New York – Indoor and outdoor performance fabric brand Bella-Dura and its parent company Wearbest Sil-Tex Mills have been acquired by Swavelle and Mill Creek Fabrics Inc.
“Swavelle is very excited about bringing an established and respected brand under its umbrella, adding to our ability to offer residential upholstery fabric produced in the U.S.,” said Greg Thomases, Swavelle’s vice president. “We have long been a player in the residential furniture, retail, wholesale industries and are a major supplier to the recreational vehicle trade. This acquisition significantly broadens our reach into the performance fabric market.”
Wearbest originally began as a company that served the high-end decorative residential market before tools were developed to create Bella-Dura, a specialty performance fabric suitable for both indoors and out. As the company has grown over the years, officials said, transitioning into a larger company felt natural.
“Over the course of the past few years, Wearbest and Bella-Dura have been taking steps towards elevating our brands and overall business in a smart and thoughtful way,” said Ari Gasner, president of Wearbest and Bella-Dura. “This decision was not only strategic, but naturally aligned in that Swavelle is a perfect extension of our company DNA.”
Bella-Dura will continue to be woven in its Garfield, NJ facility under the renamed Wearbest Weavers. Gasner, son of the company’s previous owner and CEO Irwin Gasner, will remain as an owner and president of the company. Susan Lobel, who was brought to the company in 2013 to oversee and develop Wearbest and its brands, will continue to manage its marketing.
Lobel says that current plans for the Bella-Dura brand include reinvigorating and growing its relationship with designers to help educate them on performance fabric attributes.