How To Get In Touch
We would love to hear from you and operate on an appointment-only basis when dealing directly with the trade.
If you are new to KOTHEA, please request samples from the menus above for projects you are currently working on. The more information you can provide the better we can respond.
If you are a trade professional and would like to be sent a selection of our collections please telephone or email us and give us an indication of your design style so we can send you something to excite you! Alternatively, you can view our collections first-hand by contacting us:
Call: +44 (0)20 8943 4904
Mail: info@kothea.com
Dear Sir,
We are looking for used test equipment for fabrics in the US:
Wyzenbeek
Crocking
Do you know of any units available?
It might seem the obvious thing to do but try ebay! I recently bought a fabric cutting guillotine from goldensew AT yahoo DOT com who trade from California (from memory) on ebay.
They also sold many other fabric related pieces of machinery.
You might want to wonder why someone would sell a piece of old machinery. Useful life may be limited or functionality reduced.
Hello,
I am looking for a wholesale and/or manufacturing source for Japanese chirimen crepe fabric cords of 2-2.5mm diameter. I have been able to locate a retail supplier, but cannot find a wholesaler or manufacturer from whom I could buy bulk yardage directly.
Thank you for any assistance you can provide.
try this company:
http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/oriental-direct/
I have to replace my yacht interior soft coverings. The material is patterned, waterprrof, stain proof, feels like cotton.
Where can I find catalogue for such materials?
hi andrew.
for a general search on google look for Sunbrella. That is one of the special yarns suitable for a marine environment. The likes of KOTHEA then make up our fabric designs with those yarns.
if you are trying to match a specific fabric please scan and send us an image and maybe I could help more precisely: info@kothea.com. alternatively many fabrics can be treated to become waterproof and stainproof as you require.
Hi, I’m looking for some charcoal velvets for some upholstery – Some of yours look lovelycan you tell me my nearest supplier please – north/central london?
Hi helen, yes we have charcoal upholstery velvets.
We only sell to the trade ie interior designers.
i would be glad to send you samples if you mail me your postal address (info@kothea.com) but you would have to buy through a designer, I can give you some addresses if the samples are to your liking.
Hello,
I am in the process of starting a beanbag company and am having a bit of trouble with the very strict fire standards. I have found some suppliers which meet the BS5852 standard however the choice is very limiting so I thought about buying fabric and getting it fire treated myself. Do you know of any good treating and testing companies which will provide a BS5852 certificate?
Any help would be fantastic
Regards
Louie Daintree
Hi Louie
Good luck with your new venture.
treatment companies:
https://www.kothea.com/2009/01/02/fabric-treatment-companies/ HOWEVER I Think you should look at what you need to have done to your product before it can be labeled as being properly fire accredited. I’m not an expert on this however i think that you need to have your fabric tested to BS7176. The same TREATMENT is made but a different/harder test is then done and i thin kthat this will then allow you to properly label your product.
https://www.kothea.com/2010/03/16/what-is-uk-fr-treatment-bs7176-bs5852-crib-test/
Hi,
I am looking for upholstery weight cotton moleskin in a camel/caramel color to use for a 2-3 meter long, 1/2 meter wide window seat plus extra fabric for pillows. Do you have anything like this and would it be available in the US? Thanks, E Rocco
Hi Ellen
Yes we can do this, I will contact you privately.
Hi,
We make upholstered fabric covered furniture for domestic use, we are fully aware of the regulations regarding the fire retardancy of fabric in domestic situation.
We have recently received an order for some upholstered fabric covered furniture for a hotel.
My question is; can we use fabric tested to BS 5852 part 2 placed over an interliner tested to crib 5, or has the fabric got to be tested to BS 7176 crib 5 for a hotel?
Thank you
We have an article on this on the blog. The simple answer is probably “No” – as the two are not the same tests. The fabric would PROBABLY pass the BS7176 test but that test has not been undertaken. However I say the answer is “no” assuming that you have been told by the hotel fire officer that the fabric must pass 7176, if you have not been told that then ask what they want you to do.
Rest assured that you have probably had the fabric properly treated already. So in the worst case you will only have to test a small piece to get the test papers.
Many designers do not bother with the BS7176 testing – I’m not saying however that this is the right thing to do!
I am looking for information on guidelines or creteria applicable to method validation on textile testing
Can I suggest for complete information you contact a fabric testing company. I can recommend the following: http://www.hainsworth.co.uk and http://www.tft-test.co.uk
for interiors fabrics the two most important things to have your fabrics tested for abrasion (Martindale in the UK) and fire retardancy to meet the appropriate British Standard (of which there are several).
Hello, i am looking for a big size cashmer throw, i am an individual and i am in paris. can you help me?
thanks
Hello
We purchased a suite this year and have found it has rubbed and lost its colour.
it is a “westbury pebble” fabric, after the shop inspected the item they said there was no manufacturing faults but has clearly rubbed they also said it has been test using the”martindale rub” this is how I came to your site. Any advise would be appreciated. Thank You
Regards
John
A test in itself is meaningless. Try to find out the results. IT also depends on how you use the suite, if you have a large family with pets and children and you use the suite a lot then it will wear out faster regardless. So also you need to be clear what you asked them for the sofa to do. Anyway, as a guide to you a 15,000 Martindale score would tell me that the fabric was fit for purpose. Also if it was poorly upholstered then that would make it wear more. Hopefully that gives you something to go on. If the company you bought it from looks reputable then they probably are…otherwise they would have gone out of business long ago…
Hello,
Thank you for your reply,
We have had the sofa for 10 months and truthfully there has only us been siting on it (we are both in our sixties)also in the summer we have used our conservatory.
