John Horsfall in design during Global EXPO
Erick Ray, Business Development Manager, North America, John Horsfall (left) and Ellie Parkes, Global Business Development Manager, John Horsfall at the company booth at this year's IFSA Global EXPO
The discourse among exhibitors at Global EXPO this year has overwhelmingly been "quality over quantity," and John Horsfall tells PAX International this has indeed been the case for the textile expert as well.
"There seems to be more of an international presence than last year. Little to no foot traffic, and yet the caliber of our meetings have been very good," says Erick Ray, Business Development Manager, North America at John Horsfall. He and Ellie Parkes, Global Business Development Manager, tell PAX International the company has had several meetings where they were basically designing product with the airline right then and there at booth 649.
"This is really our favourite part, discussing fabric decisions; texture, colours, trim colours, customization—telling a story through different use of fabrics," Parkes says.
"Conversations in this setting also make it easy to educate customers and share our knowledge, which is a huge part of our craft as subject matter experts in textiles," Ray adds.
Re-Thread review
John Horsfall has recently built a sustainability reputation around its Re-Thread program. The program is focused on creating sustainable, eco-friendly onboard textiles made from recycled or regenerated materials, such as recycled polyester (RPET) from post-consumer plastic waste and regenerated cotton sourced from discarded textiles. Additionally, Re-Thread includes biofibre alternatives, plant-based materials aimed at reducing reliance on plastic and synthetic textiles in airline cabins.
The Re-Thread brand is featured onboard with American Airline Flagship® bedding, Air New Zealand pillows and is used unbranded with six other major global carriers.
