Established in 1970 by Tricia Guild, Designers Guild designs and wholesales furnishing fabrics, wallcoverings, upholstery and bed and bath collections worldwide.

The company is headed and owned by brother and sister, Tricia Guild, Founder and Creative Director, and Simon Jeffreys, Group Chief Executive. The Designers Guild business philosophy is to combine creativity and innovation with the highest levels of quality: quality of design, product, service and people.

"We believe in quality of design, product and service combined with a committed and motivated team"

Structure
The Designers Guild Group employs over 280 people in the UK and overseas offices in Munich and Paris. 250 are in the UK, with a store and showrooms in Kings Road and Marylebone High Street, London, a 80,000 sq ft distribution centre and 16,000 sq ft purpose built head office, both in West London.

All sales networks are supported by a fully computerised customer service facility and B2B website which handles over 1000 orders, deals with queries and provides full technical information.

Linked to this are stock control and purchasing systems which process over 2 million metres of fabric and wallpaper a year.

Rapid deliveries are guaranteed through a network of couriers and orders can be despatched anywhere in the UK, Europe and worldwide within 24 hours.

The management of the Company flows from a corporate strategy, using planning, communication and information management systems. The Designers Guild philosophy includes equity participation and communication at all levels of the Group and the Company enjoys tremendous commitment from its staff, who are aware and kept informed of strategic developments and performance.

Marketing
Turnover has grown rapidly over the past 20 years to over £55 million selling to interior designers, department stores, retailers and the hotel and contract market.

The single largest market is the UK. Sales overseas are through local Designers Guild operating centres in France, Germany and Italy and agents & distributors in the rest of Europe and world–wide.

Of total sales, over 60% is overseas, with Designers Guild represented in over 60 countries. There are Designers Guild showrooms in Paris and Munich with further Designers Guild areas in over 60 showrooms across the world including all of Europe to New York, LA, Tokyo and Sydney.

xtensive investment is made each year in new product. The studio, headed by Tricia Guild, has produced designs from such diverse inspiration as Eastern decorative art, Italian architecture and classical documents.

Tricia Guild has written fifteen inspirational books on the subject of colour and design, from soft furnishings to flowers, gardens and city living. In 1989 Tricia Guild was awarded the Textile Institute′s Gold Medal for Design Contribution and in 1994 Designers Guild was a winner of the European Community Design Prize.

The Designers Guild range currently has nearly 9,000 fabrics and 2,000 wallpapers including printed floral and geometric fabrics; plains, checks and stripes, jacquards, tapestries, silks, velvets, trimmings and children's collections. The highest qualities of cloth are sourced; from combed Egyptian cottons and Scottish linen unions to Swiss woven damasks. Printers and engravers use state of the art technology and strict quality control systems are applied both in-house and at our suppliers.

Division of Designers Guild Fabric & Wallpaper
As well as the Designers Guild principal collections, there are six different subdivisions that are designed to appeal to more specific customers:

An extraordinary collection of thousands of plain and semi plain fabrics that span a variety of textures and uses - plain cottons, linens, silks, velvets, satins as well as wide width sheers and high tech fabrics that are suitable for every eventuality.

A growing division of DG, Unlimited celebrates designs for the young and young at heart – edgy, graphic, colourful and fashionable, these products have an unmistakeable modern edge in true DG style.

Gorgeous collections for children of all ages – fun motifs, educational themes and a wide colour palette make them a destination for nurseries, bedrooms and play rooms everywhere.

In 2008 Designers Guild launched a new brand The Royal Collection of Fabrics and Wallcoverings, on behalf of the Royal Household, which is a series of collections inspired by the interiors of the Royal residences, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle and the first licensing agreement of its kind. A second collection was launched in September 2009 including a brand new collection of tie–backs and trimmings and a third collection followed in 2010 Campanula.

In 2001 the company substantially increased its fabric and wallpaper division to incorporate William Yeoward Fabric followed by wallpaper in 2002 and continues to launch regular collections under this brand.

In 2011 Designers Guild launched the first collection for the iconic international luxury brand Christian Lacroix under license to Designers Guild – Arles prints and weaves and accessories went live at Maison et Objet in Paris January 2011

Designers Guild is also the exclusive distributor in Europe of Ralph Lauren Fabrics and wallcoverings.

Furniture
An exclusive range of contemporary upholstered furniture designed in the Designers Guild studio. The pieces are manufactured to high standards in the UK and Italy and distributed throughout Europe and in many of our overseas markets. Two models launched in Autumn 05: The Sketch and Easy Chair were designed by British designer Rock Galpin for Designers Guild and won the 2005 Laurent Perrier Design award. They were followed by the Festival and Hayward furniture in autumn 08 and in autumn 09 the Orbit and Domino designs. Spring 2010 saw the furniture profile significantly expanded with 5 brand new models – the Gibson, Cosmopolitan, Julep. Soho and Brooklyn and the Spin followed in Spring 2011.

Home Accessories
Designers Guild offers an ever expanding collection of rugs, cushions, blankets, throws, quilts, towels, bags and home fragrance with every collection launch, offering superb quality, beautiful design and the very best materials with an extensive colour palette.

Bed and Bath
The Designers Guild Bed and Bath range of printed, woven, embroidered and appliqued bedlinen is made from finest 100% pure cotton and is complemented by a range of pure cotton towels, wool and cotton blankets and quilts. This division was launched in January 1995 and products are available through leading stores and retailers and through the online shop.

Retail
Retail showrooms are on the Kings Road and Marylebone High Street in London and act as a showcase where fabric and wallpaper collections are shown alongside bed and bath, fragrant home, upholstery and many imaginative accessories and innovative one-off pieces.

In 2008 we launched the UK online shop, offering bedlinen and a selection of home accessories-cushions, blankets, throws and rugs. Early 2009 saw the launch of Designers Guild Inc to handle the bed, bath and accessory division in the USA and a USA online shop. From that date, the full range of Designers Guild bedlinen and home accessories were available to buy and could be delivered anywhere in the USA for the first time.

Licensing
In addition to the Bed and Bath collection, the Designers Guild Licensing Division deals with a variety of top quality companies to manufacture additional ranges of household products including tablelinen and china, a paint range of 154 exciting paint colours and an extensive range of accessories that are all designed in our studio. In 2004 the Fragrant Home collection of scented candles, room sprays, and bath and body lotions was launched and continues every season.