jaftex
Jaftex Corp. is a privately held, fourth-generation family-owned textile manufacturer that designs, produces, and distributes quilting fabrics through six sub-brands and three distributed brands, selling wholesale to small quilt shops and large retailers across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1930
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What jaftex does
Jaftex Corp. is a privately held, family-owned textile manufacturer and wholesale distributor founded in 1930 by Jacob A. Fortunoff in New York, NY and now in its fourth generation of Fortunoff family leadership under President Scott Fortunoff and CEO Greg Fortunoff. The company designs, produces, and distributes quilting and sewing fabrics through a portfolio of six wholly-owned sub-brands — FreeSpirit Fabrics, Henry Glass Fabrics, Blank Quilting Corporation, StudioE Fabrics, A.E. Nathan, and Fabric Editions — and additionally distributes 3 Wishes, Stof Fabrics, and Oasis. Products include yardage, precuts, and kits, with precut and kit production centralized at the Oxford Cutting & Shipping facility acquired in Burlington, North Carolina in 2025, while the majority of fabrics ship from the G&S Warehouse in Seneca, South Carolina.
Jaftex serves a B2B wholesale customer base composed of small local quilt shops (its primary distribution channel) and large quilting retailers and big box retailers, accessed through a validated retailer sign-in portal. Distribution is domestic (United States) and the company maintains an active multi-brand presence across Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, with Scott Fortunoff serving as the public face of the company to the quilting community. The core technology is textile manufacturing and fabric distribution, with no disclosed AI, software, or platform layer beyond the e-commerce portal infrastructure.
The business has grown primarily through serial acquisitions funded from operating cash flow, beginning with Henry Glass and A.E. Nathan in the 1990s and continuing through Fabric Editions (2010), Blank Quilting (2014), FreeSpirit Fabrics (2018), and Oxford Cutting & Shipping (2025). FreeSpirit was the largest acquisition and brought exclusive relationships with quilting designers including Kaffe Fassett, Tula Pink, and Tim Holtz. Revenue is generated through one-time wholesale fabric sales to retailers; pricing is not publicly disclosed and requires an approved B2B account. The company remains privately held with no institutional or venture capital involvement disclosed in the source material.
jaftex firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- jaftex
- Legal name
- Jaftex Corp.
- Website
- https://jaftex.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1930
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Jaftex Corp. is a privately held, fourth-generation family-owned textile manufacturer that designs, produces, and distributes quilting fabrics through six sub-brands and three distributed brands, selling wholesale to small quilt shops and large retailers across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
jaftex industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Quilting and Sewing Fabrics
- NAICS
- Clothing and Clothing Accessories Merchant Wholesalers (424350), Broadwoven Fabric Mills (313210)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Quilting & Patchwork Shops (CRALADAB)
Keywords
Where jaftex is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
jaftex business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Wholesale Fabric Sales: Wholesale distribution of high-quality fabrics to quilting retailers, both small and large. Products include yardage, precuts, and kits across multiple brand portfolios.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
jaftex product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Jaftex designs, manufactures, and distributes wholesale quilting and sewing fabrics through a portfolio of six owned brands (FreeSpirit, Henry Glass, Blank Quilting, StudioE, A.E. Nathan, and Fabric Editions) and distributes additional brands (3 Wishes, Stof Fabrics, Oasis). Products are sold as yardage, precuts, and kits to quilting retailers across the United States, primarily small local quilt shops and large retail chains.
Product overview
Jaftex is a family of wholesale fabric companies that designs, manufactures, and delivers high-quality fabrics to quilting retailers. Founded in 1930, the company operates as a parent holding company overseeing multiple sub-brands including FreeSpirit Fabrics (acquired 2018, featuring designer collections), Henry Glass Fabrics (acquired 1990s), Blank Quilting (acquired 2014), StudioE Fabrics, A.E. Nathan (acquired late 1990s), and Fabric Editions (acquired 2010). The company also distributes brands such as 3 Wishes, Stof Fabrics, and Oasis. Fabrics are shipped from facilities in Seneca and Burlington, South Carolina to quilting retailers worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- FreeSpirit: Premium quilting fabrics featuring designs by renowned artists including Kaffe Fassett, Tula Pink, and Tim Holtz
- Henry Glass
- Blank
- StudioE
- A.E. Nathan
- Fabric Editions
- 3 Wishes
- Stof Fabrics
Products and services
- FreeSpirit Fabrics Premium quilting fabric brand featuring designs by renowned artists including Kaffe Fassett, Tula Pink, and Tim Holtz; sold wholesale to quilting retailers.
- Henry Glass Fabrics Quilting fabric brand serving quilting retailers with quality textile designs.
- Blank Quilting Quilting corporation providing fabric products to quilt shops, with operations managed from Jaftex's New York offices.
- StudioE Fabrics Fabric brand originally part of Fabric Editions, now operating from Jaftex's New York headquarters and serving the quilt shop market.