Yes I think the company is reputable (Multiyork)but their response although quick was dismissive, Is there an independant body that will look at the problem?.
You should probably go to citizen’s advice to pursue this further. You should always make a complaint in writing (by recorded delivery, stating that on the letter as well) setting out your grievance and key facts.
Companies like Multiyork (I have heard of them but know nothing about them) normally do sell very hard wearing fabric.
Good luck. I’m not sure I can help further
How do i tell if a mohair velvet is really mohair or a poly? Is there a test? Please help.
Interesting question. 1. Ask your supplier &/or ask them for fire rating information as such information must contain the correct composition. 2. Get a sample from another company you trust and compare the two. Or take a sample to another company and ask them. I would probably be able to tell with the sample in front of me but not from a description or even from a photo. 3. There must be some test you can do as one is a natural fibre and the other not. But I would not know what that is other than sending a piece off to a testing laboratory. I would say however that true mohair will probably be very hard wearing. So if yours is quickly wearing out it won’t be mohair. Although some man-made velvets are hard wearing too. A mohair-mix velvet may not be hard wearing. 4. who did you buy it from and on what basis was it sold? How much did it cost?
Sorry I’m not being very helpful in coming up with an answer. Can you supply any more info?
Hello, I am looking for an image, or a sample of a fabric that is on some luxury yacht exterior cushions. It needs to be replicated for another yacht but the only information I have is this:
Main Fabric – Summit, Solids and Stripes, Colour 3741, Silver Grey.
Piping – Maria Flora, Acero, 60002/15, 4mm.
If this makes any sense to you I would love any more info I can get, or where I could possibly find a sample or image of the fabric.
Hope you can help.
Thank you
see below
Look for a company/range called “Summit Fabrics”. I think Robert Allen or Donghia sell it. Not one of ours.
Hello,
we produced a movie about Linen :
http://vimeo.com/18044043
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
You can share it on your website if you want.
In Linen we trust !
Thibault Martin
GOODIDEAS
Hi There
Just wanting to know what the industry standard is for colour variance in upholstery fabric, And if there is somewhere we can send a cutting and original sample to see if it does come inside the normal % rate
Kind Regards
Good question. You are essentially talking about ‘dye lot variation’. Some dyes vary from batch-to-batch some yarns also vary in how they take up the dye from batch to batch and some dyes deteriorate over time all potentially contributing to the problem I guess you are experiencing. Firstly if you are dealing with a natural undyed material then there could be significant variation as it is a natural product, I’ll assume that is not the case. As far as I know there is no industry standard for colour variation. That is why most designers will normally ask their supplier for a stock cutting before ordering. If you have a stock cutting then your supplier should be supplying fabric from that stock. If the supplier has taken receipt of a new lot you should ask for a further stock cutting to determine whether or not that is acceptable to you. Having said that, some types of fabric can be dyed to good levels of tolerance of colour variation and the supplier will state that. Also mistakes are sometimes made and similar fabrics are incorrectly sent out. Before you cut this fabric you should check against your reference or stock cutting. Unfortunatley once you have cut fabric it is common practice across the industry that it cannot be returned regardless of any other factor.
I recently bought a trench coat that was 72% viscose/24% micromodal/4% silk. Would this combination be warm enough for spring outerwear? The fabric is so lightweight I have doubts it will keep me warm in 50 degrees if I have just jeans and a t-shirt underneath. Any thoughts?
Dear sir,
i want to know about the testing of xenon protect in knit fabrics.please tell me details.
Sorry i have no idea.
Hi,I am trying to find the compestion of polyseter viscose crepe like they used to use from the 1970s,im looking to send a piece to someone so they can send me the compesition .Your help would be hugely appreciated,Im based in London ,best regards Alexis Demaner
Sorry we do not stock that kind of fabric
I am upholsteriing a sofa, with 2 cushions, in velvet. I want to flip the cushions so that the nap runs the same way each time. However this will mean that the wall nap will be different for one of the “flips” won’t it? Will this matter? Hope you can help
Different compared to what? The nap should run the same way when flipped. !
If the cushion is flipped so that the top becomes the bottom (because of zip opening at the back) I mean to upholster the top and the bottom the opposite way so that the nap is the same when flipped (as mentioned in Kothea’s Designer worksheet for velvet upholstery). However the wall nap will run the same way as one side but when flipped will run differently from the other side I thought. Maybe I have it wrong.
If the zip opens at the back then how can the back become the front when flipped? You will never use the back as the front…so it’s not important.
I haven’t explained very well….sorry. The zip will stay at the back and bottom of the cushion will become the top of the cushion when flipped.
OK. Think what the alternative might be…I don’t think there is one!
That’s what I thought but wanted a professional confirmation…thanks!
Hi! Can you possibly tell me what kind of fabric this is? http://jdvintageprops.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/TealBlueCocoon.jpg
Hello..
Which is the best company for buy fabrics online very easily.
Thank you!!
I can’t recommend a competitor, sorry. Try google.
do you know what the symbols mean on the tags of commerical textiles, for example there is alway a flame and painters pallet, and a star and a couple of other symbols. I learned about there meaning in school but I can’t find any information online. I would greatly appreciate an answer and potentially a link to a document that explains there meaning.
Thanks!
does anyone know where I could purchase cotton velvet fabric with a vintage printed floral design in various colours simular pattern would be Cath Kidson
Try http://www.cathkidston.co.uk I think you had the spelling slightly wrong
Hi,
I’m trying to order some samples but it won’t recognise our web site, and won’t allow me to submit the request.
We’d like to order full swatches of faux leather if possible?
Kind regards.
please email info@kothea.com