Waverly

Waverly

Waverly is the best known line of drapery and upholstery fabric in the United States.

History of Waverly

F. Schumacher & Co. debuted the Waverly brand in 1923 as an alternative to its exclusive European fabrics. The first collection consisted of eight inexpensive domestic chintzes purchased from American designer Cy Clark, and was targeted at America’s growing middle class. Based on the success of this collection among budget-conscious consumers, the company expanded its line of domestic prints and three years later, established the Waverly Piece Goods division and registered the name Waverly Bonded Fabrics. In 1935, the company formed the Waverly Decorative Fabric Division to distribute these prints to decorators, upholsterers and shops that did not carry piece stock.

To promote its new Waverly fabric label, F. Schumacher & Co. engaged the leading advertising firm J. Walter Thompson to develop an extensive promotional campaign. Leading publications such as House & Garden, Town & Country, House Beautiful and Vogue brought the Waverly name into America’s homes during the Roaring ‘20s, a tradition which continues today, as the brand receives extensive publicity from leading magazines, newspapers and cable television programs.

The popularity of Waverly fabrics led to the addition of companion wallpapers in 1939, and the creation of a Waverly Home Fashions division in 1951, utilizing the company’s fabrics in a range of high quality custom - and ready-made bedroom ensembles, window treatments and decorative accessories. The Waverly name soon became well-known for totally coordinated home furnishings collections — the beginning of the “Waverly Look,” which encompasses companion florals, stripes, plaids and the company’s famous Glosheen chintzes. Over the past decade, the popularity of the Waverly lifestyle among consumers - and the high level of demand for products to round out that lifestyle-led F. Schumacher & Co. to license the Waverly brand to other leading manufacturers for products such as bed linens, lamps, area rugs and paint