Helix + Heather Helix
Welcome to a new year that promises to be filled with fresh perspectives and innovative ideas.
Our love of beautiful, sustainable carpet starts with curiosity around the fibres and processes that bring new products and design visions to life. Universal Fibers® is keen on pursuing that special place where artistry meets technical innovation. Where beauty meets sustainability. Where quality of product meets quality of process. These intersections could be described as “confluence”.
“Confluence means a flowing together. When things come together like rivers do, flowing from entirely different places, you call that a confluence.”
In a world where currents now move so quickly, we work every day to explore and thoughtfully experiment with ways we can create more beautiful, sustainable, unique, and impactful products to share with the world, and with you—our friends and customers located throughout Europe.
As we share these products with you, we also want to share the intricate details behind each discovery and process. We invite you here today to learn more about our fibre innovation and new product, Heather Helix®.
Heather Helix® embodies a confluence. It achieves a natural rhythm between muted and contrast, the best of both worlds. How? By bringing together our two exclusive fibre finish techniques, Harmonize™ and Helix®.
Harmonize™
by Universal Fibers
Harmonize™ is our process of using 3-6 colours of varying hues, and a specialized blending technique that weaves these hues into a near-solid colour. The result is a medium level of contrast, where slight and delicate complexities lend a subtle texture to the landscape, but the overall aesthetic is serene and simple. A heathered mélange effect yarn.
Helix®
by Universal Fibers
Helix® uses advanced processing techniques that offer longer spacing and a wider range of crisp, air twist accent styling. The air twist high-performance fibre creates a distinct colour contrast, delivering high bulk–low weight solution-dyed performance with superior colour clarity from a broad colour pallet.
The Heather Helix® product interchanges these finish techniques, seamlessly and at fixed lengths, combining the Harmonize™ & Helix® yarn in ready to tuft packages.
We’ve created Heather Helix® to provide unique patterning & design opportunities in finished products, even when direct tufted. The crisp, defined colour tuft achieved by the Helix® yarn provides a contrast to the soft mélange heather look achieved by Harmonize™, resulting in areas of textured pattern and colour definition similar to a cut and loop product.
Our favorite part? This is done through one consecutive strand, using technology that offers superior coverage while maintaining low weights and a lower carbon footprint.
Through our work, we strive to be a company that positively impacts the very fabric of our industry. And we see infinite possibility in partnering with our European customers as we continue to innovate around quality, versatility, and sustainability.
Heather Helix® has a unique finish exclusive to Universal Fibers®. This finish is available in all product chemistries and all colours.
FEATURED INTERVIEW
As one of Universal Fibers’ newest Team members, we sat down with Narcis Alleyn, Sales Development Manager for Europe, to learn more about her years of experience in the textile industry throughout Europe. Alleyn, who is based out of Belgium, the “carpet capital of the EU”, has previous experience collaborating with many current and potential clients throughout varying markets. Extremely knowledgeable with flooring products across varying industry sectors, and equally comfortable working with end-users and design teams. We are thrilled to welcome her skillset and leadership to our team and invite you to know a little more about her below.
“My interest in Textiles started when I attended a seminar given by Professor Marc Van Parys of the University of Ghent and president of Unitex, the National Association of Textile Industry in Belgium.
Belgium was and is still the biggest world supplier after the US for (wall-to-wall) carpets, so I decided to study Textiles and graduated in 1996 as a Textile Engineer, specializing in chemicals.
After graduating, I began my career as Sales Manager for Eastern Europe at Domo Oudenaarde, now Balta Home, focusing on wall to wall carpets. Having Polish grandparents, and therefore being able to speak Polish, it was easy for me to translate the customers’ needs into Dutch, and I also went on to learn Czech.
I progressed at Domo and was given the responsibility to start up a new business unit, the Mats division. This was a great opportunity for me, as I was able to get behind the scenes see how the product is made. The first products that were launched were recycled mats from the waste of wall-to-wall carpets and yarns. It was an immediate hit and enabled us to enter into new markets, particularly Germany, so I extended my language skills by learning to speak German.
I then joined Beaulieu Wielsbeke, today BINTG. During my time there, I had the opportunity to develop new Chromojet printing technology.
After 10 years in the carpet industry, I had the opportunity to continue my career development in the automotive industry and worked for 10 years with AUNDE Group, as Global Business Manager, responsible for Ford, JLR & Volvo accounts specializing in semi-finished woven & knitted fabrics for end products.
I am now excited to take on my new role of Sales Manager Europe at Universal Fibers and back in the carpet industry. I am proud to be part of Universal Fibers, their commitment to Europe is clear, fully integrated production in Poland, making our offer truly Global.
Universal Fibers allows me to help the company grow in Europe. This I like to grab with both hands, because I know the market, as well as some of my potential customers, already for more than 25 years.”
“Our service & delivery commitment for our Europe customers.
Universal Fibers have been supplying carpet fibre for over 50 years, and were the first to bring solution dyed nylon for use in carpet fibre to the market, and being global.”
“Professional, customer supportive & reliable ”
“I enjoy spending time with friends and family and cooking. ”
To contact Narcis directly, please feel free to do so by emailing her at Narcis.Alleyn@universalfibers.com
Be sure to join us on January 21st as we delve into Sustainability and how Universal Fibers can help you reach your environmental initiatives. We will be sitting down with LEED Fellow, WELL AP ® Project Leader, and Sustainability guru, Sue Clark for an around the table Q & A. We will be discussing topics like green certifications, navigating the 2030 agenda and the green built environment.
Are you ready to An·i·māte with us?
For assistance, or to learn more about our Heather Helix® and Helix® product finishes, or to explore how we can help you create something beautiful, feel free to connect with our team via the contact page.
