by HIGH POINT – Jonathan Bass, CEO of furniture brands Whom Home and Innova Luxury Group, debuts an all Mexico-sourced upholstery fabric and frame program to U.S. buyers at High Point Market, April 2 – 6, in the National Furniture Mart, space 200.
In High Point, Bass will exhibit for the first time under the Whom Home banner, showcasing 40 quick-ship fabrics alongside 60 SKUs of mid- and higher-end upholstered furniture, case goods and accent items. “We have a 100 percent Mexico-based solution to upholstered furniture and fabric covers,” says Bass.
The Whom Home “factory to retailer direct” model allows for customizing fabric on upholstered furniture frames that are ready to ship in 4 to 6 weeks.
“Numerous executives from Top 100 retailers saw us at the Guadalajara trade show in March and wanted their teams to see us in High Point,” says Bass, of his decision to exhibit at the April High Point Market. “Retailers are hungry for reliable sources closer to home. Proximity manufacturing, reducing freight costs and Mexico are today’s industry buzzwords.”
Operating since 2011in Northern Mexico as a maquiladora, which does not sell its products in the country they are manufactured, Bass began production of quality furniture in 2015 and last fall doubled the factory footprint to 400,000 square feet. He recently increased upholstered furniture production capacity to between 480 and 600 units per day.
“We’ve always focused on customers north of the border,” says Bass. “Our proximity to the market allows us to service our North American customers with more reliability and cost effectiveness.”
To sustain those customer expectations and to ensure supply chain resilience, Bass was driven to partner with Mexico-based upholstery textile specialists.
“All of us in the furniture industry need to lean into developing suppliers, to service components needs for the North American marketplace and to lessen our dependence on China for fabrics, which has been problematic over the last two years,” says Bass. “Mexico is our best option, and in the mid- to high quality range, we are the only factory I’m aware of with capacity to begin immediate shipping.”
“The weavers we are working with immigrated to Mexico from France and Lebanon in the 1930s and ‘40s,” adds Bass. “These are family-owned businesses which brought with them their traditions, heritage and passion for weaving beautiful European fabrics. I’m excited to share this opportunity with U.S. dealers.”
For showroom appointments during the April High Point Market, contact Jonathan Bass, jon@whomhome.com.
