Love is in the air during our 50^th year and to celebrate, we’ve handpicked our favourite Camira fabrics over the last five decades.

 

Established in 1974, under the name Camborne Fabrics, Camira has launched hundreds of textiles for commercial, transport and residential interiors; many of which have revolutionised the sector and even led to new categories of fabrics being developed.

 

Zoe Milnes, Camira’s Events and Exhibitions Manager said: “I love our first bast fibre fabric, which launched in the mid-2000s, as it was a real innovation for us; STING was created in collaboration with De Montfort University, as part of a four-year UK government funded project. Using scientific research, we developed the world’s first modern-day textile produced using nettles, which was inherently flame retardant due to higher level flammability standards making it groundbreaking for the commercial interiors industry.”

 

The launch of STING led to the development of several other bast fibre fabrics including Hemp, Main Line Flax, Main Line Twist and Craggan Flax. All made using an intimate blend of wool and hemp or flax, these plant-based, environmentally intelligent textiles are chemical free and fully biodegradable.

 

One of our best-selling upholstery fabrics, Main Line Plus is a firm favourite for our graphic designer, Jake Collinson-Lawrence. Jake commented: “This is where it all started for Camira, when Main Line was launched at the very beginning it was our first fabric in 1974. It was upgraded to Main Line Plus in the 1980s and we still have it in our collection today. It has sold more than 35 million metres since it first launched.”

 

Rooted in history, Blazer, which was recoloured in January this year, is a wool felt fabric made using 100% premium lambswool and is an outright classic textile inspired by British heritage and culture. 

 

Sustainability Engineer, Paraskevi Fotoglou said: “Wool felt has been used for hundreds of years for ceremonial uniforms, including the Royal Guards and Household Calvary. Blazer is a beautiful fabric; it’s sustainably made and the colour palette is a real celebration of colour – I’m looking forward to seeing how the new colours are used in hospitality and other commercial projects this year and beyond.”

 

Director of Marketing and Sustainability, Ian Burn recalls when one of Camira’s fabrics from the archives, O-Zone featured on BBC’s Match of the Day. Ian said: “O-Zone became one of our iconic fabrics of the 1990s and early 2000s thanks to its unique bubble wrap inspired design and pop art colours. It was a great surprise to switch on the TV one Saturday evening and see the Match of the Day sofa upholstered in green O-Zone.”

 

Another throwback fabric, Bellini was launched at International Trade Fair, Orgatec in 1998. Based on our wool worsted fabric, Aquarius, the textile was as glamorous as its name suggests, Ian Burn said: “We mixed classic Bellini cocktails to celebrate the launch of a really fun fabric; it almost sparkled with the white yarn popping through on the different shades of orange, blue, green and purple, which were named after popular beverages including ‘Cognac’ ‘Gin’ ‘Sambuca’ and ‘Cola’.”

 

Our modern crepe weave fabric made from 100% post-consumer recycled polyester, Xtreme turns 25 years old this year. PR and Communications Manager, Jennifer Ogden said: “Xtreme has worked very hard in the last 25 years, diverting waste from landfill and saving virgin raw materials, its stretch properties, coupled with high flame retardancy and vibrant colours make Xtreme one of my most loved Camira fabrics.”

 

Textile leaders and innovators in sustainability, Camira has been bringing interiors to life for 50 years. Our vision is to be the natural choice for fabric solutions globally and we’ve many new products launching in 2024 which we’re sure designers will love just as much as the fabrics in our current portfolio… watch this space.