What Zepel does

Zepel is a wholesale distributor and brand operator of designer textiles, wallpapers, and furnishing fabrics, operating as a subsidiary of the James Dunlop Group. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Collingwood, Australia, the company serves interior designers, architects, and commercial specifiers across Australia and New Zealand through nine showrooms, a dedicated website-based trade account platform, and a specialist commercial team. Zepel manages a portfolio of 3,000 in-stock product lines plus tens of thousands of indent items spanning multiple sub-brands: the proprietary FibreGuard family (stain-resistant, outdoor, and antimicrobial variants), FR-One (inherently fire-retardant textiles), UV Pro (outdoor colourfast fabrics), Mercis (accessible-price European designs), and the distributed luxury international brands Casamance and Fischbacher 1819.

The company's core technology is built around FibreGuard's yarn-level stain-resistant finish, certified to withstand 17 common household stains with a 5-year residential warranty, supplemented by FibreGuard Pro moisture barrier and antimicrobial finishes, FR-One inherently fire-retardant fibres, and extensive OEKO-TEX, ISO 14001, and GRS certifications. Zepel has built a digital ecosystem including 3D digital fabric textures for professional rendering programmes, a 3ds Max plugin via MaterialX, AI-powered image-matching via the Fabric Finder, and Furniture/Curtain/Wallpaper Visualisers that can be embedded into partner manufacturer websites.

Zepel operates a B2B wholesale revenue model under which trade accounts purchase fabric through the website with real-time stock visibility, complemented by direct showroom sales, sample ordering, and bespoke digital rendering services. Customer segments are split across residential interior design (homeowners, designers) and commercial interiors (offices, hospitality, healthcare, retail), with dedicated commercial account management for large projects. The company holds industry association memberships with the Australian Furniture Association and the Window Furnishing Association (WSAA), and operates digitally with active social presence on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

Name

Zepel

Legal name

Zepel Fabrics

Website

https://zepelfabrics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Zepel is a wholesale Australian distributor of designer textiles, wallpapers, and furnishings operating as a subsidiary of the James Dunlop Group, serving interior designers, architects, and commercial specifiers across Australia and New Zealand through nine showrooms, a trade account platform, and proprietary FibreGuard fabric technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Collingwood

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Fabric Sales: Zepel operates as a wholesale designer fabric supplier selling to trade clients including interior designers, architects, and commercial project managers. Products include curtains, upholstery fabrics, wallpapers, and accessories. Sales occur through trade accounts with real-time stock availability and ordering through the website.
2. Digital Services: Provides digital visualization services including 3D furniture rendering and digital texture licensing. Works with partners to create photorealistic 3D models of furniture pieces with specified fabrics applied.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zepel is a wholesale distributor of European-designed textiles, fabrics, wallpapers, curtains, and upholstery materials serving interior designers, architects, and commercial specifiers across Australia and New Zealand. The company offers proprietary performance fabric brands including FibreGuard (stain-resistant), FibreGuard Pro (antimicrobial for healthcare), FR-One (fire-retardant), and UV Pro, alongside distributed luxury brands Casamance and Fischbacher 1819. Zepel supplements physical products with digital visualization services including a Fabric Finder AI tool, Furniture/Curtain/Wallpaper Visualisers, and 3D digital texture twins for design professionals.

