Charles Parsons
Charles Parsons is Australasia's leading wholesale supplier of textile products and solutions, distributing roll stock fabrics, finished home textiles, garment components, and recreational outdoor products to manufacturers, retailers, and designers across Australia, New Zealand, and export markets through a portfolio of proprietary and acquired brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1915
- HeadquartersRedfern, Australia
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Charles Parsons does
Charles Parsons is Australasia's leading wholesale supplier of textile products and solutions, distributing roll stock fabrics, finished home textiles, garment components, and recreational lifestyle products to garment manufacturers, retailers, designers, and vertical retailers across Australia, New Zealand, and selected export markets in Asia, Europe, and North America. Founded in 1915 as a 4th-generation family-owned private business headquartered in Redfern (Sydney), the group operates through a horizontal portfolio of proprietary and acquired brands across apparel fabrics (Charles Parsons Apparel Fabrics, Eclipse Textiles, Merino State), home textiles and interiors (Charles Parsons Interiors, KS Textiles, Rapee, Rowe, Maison, Gainsborough), recreational lifestyle products (Darche), commercial print media (Adversol), technical and fire-resistant fabrics, and textile conversion services (New York Bias Binding). The business also owns S+R Fashions, a vertically integrated women's fashion garment designer and manufacturer serving Australasian vertical retailers.
The group makes money primarily through B2B wholesale of fabrics and components (quote-based pricing, multi-year contract cadence) plus finished-goods sales under proprietary brands and licensed distribution arrangements for technical fire-resistant brands (Westex UltraSoft, Polartec FR, DHJ, Helsa, Intissel, Lainier, Wendler). Go-to-market combines direct division-specific B2B sales teams across four operating divisions (Apparel, Trimmings, Technical, Interiors), stockist networks in ANZ, Darche's own e-commerce site, and growing international export via the Shanghai manufacturing/conversion office. The technology base rests on registered proprietary trademarks — Thermaweave™ and Thermaback™ for thermal-lined curtains, Max-Treme® canvas and Air-Volution™ inflatable tent technology for Darche, and an exclusive Australasian LYCRA® distribution partnership with Italian mills Carvico, Jersey Lomellina, and Eurojersey — supported by a 50+ year in-house textile testing laboratory. Customer concentration skews toward enterprise vertical retailers in fashion (Sportsgirl, Sussan, French Connection, Seed Heritage), campervan rental (Britz), and marine sponsorship (ChinaSpirit).
Charles Parsons firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Charles Parsons
- Legal name
- Charles Parsons & Co Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://charlesparsons.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1915
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Charles Parsons is Australasia's leading wholesale supplier of textile products and solutions, distributing roll stock fabrics, finished home textiles, garment components, and recreational outdoor products to manufacturers, retailers, and designers across Australia, New Zealand, and export markets through a portfolio of proprietary and acquired brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Charles Parsons is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Redfern
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices7 records
Markets served
Charles Parsons business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Wholesale textile sales: Charles Parsons generates revenue through wholesale supply of roll stock fabrics and components to garment manufacturers, from basics to high fashion, performance sport, school and corporate wear. The company sells to retailers, designers, and manufacturers across Australia and New Zealand with growing exports to Asia and Northern Hemisphere.
- Finished goods sales: Sale of finished home textile products including cushions, throws, napery, drapery, upholstery, and outdoor/recreational products (swags, tents, sleeping gear) under proprietary brands.
- Brand licensing and distribution: Licensed and distribution brands including Westex UltraSoft, Polartec FR, DHJ, Helsa, Intissel, Lainier, and Wendler for fire resistant fabrics and trimmings.
- Fashion garment manufacturing: Designs and manufactures fashion garments for well known Australasian vertical retailers through S+R Fashions acquisition.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | B2B wholesale pricing - Quote based |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Charles Parsons product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Charles Parsons is a wholesale supplier of textile products and solutions, providing roll stock fabrics, finished home textile products, apparel fabrics, garment components, and recreational outdoor gear to garment manufacturers, retailers, designers, and vertical retailers across Australia, New Zealand, and export markets. The company operates through multiple divisions and proprietary brands covering apparel fabrics, interiors/homewares, technical textiles, and recreational lifestyle products, with in-house laboratory testing and design-to-manufacturing capabilities.
Product overview
Charles Parsons is Australasia's leading wholesale supplier of textile products and solutions, operating as a multi-faceted group of businesses. The product portfolio spans multiple categories: (1) Interior and home furnishing textiles through Charles Parsons Interiors (drapery, upholstery, linings, ready-made curtains) and brands like Rowe and Maison; (2) Bedding and Manchester through KS Textiles; (3) Home accessories through Rapee (cushions, throws, napery); (4) Recreational lifestyle products through Darche (outdoor gear, swags, tents, sleeping bags); (5) Apparel fabrics including Charles Parsons Apparel Fabrics, Eclipse Textiles (LYCRA stretch fabrics), and Merino State (merino wool); (6) Garment components including Trims and Componentry, Bias & Bindings (textile conversion), and Fire Resistant Fabrics; (7) Commercial print media through Adversol. The company designs and manufactures fashion garments for vertical retailers and supplies to garment manufacturers across fashion, corporate wear, sports, and technical applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Charles Parsons Interiors: Leading supplier and wholesaler of interior textiles for drapery, upholstery, lining and home furnishings to retailers, designers and manufacturers.
