Raymakers specializes in velvet manufacture using up-to-date technologies. At Proposte we had a chance to learn about the latest news in velvet industry.

Our interlocutor is Mr. Barend Verschuren, Regional Manager at Raymakers.

Full interview is available in the video.

– Hello, Barend!

– Hello, Maria! Nice to see you again!


– Nice to see you too! Last year we talked about the history of your company, about your production capacity, technologies and innovations. And this year we would like to know about your novelties.

– I will be happy to show you what the novelties are! Let’s start with a glitter velvet. It’s a cotton velvet made with polyamide – nylon so it gets this shiny appearance.


– Is it a curtain quality?

– Yes, it is. It’s a curtain quality and a new trend – shiny mist and glitter.

– Usually you have a very wide color pallet. How many colors are available here?

– This sample you can choose from 200 colors. You can choose by yourself in which color you want us to dye this fabric.


– What are the new colors you have added to your collection this year?

– Actually, we change colors all the time, that’s why I can’t answer about the exact quantity. Every year, every month, every day we make new colors for our customers. I think, now we have about 6000 colors.


– So, wholesalers can choose the colors they need?

– Yes. We do it together. They ask us to show samples, we prepare them and try to make a collection.


– It can be any color? Pantone, for example?

– Yes, right. We’ve got our own laboratory, and together we make new colors.

– Let’s see other fabrics from your collection.

– We have this fabric, it’s a companion to the previous one, also shiny. It is the velvet with embossing. We’ve got new embossing machine and used it on this glitter. It worked very well.


– Tell us about this technology. Is it termo-printing?

– Yes. With a copper cylinder we print it on fabric and then you get relief on it.


– So the base is the same as previous one but with embossing?

– Yes, we can use it on most of our qualities.


– Is it a modern classic design?

– It’s really craft. We have 25 old cylinders in our manufacture but use modern machines as well and make new designs. We can make them together with our clients and produce the designs they want.


– Is it individual design for their collections?

– Yes, and we try to make exclusive collections for our customers. They get exclusive design embossed on the fabric.

– What designs were in demand previous year? Modern or classic?

– Usually it was classic. Classic way to decorate a fabric, mostly floral classic designs.


– So, we can say that velvet is associated with classic design?

– More than classic. Modern classic design with modern colors we make.


– We also know that geometric design, three dimensional effects were in trend last year. Do you have it in your collections?

– Yes, we do. We spoke about them last year. It’s also jacquard. With jacquard you can make anything you like.


– Let’s talk about this fabric.

– We have noticed a huge demand for honest, sustainable goods. So we made this fabric, it’s not harmful for the environment. You see it more in fashion industry as well.


– In interior textile as well.

– Yes. So, we developed this quality.


– Is it a cotton velvet?

– Yes, it’s a cotton velvet made out of BCI yarn. Our customers can choose any color they want. We can make it together.

– As you have said before, clients can choose any color. What is the minimum amount for an individual color?

– That’s a good question. Minimum is 1 dyebed, it's 200 meters. So, the minimum is 200 meters per color.


– And can you use this base for designs?

– We haven’t done this yet. But of course we can do it. You can use embossing on any kind of cotton so with this one there would be no problem.

– Tell us about this fabric.

– What we see now in furniture industry, especially on the upper level, - they use luxurious soft velvet. So we developed this very heavy, you can feel it, thick velvet.

– Yes, it’s very heavy. It will be a very luxurious look of your sofa with this velvet.

– That’s what Raymakers is trying to achieve – level up our collection to a higher level.


– And the price is higher as well?

– Of course. There is more material in this fabric so the price is higher.


– Do you work with some famous manufacturers of furniture?

– Yes, we do. But most of the time it goes via wholesalers and they sell it to manufacturers.


– Not directly?

– It's possible, of course, if they want. And we would like to do it. But they have to buy full pieces and then we can have good collaboration.


– So, they prefer to have collections?

– They buy less because they don’t want to stock fabrics. But as we have noticed, it’s changing. There are more and more manufacturers who want to buy more.


– Directly?

– Yes.


– And also I see this geometric design.

– It is jacquard. We have about 50 jacquard designs which we have developed ourselves.

– And do clients prefer geometric design in technology of jacquard?

– More modern.


– And here we can see the combination of shine and mat yarn..

– It’s only because of the material. At Raymakers we don’t dye yarns. So the difference in color is only because we use different kind of material in this design.


– Two yarns are combined?

– Yes. Cotton and viscose.


– I like this texture very much. What is the composition?

– It’s 100% linen. We use a lot of different kinds of fibers at Raymakers. We can have more cotton, or modal, it’s also one of the natural fibers. And this one is linen, - heavy structure, heavy quality.

– Is it upholstery?

– Yes.


– How do you make this interesting texture? It looks like old fabric.

– know what you mean. The crush effect – that’s what linen does. We don’t crush it ourselves, it happens itself. Because it’s a very strong yarn and it gives this appearance. It’s just a characteristic of linen.


And we have in embossing, a very soft one. Normally, when you emboss polyamide or nylon it gets hard. We found a new technique which makes a fabric stay very soft.


– You do it by finishing? What is the secret of softness?

– I can’t tell you.

– Thank you very much! I hope that wholesalers will like your new collection and will use it in their own colors. See you next year!