collected from customers and manufacturers all around the world,” Valkenburg explains. “Because we travel to numerous countries, we see lots of products, which helps us to create inspired products. That’s what sets Vako apart.” Vako products borrow from trends and developments worldwide. A regular exhibitor at international events like Heimtextil, R+T Stuttgart, R+T Asia and INDEX Dubai, Vako ventured into the U.S. market in 2015 with its debut at the International Window Coverings Expo (IWCE) in Las Vegas. The company quickly found that U.S. customers have unique needs, driven partly by regulations.
