There are many reasons why we love velvet

History of velvet 

Most often, we associate velvet with European nobility during the Renaissance, but its history goes back much further, all the way to ancient cultures of China, Iraq, and Egypt (to 2000 B.C.). Europeans introduced velvet into trade along the Silk Road and Italy was the first European country to have a velvet industry. It became the largest producer and supplier in Europe. Velvet production in Europe has increased during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance periods with expert weavers creating velvet also in Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.

At the beginning velvet was expensive and hard to produce (also the reason for its popularity among the nobles). After the industrial revolution and the introduction of mechanical looms, any type of material was easier to produce. Velvet became more widely used, especially for curtains, clothing and also furniture but its association with luxury stuck, and it was still used to make produce feel and look more glamorous and expensive. 

Throughout history, velvet remained popular and it reached its peak in the glamorous vibes of the ’70s and the ’80s, and was then adopted by the pop icons of the ’90s. Today, it is a widely used material in all sorts of industries thanks to its durability and elegance.

What is velvet

The word “velvet” refers to the structure of the fabric, not the actual fibre or material used. It is a closely woven fabric with a short, thick, plush pile. Velvet pile, or the raised fibers, are super soft and smooth to touch. There are several different kinds of velvet (depending on how the fabric is made and what fiber is used), like crushed velvet, panne and embossed velvet, stretch velvet, patterned velvet and others. Originally it was made from silk but these days, it is made from a mixture of synthetic fibers and natural fibers. It is made from vertical yarn and manufactured on a special loom known as a double cloth loom as it spins two layers of fabric at the same time. These two fabric layers are then separated and wound up onto rolls. Once velvet is woven into cloth, it can be dyed in various colors.

Our velvet products

Velvet is used for a huge variety of products, from curtains and blankets, to stuffed animals, plush toys, furniture, and even bedding and bath robes. 

We have been using velvet since the beginning – when refurbishing armchairs and in our first collection Velvet Touch which was all about the timeless, colorful velvet cushions, embellished with a gold zipper. Velvet is comfortable, warm and quite airy. It is durable and has a pretty strong moisture-wicking properties. We love to use high quality velvet, because it is luxurious, rich in colours and very grateful for handmade work and sewing. Our color palette has grown with time and now we offer velvet products in light rose, dramatic black, vibrant yellow, deep green, several shades of blue and much much more. 

All velvet cushions and some chairs and armchairs covers that are removable are machine washable at 30 degrees on the delicate or hand-wash program. If it is not possible to remove the covers, you can always use a damp cloth and a little detergent. You can also use various preparations (foams) for cleaning and caring for upholstered furniture. We always advise our customers to test the cleaning product on a small piece of fabric in a less visible part to check how the fabric reacts to this specific cleaning solution.