Kruishoutem, BE — Nelen & Delbeke is proving that a small family fabric business is still a viable way to serve the retail and editeur markets according to Thierry Delbeke head of the business with his son Dexter and wife Caroline.

Recently, Thierry nailed down a major contract with the Fatboy® retail brand for a linen cover on  a bean bag chair.

Nelen & Delbeke, now in its fourth generation of family ownership, is launching its first wide width collection of linen fabrics on a Schmidt made loom in the 3 meter 20 width for the confection market, particularly for workrooms where the savings in seams and ease of hanging the curtains are substantial for the customer, he said. The Nelen & Delbeke wide width linen line is priced at 18-22 Euros per meter. “I can’t tell you where the competition is toughest today but we do quite well meeting it and the business is still growing for us.” 

The company says it invests in new equipment each year to be able to offer something fresh at every market.  As with all of its collections, Nelen & Delbeke will restrict designs to individual customers on a worldwide exclusivity basis. “That’s how we work,” Thierry indicated. The U.S.A is now its number one target market with agents Nick Savoye and Mike Morgan leading the charge in America. Dexter is heading up sales efforts in the USA, France and the UK. He joined the firm several years ago after graduating Textile College in France.

The company brings bright colors to its linen designs but the customer prefers to order black and white in those designs. Nevertheless, Thierry feels that the color he brings to linen, including stonewashed and antique looks helps sell the customer on a program. The novelty items in linen are a staple for Nelen & Delbeke. It embroiders and wet prints linen fabric. It will also copy any design in its library in TreviraCS® and will work with local editeurs on hotel projects in Europe. “We have a family atmosphere with our customers and that’s the way we like it.” Part of the service equation lies in the location in a modern factory park close to major roads and ports. This is something Nelen & Delbeke did 12 years ago, a move away from the city center, ahead of many other competitors. This gives them tremendous flexibility, Thierry said. 

The $8-$10 million sales are generated primarily by upholstery with 60 percent of the turnover and the balance is drapery product. “We look for the linen fiber with the longest length and the best properties for upholstery. We don’t do bed linen which requires a different linen property,” he pointed out. Price increases are expected in the 10-12 percent range. Linen like any other fiber has shot up recently in price because the coming crop is smaller and the demand for linen is high, he said. 

The beauty of this mill lies in its ability to be flexible with minimums and quick to deliver. For example, a customer could order 50 meter minimum from the stock range of linens and 100-200 meters on a custom order basis.   F&FI

Dexter (son), Caroline (mom) and Thierry Delbeke (dad), Nelen & Delbeke, Kruishoutem, BE

Bold colors sell linen, says Thierry Delbeke but the customer ends up buying a design like this in black and white.

Thierry Delbeke in the ‘Fatboy®’ bean bag chair features linen fabric from his mill.