- A.E. Nathan Fabric company integrated into the Jaftex family of brands serving quilting retailers.
- Fabric Editions Fabric brand serving big box retailers, now distributing from Burlington, North Carolina facility and home of the 3 Wishes brand.
- 3 Wishes Fabrics Fabric brand distributed through Fabric Editions as part of Jaftex's expanded product portfolio.
- Stof Fabrics Danish fabric brand distributed through Blank Quilting, recently added to Jaftex's shipping operations from the North Carolina facility.
Companies that use jaftex
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
jaftex technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
jaftex partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- 3 WishesminorBrand distributed by Fabric Editions team. Added to Fabric Editions roster as part of product portfolio expansion.
- Stof FabricsminorDanish fabric brand distributed through Blank Quilting. Recently started shipping from Burlington, North Carolina facility.
- OasisminorBrand distributed by Jaftex as part of their expanded product portfolio.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
jaftex competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Northcott Fabrics: Northcott Fabrics is a North American designer and wholesaler of quilting cotton fabrics, with a multi-designer collection strategy that closely parallels Jaftex's Henry Glass and Blank Quilting sub-brands in customer and channel.
- Robert Kaufman Fabrics: Robert Kaufman Fabrics is a long-established U.S. converter and wholesaler of quilting cotton and apparel fabrics with a broad designer-licensed portfolio, serving the same quilt shop channel and designer-collection model that anchors Jaftex's portfolio.
- Windham Fabrics: Windham Fabrics is a designer-focused quilting fabric manufacturer whose collections are sold wholesale to independent quilt shops — directly comparable to Jaftex in target customer (quilting retailers), channel (B2B wholesale), and emphasis on designer collaborations.
- Moda Fabrics + Notions: Moda Fabrics is a leading U.S. manufacturer and wholesale distributor of quilting fabrics, organized around multiple designer collections and brand sub-lines — closely paralleling Jaftex's FreeSpirit, Henry Glass, and StudioE model of designer-driven quilting fabric lines sold B2B to quilt shops.
- QT Fabrics: QT Fabrics designs and distributes quilting fabrics through licensed designer collections to independent quilt shops and chain retailers, making it a direct peer in product category, distribution channel, and customer base.
- Marcus Fabrics: Marcus Fabrics produces designer-driven quilting fabric collections distributed wholesale to independent quilt shops, directly mirroring Jaftex's portfolio approach of multiple sub-brands tied to named designers and sold through the same retail channel.
- Wilmington Prints: Wilmington Prints is a designer-licensed quilting fabric converter wholesaling to quilt shops and specialty retailers, comparable to Jaftex's smaller sub-brands in product line, channel, and designer-IP model.
- Riley Blake Designs: Riley Blake Designs designs, manufactures, and distributes quilting cotton fabrics via licensed designer collections and is sold through quilt shops and craft retailers — a near-direct comparison to Jaftex's FreeSpirit and Henry Glass sub-brands in target customer, channel, and designer-IP approach.
- Timeless Treasures: Timeless Treasures is a quilting fabric manufacturer and wholesaler distributing printed cotton quilting fabrics to independent quilt shops and mass-market channels — closely matching Jaftex's wholesale B2B model and product category.
Emerging players
- Art Gallery Fabrics: Art Gallery Fabrics is a smaller, design-led quilting fabric manufacturer targeting modern quilters with fashion-forward prints, overlapping with Jaftex's StudioE and FreeSpirit offerings but focused on a younger, more trend-driven customer segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
jaftex social profiles
Digital presencejaftex financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
jaftex leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
jaftex subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
jaftex funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
jaftex 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 jaftex
What does jaftex do?
Jaftex designs, manufactures, and distributes wholesale quilting and sewing fabrics through a portfolio of six owned brands (FreeSpirit, Henry Glass, Blank Quilting, StudioE, A.E. Nathan, and Fabric Editions) and distributes additional brands (3 Wishes, Stof Fabrics, Oasis). Products are sold as yardage, precuts, and kits to quilting retailers across the United States, primarily small local quilt shops and large retail chains.
Is jaftex a public or private company?
jaftex is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was jaftex founded?
jaftex was founded in 1930.
Where is jaftex based?
jaftex is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does jaftex make money?
One revenue line is on record: wholesale Fabric Sales.
Who are jaftex's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Northcott Fabrics, Robert Kaufman Fabrics, Windham Fabrics, Moda Fabrics + Notions, QT Fabrics, Marcus Fabrics, Wilmington Prints, Riley Blake Designs and Timeless Treasures. Art Gallery Fabrics is listed as an emerging player.
Does jaftex have an API?
No public API is recorded for jaftex.
What industry is jaftex in?
jaftex's product category is Quilting and Sewing Fabrics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALADAB, Quilting & Patchwork Shops. Its NAICS code is 424350 and its SIC code is 5130.