Originally conceived of by F. Schumacher & Co., Waverly was named after the first American mill. In the early 1920s J. Walter Thompson decided to push the Waverly name into households across America. As a new fabric brand without much name recognition at the time, Thompson knew he had to be clever to build familiarity for the upholstery and drapery fabric.
By leveraging magazines about all sorts of home-related topics, Thompson was able to put the Waverly brand in front of middle class folks everywhere. In seemingly no time the name was recognized as a source of stylish and affordable fabric.
Waverly fabrics were features in newspapers around that time, praising the then-unusual Chintz patterns as a way to create refreshingly new room designs. “It belongs in a room where comfort is the keynote,” one paper said, “with floods of light and air — a room where life is lived with zest.” (Waverly History)
As the company began to grow, they added the Waverly Decorative Fabric Division in 1935 to improve distribution. This allowed them to get prints to decorators, upholsterers, and shops that did not carry piece stock. This was a big advantage at the time since many retailers were looking for a distributor with a readily available inventory. Because of this Waverly broadened its mark within the upholstery fabric industry.
In 1939 Waverly began coordinating wall coverings with their fabrics, allowing shoppers to furnish their homes easily with entire room designs that were designed to work together.
Expanded Waverly Styles For Upholstery and Drapery Fabrics
Fast forward 50 years and we reach the point where Waverly established a licensing program. Each licensing partner could contribute to designs, working closely with Waverly’s stylists and marketing team to ensure each product line fit the Waverly look.
The Waverly Place Program introduced in the early 2000s was where the “store within a store” concept emerged. With over 200 stores nationwide, Waverly’s concept helped create today’s style of layering prints and patterns to coordinate a more interesting look.
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This commitment to fresh, popular looks continues to grace homes today. Shop our collection of Waverly fabrics today to see for yourself!
