For our January event, we had the wonderful opportunity to visit the York Factory and Showroom in the Textile District. York is the largest supplier of home furnishing fabrics in the Middle East and Africa. The genesis of York Furnishings was in the year 1988 in Dubai, UAE and has grown ever since. The company opened its doors to business and has been driven by the philosophy of ‘Passion to Perform.’ York is committed to offering the best service and the widest selection of furnishing fabrics to its customer. Last year York fabrics won the Inside Out readers choice awards.
York Factory and Showroom Visit
Their story
York is the culmination of its founder’s vision, Kenny Kalwani, who spotted an opportunity in the furnishings space and made his foray in this sector by moving to Dubai in 1987. York was established in 1988 and he has led the company to become the largest player in the MENA region. He is ably supported by his son Avinash, who leads the overall operations in the company and also contributes actively in product sourcing and development for York. York believes in creating an overall experience to its customers by leveraging innovative technology, curated multiple collections and offering many unique choices.
Collections
York prides itself for offering the largest array of choices in furnishing fabrics; classical and contemporary as well as high resistance indoor and outdoor fabrics. York offers both the simple fabrics for everyday use and exquisite choices for special spaces. Our fabrics can be used for curtains, upholstery, bed backs, outdoor furniture, restaurants, lounges, hotels, gardens and spas. Whilst reflecting the taste and culture of the region, we help designers to express their individuality through their projects, with York fabrics.
Customer excellence
York has been a leading player in the furnishings space ever since its inception almost three decades ago. York ensures that the finest and widest collections are available to the customer. Our talented team at York prides itself for the company becoming a one-stop source and the go-to-place for furnishings and embellishments. This is because we strive for excellence and innovation and are committed to maintaining high standards of customer service.
Embedded in tradition and renewed with color and pattern, York houses beautiful and fine-quality fabrics suited to every lifestyle. Their classic fabric designs – stripes, paisleys, damasks and florals – are reinvigorated each season to satisfy designers’ tastes and color palette.
York’s distinctive style incorporates a harmonious amalgamation of different designs and inspirations. Unique materials, classy finishes, fabulous textiles and impeccable details lie at the heart of their design philosophy. It is an expression of flair and regal elegance that honors classics but yet reflects the current trends.
Along side their own designs, York are also partnered with large international brands:
- Sunbrella- American manufacturing group Sunbrella is a leader in performance fabrics for indoor and outdoor furniture. Sunbrella fabrics are 100% solution-dyed acrylic, available in thousands of sophisticated styles, patterns and colors. The characteristics of all Sunbrella fabrics include UV protection, water repellence, fade resistance, mold & mildew resistance and stain resistance.
- Serge Ferrari – French manufacturing group Serge Ferrari is a leader in the flexible composite material sector. Characterised by superior quality architectural, solar protection, marine, marquee and industrial textiles; selecting a Serge Ferrari composite materials will open up a universe of high technology and performance. It also has high abrasion resistance, fire and UV resistant formulation and has unmatched elasticity & flexibility.
- Raymakers- is part of the rich Dutch textile heritage and their experience in the textile production goes way back to 1773. Previously, Raymakers have mainly focused on the development, production and marketing of velvet, but off late the company also produces plain as well as patterned velvets with many different textures and qualities.
The Designers’ Studio Students were lucky enough to be taken behind the scenes to look at how the fabric is made, stored, cut and delivered all around the world. They learnt about the procurement of the fabric and even managed to get some beautiful samples from the cut sample room- truly a designers haven!
Keep your eyes peeled for the next workshop! We look forward to seeing you all soon!