This year Instyle celebrates its 25th anniversary, a tremendous achievement given the challenges faced by the industry during this time.
July 3rd, 2012
In 1987 at the age of 27 managing director Michael Fitzsimons started the company from scratch and today Instyle has established itself as one of the leading interior textile suppliers in Australia and overseas.
The success of this internationally-renowned company with over 50 staff is due to many factors, including Fitzsimons’ passion for growing the business, his integrity and staying true to his heart. “I always believed that in business you should treat people the way you‟d like to be treated yourself” says Fitzsimons.
Design has always been a critical factor in Instyle‟s success. In the early years Instyle invested in an in house design studio to develop its own unique textiles that were manufactured by local textile mills, which Fitzsimons has always been keen to support. Today Instyle continues to build on its design resources employing an in house team of three qualified textile designers and using a number of designers located in Australia, USA, UK and Hong Kong.
PHOENIX and VERONA from Contemporary Leathers
The use of local mills and resources is an integral part of Instyle’s ‘whole of company’ approach to sustainability, which began in 2002. After two years of research and development Instyle released LIFE Textiles®, becoming the first Australian textile collection to address the entire lifecycle.
Instyle’s approach was totally different to what other textile companies were doing, who were importing fabrics made from plastic bottle waste which still contained hazardous substances and are are not recyclable. As a result, LIFE Textiles® has become Instyle‟s most successful product range.
This success did not deter Instyle from lifting the benchmark even higher. Since developing LIFE Textiles, Instyle has connected directly with many wool growers and saw further potential in reducing the impact of wool growing. Instyle wanted to assist in improving animal welfare, human health and environmental care so it began sourcing EthEco® wool from non-mulesed sheep raised on holistically-managed farms.
Wovin Wall – ISquare
Fitzsimons believes that EthEco® wool growers are the true environmentalists, “I am extremely proud of our role in working with wool growers and local textile manufacturers to deliver real and practical benefits to the environment”. Consequently, Instyle has won numerous major environmental awards such as the United Nations’ World Environment Day Awards and the NSW Government Green Globe Awards.
As an innovative company, INSTYLE has grown and expanded its range of interior products and export markets including USA, Canada, Asia and New Zealand.
As a natural progression the company has expanded to include additional interior finishes. In 2000 Fitzsimons and David Gourlay joined forces to establish Contemporary Leathers and in 2006 Fitzsimons established another joint venture with creative Box & Dice team, to take Wovin Wall to the world. In 2010 Instyle introduced wallcoverings into its collection.
While it has been an eventful 25 years Fitzsimons is enthusiastic about the future, “I am extremely positive about our future and want to acknowledge and thank the fantastic Instyle team and our partners who have made this possible.”
Metalessence Cork wallcoverings
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Gaggenau is a brand that has long served to feed ambition – in design as well as in the kitchen. This year, however, it’s raising the stakes.
Lighting designs by Alexander Taylor and Sylvain Willenz for Established & Sons are now available and ready for immediate delivery from Living Edge.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
When iconic brands wield their influence, the ripples extend far beyond aesthetics. And so when the MillerKnoll collective formed, the very concept of design shifted, supercharging the industry’s aspiration to create a better world into an unwavering sense of responsibility to do so.
In Malaysia Spacemen has created a world of perfumed wonder with their latest project, Trove, where treasures abound.