Flokser Phases Out Flock Velvet Upholstery Production
December 12, 2022
Ilknur Omay
ISTANBUL TURKIYE—Flokser is phasing out its flock upholstery business, it was learned.
Ilknur Omay, daughter of Rafet Tukek, owner of Tukek Holding and parent of Flokser flock upholstery, was running the business with her sister Guliz Tukek.
Rafet Tukek and his two daughters were actively managing Microfibres, the Turkish brand of flock owned by their company HP Fabrics in the USA and the Sertex brand of flock in Turkey.
Flokser had purchased Microfibres factories and equipment in Pawtucket, Rhode Island but has since sold off all of the real estate and most of the equipment.
Flokser is no longer producing flock in the USA or in China, it is reported.
In 2018, Rafet Tukek split from his two brothers Rasen and Yasin who own Suedser and the Flokser artificial leather manufacturing division in Turkey.
Rafet’s company, Tukek Holding is also the owner of Nanfong in China, which at one time was printing as much as 2.7 million meters of flock monthly in narrow and wide widths for home textiles and upholstery for domestic Chinese consumption.
Several years ago, Ilknur said: “We started in Winston-Salem, N.C. to import Chinese-made upholstery and Turkish-woven goods and flock for the furniture industry in America,” and she was also shipping greige to China for printing. The distribution center in Winston-Salem with 60 employees was closed in 2017 because there wasn’t enough demand for flock in the USA to justify the operation.
However, by importing goods from Turkey and China, HP Fabrics was able to supply the lower demand that existed in the States. Ilknur explained that the goods were stocked in Winston-Salem with another warehouse in Tupelo. Embossing and finishing the imported flock fabrics also occurred in Winston-Salem. Flokser was shipping 800,000 meters per month, mostly solids, for $6 a yard to the USA, while China sold printed goods for about the same price.
That has all changed today as other less expensive fabrics have taken up whatever slack there was in the flock velvet market.
Globally, there are two important companies left producing flock velvet upholstery, namely Flocktex in Israel and Antecuir in Spain.
Ilknur Omay, daughter of Rafet Tukek, owner of Tukek Holding and parent of Flokser flock upholstery, was running the business with her sister Guliz Tukek.
Rafet Tukek and his two daughters were actively managing Microfibres, the Turkish brand of flock owned by their company HP Fabrics in the USA and the Sertex brand of flock in Turkey.
Flokser had purchased Microfibres factories and equipment in Pawtucket, Rhode Island but has since sold off all of the real estate and most of the equipment.
Flokser is no longer producing flock in the USA or in China, it is reported.
In 2018, Rafet Tukek split from his two brothers Rasen and Yasin who own Suedser and the Flokser artificial leather manufacturing division in Turkey.
Rafet’s company, Tukek Holding is also the owner of Nanfong in China, which at one time was printing as much as 2.7 million meters of flock monthly in narrow and wide widths for home textiles and upholstery for domestic Chinese consumption.
Several years ago, Ilknur said: “We started in Winston-Salem, N.C. to import Chinese-made upholstery and Turkish-woven goods and flock for the furniture industry in America,” and she was also shipping greige to China for printing. The distribution center in Winston-Salem with 60 employees was closed in 2017 because there wasn’t enough demand for flock in the USA to justify the operation.
However, by importing goods from Turkey and China, HP Fabrics was able to supply the lower demand that existed in the States. Ilknur explained that the goods were stocked in Winston-Salem with another warehouse in Tupelo. Embossing and finishing the imported flock fabrics also occurred in Winston-Salem. Flokser was shipping 800,000 meters per month, mostly solids, for $6 a yard to the USA, while China sold printed goods for about the same price.
That has all changed today as other less expensive fabrics have taken up whatever slack there was in the flock velvet market.
Globally, there are two important companies left producing flock velvet upholstery, namely Flocktex in Israel and Antecuir in Spain.