Towards end of 2019, leading European supplier of furniture fabrics Gabriel A/S acquired the German knitting company Visiotex GmbH. Following the acquisition, Denmark headquartered Gabriel successfully established a new design and innovation centre in Germany, where the Visiotex developed flat knitting based Shapeknit production has been upgraded in accordance with Gabriel’s production and quality systems.

As part of its strategy to be close to its partners and customers around the world, Gabriel has announced it is now expanding even further and is establishing a centre of excellence for Shapeknit products and production at its facility in Grand Rapids, in Michigan, USA.

Liz Hilton, Shapeknit Designer

To provide even stronger support and service to its North American customers, flat knit specialist Liz Hilton has joined Gabriel’s US team as Shapeknit Designer. The company says Liz will play an important role in establishing the Shapeknit product range in the US and Canadian markets. She will be working closely together with customers as well as with Gabriel’s European team to ensure the global availability of Shapeknit solutions from a network of local production sites on various continents.

Liz Hilton is well-known in the industry for her many years of experience related to flat knit design and programming on multiple systems and product categories. She has an intense focus on customer satisfaction and will work closely with your design and development teams to deliver unparalleled results, Gabriel said.

Shapeknit by Gabriel

Shapeknit by Gabriel combines 170 years of Gabriel’s upholstery expertise with innovative and multi-functional knit technology to provide one-piece, three-dimensional knits that perfectly fits the shape and form of any furniture design without the need for cutting, sewing and other adaption or finishing processes.

Shapeknit offers functional and aesthetical advantages to customers. The design options and technical benefits are countless, Gabriel says, and so are the options for increasing productivity through the elimination of waste and sewing processes. With the Shapeknit technology, Gabriel says it offers its customers a higher degree of flexibility in the proposed solution along with an opportunity to influence the design and development process.

Shapeknit optimises upholstery procedures, as each upholstery solution is knitted into the exact required shape. By tailoring each piece as early as in the knitting process, fabric waste is eliminated and consequently, the production process becomes more efficient, more sustainable and more economical.

Shapeknit benefits

¨     Three dimensional shapes made to fit

¨     Ready for assembly

¨     No cutting and sewing required

¨     Easy to fit on any design

¨     Customised upholstery solutions

¨     Unlimited design possibilities

¨     Eco-friendly, zero waste solution

¨     Improved productivity

www.gabriel.dk