Colefax and Fowler

What Colefax and Fowler does

Colefax and Fowler manufactures and designs luxury fabrics, wallpapers, and trimmings for the high-end interior decoration market. Founded in 1930 and headquartered in London, the brand is positioned as the flagship offering within the Cowtan & Tout group, alongside sister brands Cowtan & Tout, Jane Churchill, Larsen, and Manuel Canovas, which together serve trade designers and discerning residential and commercial clients with complementary British, contemporary, and French/Italian-inspired textile lines.

The commercial model is trade-led. The company sells primarily through a dedicated professional portal (clients.cowtan.com) and a globally distributed showroom network covering all US regions, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, the Caribbean & Central America, the Middle East, and South America. An online Design Library (designs.cowtan.com) supplements physical sampling by giving designers and consumers digital access to the collections, while social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter) support brand awareness at the top of the funnel.

The underlying technology stack is conventional e-commerce and content delivery; there is no disclosed proprietary AI, data, or platform architecture. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is evidently negotiated trade-by-trade. With 101-250 employees and a 1930 vintage heritage, Colefax and Fowler competes on brand equity, breadth of distribution, and multi-brand portfolio depth rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

Colefax and Fowler

Website

https://colefax.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Colefax and Fowler, founded in 1930 and headquartered in London, manufactures and designs luxury fabrics, wallpapers, and trimmings, serving trade interior designers and discerning residential and commercial clients globally through showrooms and a dedicated trade portal as part of the Cowtan & Tout brand portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Interior Textiles

NAICS

Paint and Wallpaper Retailers (444120)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Wallcoverings (Wallpaper, Vinyl, Fabric) (IMADAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Colored, Art & Premium Paper Manufacturing (IMAMAEAG)

Keywords

• Luxury fabric design
• Interior wallcoverings
• Designer textiles
• Trade showroom distribution
• Upholstery fabrics

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Colefax and Fowler manufactures and designs luxury fabrics, wallpapers, and trimmings for interior decoration. As the flagship brand within the Cowtan & Tout portfolio, it offers curated textile collections targeted at interior designers, decorators, and discerning residential and commercial clients, complemented by sister brands Jane Churchill, Larsen, Manuel Canovas, and Cowtan & Tout.

Product overview

Colefax and Fowler operates as part of the Cowtan & Tout group, offering a portfolio of luxury fabric, wallpaper, and trimming brands. The core brand Colefax and Fowler serves as the flagship offering, complemented by Jane Churchill for contemporary interiors, Larsen for luxury textiles, and Manuel Canovas for French and Italian-inspired prints. Design Library provides online access to collections. The group serves the trade market through global showrooms across the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, Middle East, and South America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Colefax and Fowler (flagship brand) The flagship brand within the Cowtan & Tout group, offering luxury fabrics, wallpapers, and trimmings for residential and commercial interior design applications. Targeted at interior designers, decorators, and high-end residential and commercial clients.
• Cowtan & Tout brand A premium fabric and wallpaper brand within the group portfolio, offering interior design textiles.
• Jane Churchill brand A brand offering contemporary fabrics and wallpapers for residential interiors.
• Larsen brand A brand specializing in luxury textiles and fabrics for interior applications.
• Manuel Canovas brand A brand offering vibrant printed fabrics and wallpapers inspired by French and Italian design traditions.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Zoffany: Luxury fabric and wallpaper brand owned by Sanderson Design Group. Comparable to Colefax and Fowler as a high-end, design-led interiors brand targeting the same interior designer and decorator customer base globally.
• Harlequin: Contemporary fabric and wallpaper brand under the Sanderson Design Group. Comparable to Colefax and Fowler in product category, trade distribution, and luxury positioning, though skewed toward more contemporary aesthetics.
• Osborne & Little: London-based designer and wholesaler of decorative fabrics and wallpapers. Highly comparable to Colefax and Fowler in product mix, heritage positioning, and trade-focused showroom distribution across international markets.
• Morris & Co. Heritage British wallpaper and fabric brand (part of Sanderson Design Group). Comparable to Colefax and Fowler in product category, premium heritage positioning, and trade-driven global distribution through showroom networks.
• Designers Guild: London-based designer and wholesaler of luxury furnishing fabrics, wallpapers, and home accessories. Directly comparable to Colefax and Fowler as a UK-headquartered heritage brand selling through trade showrooms and designer channels globally.
• Scalamandre: American heritage fabric, wallpaper, and trim house. Comparable to Colefax and Fowler in luxury positioning, heritage brand equity, and a product portfolio spanning fabrics, wallpapers, and trimmings for high-end residential and hospitality interiors.
• Pierre Frey: French luxury textile, wallpaper, and furnishing fabric house founded in 1935. Comparable to Colefax and Fowler as a heritage European luxury brand selling designer-grade fabrics and wallpapers to the trade globally.
• Lee Jofa: US-based luxury fabric and wallpaper brand distributed by Kravet. Comparable to Colefax and Fowler in product category and designer-channel distribution, with strong overlap in the North American showroom footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Kravet: Fifth-generation family-owned US distributor of decorative fabrics, wallcoverings, trimmings, and furniture. Comparable to Colefax and Fowler in its trade-focused distribution to interior designers and as a multi-brand portfolio operator (Kravet, Lee Jofa, Brunschwig & Fils).
• Sanderson Design Group: UK-listed owner of heritage wallpaper and fabric brands including Sanderson, Morris & Co., Harlequin, Zoffany, and Clarke & Clarke. Directly comparable as a publicly traded multi-brand luxury interiors group operating a similar Cowtan & Tout-style portfolio strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cowtanandtout
• Facebookfacebook.com/CowtanandTout
• Instagraminstagram.com/cowtanandtout
• Pinterestpinterest.com/cowtanandtout

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 Colefax and Fowler