Sample of Collins & Aikman Corporation figured upholstery velvet, 1929. Cut pile multi-color pattern of palm leaves in dark brown,with filler motifs in rust-red, blue, gray, purple, green, beige. Pattern is highlighted against a voided groundtied in twill weave. The pile warps are organized in vertical bands of related colors; these are woven into the ground fabric when not in use on the surface, thus giving a color-shaded effect to the voided areas. Lustrous rayon pile, cotton ground, tan weft. Machine overlock stitching on three edges. no selvage. Half width.
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.