EXPANDING INTO NEW HORIZONS - WHY BRITISH INTERIOR BRAND ART OF THE LOOM INVESTED IN DIGITAL TECH
“Our valued customers expect and deserve excellent service. The only true way to guarantee total control over artistic interpretation and commercial and reliable delivery lead times is to back your beliefs and invest. The installation of our own in-house digital printing facility was a natural and logical progression to support the creative development process of our fantastic Design team.” Art of the Loom
As digital technologies have evolved, their ease of use and affordability continues to drive the digital disruption of the home furnishings marketplace.
Reacting to market demand and the accelerating pace of Interior customisation - British brand Art of the Loom have invested in Dgen digital textile printing technology. Building their own In-House production facility - they now manufacture high quality printed furnishings for their own label brands and designers seeking custom printed textiles for residential and contract interiors.
Art of the Loom is a family business, now in its seventh generation, and has been trading for over 200 years. We caught up with their CEO - Andrew Thornber to discover more…
When was Art of the Loom founded?
My Family have been actively involved in the textile business since 1815.
As a family textile business, how has the business evolved over the years, and which Interior sectors do you serve?
As our business has evolved to meet the ever-greater challenges of being a UK manufacturer, we have prided ourselves on our open-minded forward-thinking approach. As demand and product values as a UK producer have shifted, we find ourselves currently operating successfully as a stockist and wholesaler and an onsite design led digital printer servicing the upholstery and soft furnishings market.
Can you tell us more about your Utopia brand and the products you supply?
Utopia was created as a brand to meet the consumer driven demand for fashion led seasonally released on trend collections. Art of the Loom prides itself on its classical styles and timeless collections. Utopia is the wild child that helps give our retail and upholstery customers that wow factor.
When and why did you decide to explore and invest in digital printing technology?
Our valued customers expect and deserve excellent service. The only true way to guarantee total control over artistic interpretation and commercial and reliable delivery lead times is to back your beliefs and invest. The installation of our own in-house digital printing facility was a natural and logical progression to support the creative development process of our fantastic Design team.
Why does the Interior Décor marketplace excite you and how will your investment enable expansion?
We are very fortunate to work in the furnishings industry. Constantly shifting trends and design influences gives our marketplace energy and allows forward thinking producers the opportunity to constantly experiment and push creative boundaries. Through significant investment in the latest digital printing technologies and indeed in talented designers and colourists we can facilitate, adapt and grow with great speed.
What were the determining factors when choosing equipment to build your in-house printing division?
As with any ambitious design led business it is listening to customers and keeping a keen eye on future trends that determines key decision making when it comes to production machinery. Our entire ethos is centred around responding to market, current and future wants, and it is this that determines how we invest.
Which technologies do you use and for which fabric types?
To ensure maximum, commercial flexibility, our facility is supported by both direct to textile and sublimation printing capabilities.
Can you tell us more about designers and collections you offer?
We pride ourselves on being design led and to truly support this mantra we feel it is important as a creative entity to have both a talented in-house design team, but also constantly seek out and collaborate with the very best UK freelance designers.
How do your clients utilise the archive – are product printed on-demand?
We have found by being just in time manufacturers we are able to support a significant number of newly released and historic collections simultaneously. Without the burden of significant print before demand stock held collections, we are far more able to adapt to and service this fantastic market. .
Colour is critical in the Décor sector – How do you approach colour management across your technologies and various materials?
The management and creation of colour, as with design starts with our design department identifying and working with trending shades. By controlling and investing in our own manufacturing facility we are extremely fortunate to have total command of the ongoing management of colour continuity.
What excites you most as we emerge from the challenges of the last 18 months?
As a sector we have been significantly more fortunate than for example hospitality. Whilst there have been disruptions, our market has remained extremely resilient. Consumers have spent unprecedented amounts of time living in and adapting their home environments. The most exciting outcome in our opinion is seeing a real sea change in the number of consumers falling in love with and redecorating their homes.
What’s next? What does the future hold for Art of the Loom?
The energy and drive that flows through the entire team here at Art of the Loom manifests itself in the constant desire to expand digital printing horizons. There is therefore an exciting inevitability that Art of the Loom will continue to passionately strive for an ever increasing market share through investment and potential acquisition in this terrific, creative melting pot we know as the furnishings industry.