- Charles Parsons Apparel Fabrics
- KS Textiles
- Rapee
- Rowe
- Maison
- Adversol
- Darche
- Eclipse Textiles
- Merino State
- New York Bias Binding (NYBB)
- Trimmings & Componentry
- Fire Resistant Fabrics
- Gainsborough
- Line 7
- Ella Blue
- LXÉ
Products and services
- Charles Parsons Interiors
Quantifiable outcome
- Australasia's leading wholesale supplier of textile products
Companies that use Charles Parsons
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Charles Parsons technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Charles Parsons partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ChinaSpiritcoreChinaSpirit, the exclusive Chinese Multiplatform Performance Sailing Team based in Shanghai and endorsed by the Chinese Government, selected Line 7 Marine as 'Official Clothing Partner'. This partnership provides Line 7 with international exposure in the sailing/marine market through Chinese sailing team sponsorship.
- Carvico, Jersey Lomellina, EurojerseycoreExclusive Australasian agency relationship with three well renowned Italian manufacturers of LYCRA® products. This partnership guarantees superior quality and state of the art technology for Eclipse Textiles stretch fabric offerings, covering Swimwear, Active Sports, Fashion, Dancewear and Intimate Apparel industries.
- BritzcoreDarche supplies Britz Campervans (largest campervan rental company in Australia) with Darche roof top tents and awnings, fitted on their new fleet of Toyota Safari Landcruisers starting May 2015.
- Westex UltraSoft, Polartec FR, DHJ, Helsa, Intissel, Lainier, WendlerminorLicensed and distribution brands for fire resistant fabrics and trimmings componentry, operated as part of Charles Parsons product portfolio under distribution arrangements.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Charles Parsons competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Carvico: Italian stretch fabric manufacturer producing LYCRA®-based textiles for swimwear, sportswear and fashion. Currently a Charles Parsons supplier (exclusive ANZ agency) but could also be viewed as a global stretch-fabric peer in adjacent geographies.
Direct peers
- Haddington International: Australian-owned textile converter and wholesaler with apparel, interior and industrial fabric lines. Comparable in product breadth, B2B wholesale model, and ANZ customer base.
- Bruck Textiles: Australian textile wholesaler and converter supplying apparel, homeware, and industrial fabrics. Directly comparable to Charles Parsons as a piece-goods wholesaler serving ANZ manufacturers and retailers.
- Klopman International: European workwear and technical fabric manufacturer and wholesaler. Comparable to Charles Parsons' technical/fire-resistant fabric portfolio and B2B distribution to workwear and uniform customers.
- Coats Group: Global leader in apparel thread, trims, and components. Comparable to Charles Parsons' Trimmings & Componentry division and shared B2B garment supply customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Milliken & Company: Large diversified US textile manufacturer with technical fabrics, performance materials and floor coverings. Comparable in technical textile capabilities but operates at much greater scale and global reach.
- Toray Industries: Global Japanese textile conglomerate producing synthetic fibers, performance fabrics and industrial textiles. Comparable to Charles Parsons' performance/technical fabric business but at a vastly larger, publicly listed scale.
- Pacific Brands / Hanes Australasia: Major Australasian apparel manufacturer and brand owner. Comparable in apparel manufacturing and ANZ distribution but focused on finished garments rather than fabric wholesale.
- Spotlight Group: Australia's largest specialty retailer of fabrics and homewares (Spotlight, Anaconda). Partially comparable as a fabric wholesaler/retailer overlap in ANZ but skewed more toward retail.
Emerging players
- TenCate Protective Fabrics: Specialist in flame-resistant and protective technical fabrics. Comparable to Charles Parsons' Fire Resistant Fabrics division, sharing industrial safety customers but with European geographic orientation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Charles Parsons social profiles
Digital presenceCharles Parsons financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Charles Parsons leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Charles Parsons subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries10 records
Charles Parsons funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Charles Parsons M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Charles Parsons
What does Charles Parsons do?
Charles Parsons is a wholesale supplier of textile products and solutions, providing roll stock fabrics, finished home textile products, apparel fabrics, garment components, and recreational outdoor gear to garment manufacturers, retailers, designers, and vertical retailers across Australia, New Zealand, and export markets. The company operates through multiple divisions and proprietary brands covering apparel fabrics, interiors/homewares, technical textiles, and recreational lifestyle products, with in-house laboratory testing and design-to-manufacturing capabilities.
Is Charles Parsons a public or private company?
Charles Parsons is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Charles Parsons founded?
Charles Parsons was founded in 1915. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Charles Parsons based?
Charles Parsons is headquartered in Redfern, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Charles Parsons make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Wholesale textile sales are the primary driver. The others are finished goods sales, brand licensing and distribution and fashion garment manufacturing.
Who are Charles Parsons's main competitors?
Carvico is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Haddington International, Bruck Textiles, Klopman International and Coats Group. Broad incumbents are Milliken & Company, Toray Industries, Pacific Brands / Hanes Australasia and Spotlight Group. TenCate Protective Fabrics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Charles Parsons have an API?
No public API is recorded for Charles Parsons.