Product overview

Zepel is a wholesale designer fabrics, wallpapers, curtains, and furnishing textiles brand operating as part of the James Dunlop Group, primarily serving the Australian and New Zealand markets. The product portfolio is organized around multiple sub-brands: the core Zepel brand (European-designed drapery and upholstery with 40 years of history), the FibreGuard family (stain-resistant fabrics with sub-variants FibreGuard, FibreGuard Outdoor, and FibreGuard Pro for healthcare), FR-One (inherently fire-retardant commercial fabrics), UV Pro (UV-resistant outdoor fabrics), and Mercis (foundational accessible-price textiles launched 2025). Zepel also distributes premium international brands Casamance and Fischbacher 1819. The offering spans curtain fabrics (solid, sheer, wide-width), upholstery fabrics, wallpapers, linings, and accessories. Alongside physical products, Zepel provides a suite of digital tools including a Fabric Finder (AI image-matching), Furniture Visualiser, Wallpaper Visualiser, Curtain Visualiser, Digital Textures (for 3D rendering), and bespoke Furniture Renders. Zepel's commercial division supports designers and architects with 3,000 in-stock lines and tens of thousands of indent items.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zepel FibreGuard: Inherent stain resistant fabric technology allowing easy cleaning of common household stains including ballpoint pen, coffee, mud, red wine, and ketchup with just water and a cloth.
• Zepel FibreGuard Outdoor
• Zepel FibreGuard Pro
• Zepel Mercis
• FR-One
• UV Pro
• Casamance
• Fischbacher 1819

Products and services

• Zepel Core Brand The primary Zepel brand offering European-designed drapery and upholstery fabrics with a 40-year market history across Australia, serving both commercial and residential interior design environments.
• Zepel FibreGuard Stain-resistant fabric sub-brand with inherent yarn-level protection against common household stains including ballpoint pen, coffee, mud, red wine, and ketchup, removable with water and a cloth. Supported by a 5-year residential and 3-year commercial stain-resistant warranty.
• Zepel FibreGuard Outdoor Outdoor performance fabric sub-brand engineered to be easy to clean, water repellent, stain-free, durable, and resistant to odour and mildew while maintaining an indoor fabric aesthetic for outdoor and high-use environments.
• Zepel FibreGuard Pro Highest-performing fabric sub-brand with moisture barrier performance, antimicrobial protection, and resistance to moisture, odour, and mildew for healthcare environments including hospitals, aged care facilities, hotels, and restaurants where infection control is paramount.
• Zepel Mercis Foundational textile sub-brand offering high-quality European designs for residential and commercial interiors at accessible prices with fire-retardance and performance attributes for safety and comfort.
• FR-One Industry-leading fire-retardant fabric sub-brand offering inherently fire-retardant (IFR) furnishing fabrics for commercial, hospitality, and residential use, passing international FR standards including AS1530.2, AS1530.3, and IMO Marine certification.
• UV Pro Outdoor fabric sub-brand engineered to maintain colourfastness, durability, water repellency, and stain repellency over years of use for both indoor and outdoor applications.
• Casamance French luxury textile brand distributed by Zepel, featuring exclusive designs with sophisticated colour palettes, classic designs renewed for contemporary interiors, and haute couture-inspired collections for sophisticated customers.
• Fischbacher 1819 Swiss luxury textile brand distributed by Zepel, steeped in European artisan tradition, producing opulent and serene interior fabrics inspired by nature, art, and European city life, founded in 1819.
• Furniture Visualiser Interactive digital tool allowing users to preview Zepel fabrics applied to furniture pieces from dozens of furniture manufacturers with filtering by manufacturer, furniture type, and fabric, including colour-variation previews.
• Wallpaper Visualiser Interactive digital tool for visualising Zepel wallpaper products on room walls with attribute filtering including Straight Match, Strippable, Paste The Wall, Spongeable, Washable, and Lightfastness ratings, plus spec sheet downloads.
• Fabric Finder AI-powered image-matching tool that allows users to upload a photo of any fabric or wallpaper and receive similar product suggestions from Zepel's catalogue with image cropping and category filtering.
• Digital Textures 3D digital fabric textures representing digital twins of physical Zepel fabrics, rendered at 1:1 scale, available in .axf, .u3m, tiled JPEG and PNG formats with a 3ds Max plugin via MaterialX for FibreGuard textures.
• Furniture Renders (Digital Services) Bespoke 3D photo-realistic rendering service working with partners to create models of customers' furniture pieces with applied Zepel digital fabric textures through briefing, 3D modelling, rendering, and website integration stages.
• Commercial Services Full-service commercial textile solutions including real-time stock availability, sample ordering, test results and certificates, specialist commercial account management, and end-to-end drapery solutions covering 3,000 in-stock product lines plus tens of thousands of indent items.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fabrics tested against 17 common household stains including red wine, ballpoint pen, coffee, mud, and ketchup with proven effectiveness
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LabotexcoreTechnology or IntegrationBruTextiles' accredited in-house laboratory used for testing FibreGuard fabrics against 17 common household stains with strict testing criteria including variables such as stain dwell time and wash cycles
• Design TheoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMelbourne-based interior design studio engaged for Pinsent Masons Perth office project, selecting Zepel fabrics for curtains to create modern professional space
• BiasolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMelbourne-based design firm engaged for Insight Body and Mind project, selecting Zepel Allusion fabrics for yoga and Pilates studio interiors
• Studio PrineasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSydney-based interior design studio for Sheeth HQ project using Zepel Luxo curtains in builder's warehouse headquarters
• Furniture ManufacturerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with over 35 furniture manufacturers including Molmic, Cosh Living, King Living, Kovacs Design, and others for Furniture Visualiser tool allowing customers to see Zepel fabrics on specific furniture pieces
• Australian Furniture Association (AFA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndustry association membership supporting the furniture and furnishings sector in Australia
• Window Furnishing Association (WSAA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndustry association membership for window furnishing professionals in Australia

