Velvet fabrics

How many scenes and images come to mind if we think of this special upholstery, a very rich and elegant embossed pile fabric that has historically decorated the best palaces, halls and theaters, the velvet.

China and Egypt were one of the first major producers of this fabric associated with luxury and elegance, as well as tactile comfort and the softness and warmth with which it permeates the spaces that it dresses rather than decorates. Europe also wanted to enjoy the bonanzas of velvet and between the 12th and 18th centuries, Italy became the largest producer of this fabric, which was not only used to decorate rooms, but also began to have a notable presence on furniture, walls and even in the clothing of the nobles and new lovers of this uniform pile fabric until reaching our days also in numerous versions and uses both for upholstery and as a fabric for curtains and backdrops.

And it is that its main characteristic, the softness of the touch and the beauty of its natural shine, make it a very special product from the moment of its preparation. Thus, velvet is a fabric from which, worked on a special loom, two layers are extracted: one made up of two main threads and another, by other threads inserted between them. Each layer has its texture and particularities to the touch and to the sight, they are two differentiated layers that make this fabric a coveted piece.

In the fifteenth century Valencia, the city of our headquarters and origin, occupied a prominent place on the map of velvet making in Europe. 1,200 looms housed a city whose nerve center is still linked to the noble art of its production, the Velluters neighborhood (name derived from the 'vellut', from velvet). Today, the College of Silk Art of Valencia has a unique loom in Spain, a 'vellut' loom, of velvet, restored to make this fabric in the same way, with the same technique and in the same place, which was used in that fifteenth century.

“In the 18th century it is estimated that there were 3,500 looms in Valencia, of which 900 were dedicated to weaving velvet. In the 19th century there was a gradual decline in the traditional manual loom for the mechanical one, something that became general in the 20th century. The 'vellut' ceased to be woven manually in the second half of the century", explains the website of the Silk Museum of Valencia.

And it is that the industrial revolution streamlined its manufacturing process and reduced quality in many cases, that is why you have to be careful when choosing a velvet, since there are very different values ​​and categories. Don't confuse velvet with other soft hand knits or peach skin. The thickness of the thread, how close it is, the tapestry it generates and its touch are some of the characteristics that will allow us to know its quality.

In addition, velvet, a fabric made from spun fibers, can be created with all kinds of fibres: linen, silk, polyester, fire-retardant velvet... This last characteristic, added to its ability to absorb sound (it is sound-absorbing, acoustically comfortable), have allowed it to occupy large spaces in the curtains of theaters or in the curtains of auditoriums, as well as in the upholstery of chairs and seats, another of its great destinations.

San Carlo cotton velvet, Scala linen velvet, Perseo fire-retardant velvet and Casanova jacquard-patterned velvet are some of the proposals from Equipo DRT around this fabric in which plains predominate, but in which the print digital has opened a new path for its updating: the quality of the fabric is maintained and the design and vividness of the desired drawings and prints are added.

Because, as Yves Saint Laurent said: "Fashions disappear, style is eternal."

VELVET FABRICS FOR UPHOLSTERY

Softness, shine, elegance, comfort or durability are just some of the characteristics that accompany velvet upholstery fabrics and that they provide, in turn, to the spaces in which the upholstered pieces are installed. You only have to think of waiting areas or large hotel lobbies that use velvet in their seats and that give us warmth and relaxation, as well as acquiring a noble and sophisticated air.

Such warmth and elegance is possible thanks to fabrics such as the velvet from Equipo DRT San Carlo or the Gran Mogol velvet. Upholstering a chair, an armchair or a sofa with one of these fabrics turns the pieces into jewels, into unique decorative and comfort elements.

Not only do they give warmth to the touch and sight, they also become, as in the case of the Great Mughal, inhabitable paintings. His drawing, upholstered in a living room piece or even on a wall, transports us and makes us dream. It allows us to immerse ourselves in other worlds, in other times, in other cultures by caressing and seeing. A fabric is much more than a fabric, especially when we talk about velvet and all its possibilities.

PRINTED VELVET

Adding patterns to the properties and qualities of velvet is a trend that turns this fabric into a wide range of possibilities. Not only can we enjoy velvet, but beyond its texture, comfort and elegance, we find numerous design variants: drawings, geometries, lines and shapes that add to the wide range of colors of this fabric that never goes out of style.

An ever-rising trend is the 'animal print', of which Team DRT highlights the Zebra, Ocelot, Tiger and Leopard animal print velvets. 100% cotton fabrics that can decorate contract spaces, homes or offices as curtains or upholstery.

Another proposal that we are passionate about is the Gran Mogol velvet, a best-selling design from the firm applied to velvet. The color of the drawing, the design itself, the beauty of each scene, make it a unique piece that over the years has decorated rooms even like a great painting. Because it is.

The ethnic geometries of the Tuareg velvet textile design, the blanket of wild flowers that is Meadow or autumn that recreate the nine floral, plant and ornamental scenes that give a precious life to the Patchwork textile proposal are just other of our bets on printed velvets.

WASHABLE VELVET

One of the aspects to take into account when purchasing a fabric is how it is washed. Velvet is not only not exempt from this interest, but it generates it especially due to its texture and its qualities.

And the explanation could not be more fruitful, since the new fibers allow washable velvets to be developed as well as fire-retardant fabrics. This is the case of our Perseo collection, velvet for upholstery in 26 colours. These fibers are 100% Trevira CS yarns, synthetic fibers that allow us to affirm that velvet can be washed: by machine, with water at 30º, a delicate wash that keeps the qualities of the fabric intact, which is also fire retardant.

In addition, the evolution of the fabric has also made its dyes evolve. Over the years and improvements in textile design, dyes have gone from being natural dyes (gradually discolored with the passage of time and use) to improved dyes that even in cotton velvet keep the beauty of the fabric intact its color.

LINEN VELVET

Yes, you are reading correctly. Linen velvet. All the natural properties of linen can also be developed in a fabric such as velvet. The sample, our Scala collection, precious 100% linen velvet in 26 colors ideal for upholstery and for the most elegant and sophisticated textile decoration.

In this proposal, the thread is a little shorter than in other velvets, it does not shine and the tones are much more relaxed, softer, than in the other fibers, since linen reacts in this way also more subtly to colors, which makes it a doubly special product.

The wide range of colors, which enhance the texture of velvet and linen, offer the widest range of possibilities when choosing a room in which to let yourself be carried away by so much warmth and sophistication. For the mixture of elegance and naturalness. Can you imagine curtains with Scala as a linen fabric? What an unmissable combination.