Blinds & Shutters learns why the vast majority of the fabrics sold by Eclipse are woven and coated within the UK. In recent times the blind trade has looked to Asia for volume fabrics at low prices, a practice that usually ends up affecting the quality of the finished product. Eclipse will always look to produce UK-sourced product.

Without control over the source of the product, there are increased risks of weaving and coating faults and the only method of effective quality control is to throw it in the bin and replace it with an alternative or give the customer a discount to placate them. All of this adds to the price of the fabric but is usually not a consideration when ‘doing the deal’.

The vast majority of the fabrics sold by Eclipse are woven and coated within the UK. This is evident in the company’s roller and vertical collections as well as the recently launched Unipleat collection which contain a majority of UK-woven products. Eclipse works very closely with its weaving partner to produce woven fabrics from polyester yarns, polycotton yarns and other acrylic-blended yarns.

The weaving machines are dedicated to running particular product such as high definition weaving looms that run the Unipleat product, some looms that weave products like Linenweave, as well as air jet looms that weave the base cloth for Palette. Particular attention is paid to the cleanliness of the weaving environment to ensure that the woven cloth is clean and dust-free. Eclipse remains committed to developing products and processes that respect the fragile resources of our planet.

The company is developing fabrics using recycled materials and 100% sustainable products.

The fabrics are designed by experienced and creative teams, with a product development programme that remains focused on future and emerging trends. Flexibility is designed into the products to ensure that short runs differentiate the business from many high volume manufacturers. This flexibility ensures the minimum stock holding with efficient turnaround for restocking, which is vastly preferable to restocking from Asia with long lead times. Having the weaving facility based in the UK allows Eclipse and its customers to become directly involved in the design of the fabrics, taking advantage of the creative studio and team.

The manufacturing and weaving techniques used by Eclipse ensure that the company maintains full control over the quality and finish of its products, as well as being able to create new and bespoke designs on shorter runs, allowing for a wide variety of product styles and colours. Achieving all this through production in the UK is an important feature for Eclipse, and sets a benchmark for other companies in the market. ‘Made in the UK’ is not just a marketing campaign; it is Eclipse’s intention as a business to continue driving UK-sourced product from UK-based companies.

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