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Hardware prevails through travails

June 1, 2022  |  Features

COVID-19 battered economies and companies worldwide, with few industries spared its effects. But if the pandemic turned lives upside down, it also unleashed creativity, determination and a refusal to say “uncle.” The result in a lot of cases wasn’t just mere survival, but something closer to t…
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The greening of outdoor fabrics

May 1, 2022  |  Features

Green. Sustainable. Environmentally friendly. These issues are top of mind for manufacturers of all kinds, and outdoor fabric manufacturers and end product manufacturers are no different. But what does it all mean? How does one measure immediate impact against long-term impact? How do businesses mee…
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2022 New Products Showcase Part 2

May 1, 2022  |  Features

Awnings, tents, shade sails, marine upholstery, protective gear, furniture: regardless of the end product, the fabric needs to perform in harsh conditions while looking good, keeping the planet green and fitting into a client’s budget. For our two-part annual showcase, we asked contributors to sen…
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Mike Kallas helps Roeming Industries navigate change

May 1, 2022  |  Features, Perspective

Since pandemic-related effects reduced the sewing workforce that Mike Kallas leads from 20 employees to fewer than 10, he has been earnestly seeking new sewers for his team. But you might not know it based on the job listings he posts—not if you’re new to the industrial fabrics industry, that is…
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Outdoor canopy build is true collaboration

May 1, 2022  |  Features

A seemingly simple job can sometimes create many challenges but still result in a great finished project. A case in point is the canopy built for a homeowner’s outdoor space by Fresco Shades, of Auckland, New Zealand. The homeowner had provided a CAD drawing of the desired space and even visited t…
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A focus on what we do best

April 1, 2022  |  Features, Perspective

If a college friend hadn’t had extra space in a harborside building he was renting in downtown Bellingham, Greg Keeler may have never started up Washington-based marine canvas company Oyster Creek Canvas Co.
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The revolution in soft signage

April 1, 2022  |  Features

You may say tomato and I may say to-MAH-toe, but at places like the International Sign Association, a trade group based in Alexandria, Va., Craig Campbell, vice president of business development, says the language around soft signage is often confusing.
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2022 New Products Showcase Part 1

April 1, 2022  |  Features, Specialty Fabrics Showcase

Tents, awnings, shade sails, marine upholstery, protective gear, furniture: regardless of the end product, the fabric needs to perform in harsh conditions while looking good, keeping the planet green and fitting into a client’s budget. For our two-part annual showcase, we asked contributors to sen…
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Siersema office interior

April 1, 2022  |  Features

When Amsterdam’s Siersema Interieur, a design studio specializing in fabrics, needed an identifying look for its new riverfront offices, it turned to architectural firm Beyond Space.   “The space benefitted from high ceilings and lots of light, but frankly, was otherwise quite boring,” sa…
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Passion and pride

March 1, 2022  |  Features, Perspective

You may not have heard of Taiyo Kogyo Corp., based in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, but you probably have a tangential relationship with the company through one of its 37 subsidiaries spread across 13 countries. Or maybe you’ve seen one of its hundreds of fabric structure projects around the world. Foun…
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