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Materialised: Australian wholesaler of architectural fabrics, wallcoverings, and commercial textiles serving designers and specifiers. Comparable commercial-interiors focus, ANZ trade distribution, and product categories spanning fabric and wallpaper.
• Mokum Textiles: Premium Australian/NZ designer textile wholesaler offering upholstery, drapery, and outdoor fabrics to trade clients. Closely comparable in product mix, target customer (interior designers and architects), and ANZ trade distribution model.
• James Dunlop Textiles: Sister brand under the James Dunlop Group that distributes textiles and wall coverings in New Zealand and the USA. Directly comparable given shared parent ownership, overlapping product portfolio, and similar trade-focused wholesale model targeting designers and architects.
• Unique Fabrics: Premium Australian fabric and wallpaper wholesaler offering drapery, upholstery, and wall coverings to designers and decorators. Comparable trade-focused wholesale model and similar mid-to-premium positioning.
• Charles Parsons: Long-established Australian wholesaler and importer of textiles, furnishing fabrics, and commercial textiles serving decorators, designers, and manufacturers. Comparable in wholesale distribution model, breadth of fabric categories, and ANZ trade customer base.
• Instyle Contract Textiles: Australian commercial textile supplier focused on architectural and contract interior projects. Comparable commercial specification focus, performance fabric range, and trade-channel distribution to architects and designers.
• Warwick Fabrics: Australian-founded global textile wholesaler offering upholstery, drapery, and performance fabrics to residential and commercial markets. Comparable product breadth, wholesale trade model, and multi-decade ANZ heritage.

Broad incumbents

• Designtex: US-based surface materials manufacturer offering textiles, wallcoverings, and applied surfaces for commercial interiors. Comparable performance fabric portfolio, healthcare and commercial specification positioning, and digital asset tools for designers.
• Kvadrat: Danish premium textile manufacturer and wholesaler serving architecture, interiors, and design globally. Comparable high-end designer textile focus, performance innovations, and specification-led sales to architects and designers, though operating at significantly larger international scale.

Regional players

• Hemptech: Australian wholesale distributor of natural fibre fabrics including hemp and linen blends for residential and commercial interiors. Comparable ANZ trade distribution model and sustainability-led positioning, though narrower product category focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@zepelfabrics1748
• Facebookfacebook.com/ZepelFabrics
• Instagraminstagram.com/zepelfabrics

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zepel