Sample of Collins & Aikman Corporation figured cotton and rayon velour, 1929. An overall cut pile upholstery velvet patterned with 'interrupted' warp stripes in dark brown, grays, red, and dark green. Panned (flattened) finish. Rayon pile gives lustrous effect; cotton grownd. The different pile warp colors blend into a subtle color interchange across the fabric's surface.
Collins & Aikman Corporation was founded in 1891 and incorporated in 1929. The company made high end upholstery fabrics, including velvets and plushes in cotton, mohair, and silk, and beginning in the 1910s, artifical silk (rayon). Early on the firm competed successfully in the market for automotive and aviation fabrics. In the 1920s the company had mills in Astoria (Queens), New York; Philadelphia, PA; and North Carolina.