LOS ANGELES, California —Softex Fabrics Inc. a long time player in the U.S. window covering business, is importing LITESAFE,® a new three pass blackout lining from YongShun China. The first shipment was shown at the Hospitality Design show in Las Vegas in May by Fabtex and Jay Dash International.

John Sofka, Principal at Softex, started doing Business 45 years ago as a convertor of drapery linings and says that he “developed the very first coated blackout lining!” Sofka sees a new opportunity to compete in the sizeable blackout market that he estimates to be at over 90 million yards annually.  Blackout Lining is a fundamental product sold through manufacturers-workrooms-convertors and jobbers in the USA. John Sofka

“Three pass coating technology has elevated itself in the past few years and the YongShun Mill has made the necessary investment in this technology”, Sofka says. The mill is vertical yarn forward to finishing and printing, Sofka adds. The new linings were developed in conjunction, with YongShun and manufactured in its Allbright Home Textile Division.  YongShun is a $70 Million Dollar Textile Company, based in Shaoxing, China.  YongShun was founded in 1995 by the Hu Family, Guo Rong Shang and his wife, Xiao Ping Hu. Mrs. Hu is now Chief Operating Officer.   

The three divisions of YongShun are as follows: Zhejiang YongShun Window Decorations Material Co., Ltd., a coating factory, which covers an area of 430,000 square feet. YongShun is also a shade cloth producer.  

Zhejiang Allbright Home Textile Co., Ltd., established in 2005, is the home textile company. It includes product design, fabric weaving, transfer printing, embroidery and ready-made processing. It produces home textile fabrics and finished products including   bedding sets, curtains, shower curtains, and cushions. The manufacturing area is 800,000 square feet

Zhejiang Hoteam Textile Printing and Dyeing Co., LTD. is a home textile fabric color dyeing and printing company. The company contains two separate branch plants for dying and printing. The manufacturing area is about 1.5 million square feet.

The Allbright Division of YongShun which produces the blackout, also has substantial dobby and jacquard capability which Softex hopes to bring to the USA market in the near future.

In addition to the Allbright Division, YongShun has a print division titled “Hoteam”.  This division offers digital, rotary screen and flat bed screen print capability.  “Hoteam is also capable of printing its own paper in-house for its heat transfer print option,” Sofka says.  Printing widths include:  54-72-118 inches and are available in all methods.

The new blackout fabric is produced under the LITESAFE® Brand name developed by Softex. Sofka says the blackout is available FR or non FR; is water repellant, and approved as a base for printing either transfer, digital or screen.  “The three pass coating utilizes the newest combination of poly acrylic foam which is then enhanced with a flocking to give it a softer cotton like hand,” Sofka points out.  “This finish allows workrooms time saving sewing steps in production,” he adds.   

In addition to YongShun, Softex also represents weaving from Mexico through its association with Corporativo Atelier and Rahga Mills based in Mexico City.