Blinds & Shutters - issue 1/2023

FABRIC
A sound vision
Louvolite says you
really do need
Vision in this
business
It seems a long time ago that Louvolite
introduced its Vision programme to the UK
industry. The compact, yet varied selection of
fabrics were mounted on a 4 section fold out
presentation card – the first page of which
featured a mounted piece of Vision fabric which
was able to be moved up and down to help
illustrate how this new window furnishing
actually operated.
In order to maximise the understanding of
this new blind concept, the card was inserted
into every new Roller Shade book that the
company launched that year. The belief was that
by doing this, the consumer looking to buy a
roller blind would at least have the opportunity
of considering this new innovative product
before finalising their choice.
Of course, Louvolite had established a
preferred manufacturing method for the Vision
product which allowed users of the Louvolite
roller blind system to assemble the Vision
product and thereby offer the product to their
trade customers or direct to their consumers –
whichever method of sale they adopted.
In addition, those companies with retail
showrooms were strongly encouraged to
feature a Vision blind in order that the
consumer be able to fully understand the
operation thereof.
And so the success of Vision began with these
simple steps to take the product to the industry
and through them to the consumer – of course
the product has now been called other names –
Duo Blind/Day Night/Zebra, but whichever
name people know it as the product has
become a staple in the industry’s offerings.
As perhaps you may expect, the latest version
of Louvolite’s Vision programme breaks new
ground yet again. The increased number of SKUs
included in the programme reflects the product
importance and indeed the progression of
design within the textiles themselves.
The weaves now feature sophisticated yarns
with multiple coloured fibres to provide
additional depth - metallic yarns are used to
create mildly reflective weaves. Panel sizes are
no longer restricted to one size but include
larger panels to better satisfy larger windows or
create a bold effect at others.
Whilst you cannot really ever achieve a total
blockout effect with a Vision blind, an increased
number of fabrics featuring blockout panels
coupled with alternating voile or more open
translucent weaves give the consumer a wider
choice than ever before.
Louvolite has also created a number
appropriate designs which it now offers as print
variants using the unique banded construction
of Vision to create flowing artwork which
changes as the blind is operated. These really do
have to be seen to be appreciated and there is
no doubt that the programme takes the Vision
offering to a new level.
Such an important programme needs to be
presented in a way that invigorates the
customer and there is no doubt that the
Louvolite presentation does exactly that. Shown
in colour spectrum format, but with
corresponding print designs interleaved
between woven solids and jacquards, each turn
of the page provides a new selection of
beautiful Vision fabrics.
The collection was one of the many featured
products on the Louvolite stand at the BBSA
show in October and was greeted with
expressions of delight by the visitors to the
stand who were really impressed by the depth
and range of the programme. Many stated that
it would really enhance their sales opportunities
in this still growing market segment.
The official launch of Louvolite’s new Vision
programme is January 2023, with orders taken
for presentation books at the show and now
also by the Louvolite team. As stated in the title,
we believe you really do need to have Vision in
this business. We hope you agree.
34 Blinds & Shutters • ISSUE ONE 2023