NEW YORK, NY — September 22, 2026 — F. Schumacher & Co. (FS&CO), the celebrated American design house established by Frederic Schumacher in 1889, has announced the acquisition of the vast majority of the Vanoutryve archive — a move that forges a deeper connection to the company’s own founding story and to French textile history at large.
Vanoutryve was a renowned mill that operated across France and Belgium for more than 150 years, playing a critical role in shaping the European luxury textile industry throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. What makes this acquisition particularly meaningful for FS&CO is the direct personal link: Frederic Schumacher himself worked as a textile agent for Vanoutryve in both France and the United States before going on to establish his namesake company in New York City.
A Collection of Extraordinary Depth and Scale
The Vanoutryve archive acquisition encompasses more than 75,000 textile samples, alongside original fabrics and drawings dating from approximately 1870 to 1960. This substantially expands FS&CO’s existing archival holdings and reinforces the company’s longstanding commitment to preserving design heritage.
More than 1,500 swatch books, along with assorted textiles and drawings, now reside in a climate-controlled facility where they are being carefully conserved and catalogued. Schumacher’s in-house archival team is leading the documentation effort to ensure this chapter of design history is maintained for the long term.
From Roubaix to the World
Founded in Roubaix, France, in 1860 by Felix Vanoutryve, the mill rapidly grew into one of Europe’s most important luxury textile weavers. At its peak, it employed more than 4,500 workers and exported as much as 60 percent of its production to international markets.
During the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods, Vanoutryve played a central role in bringing emerging French design motifs to a wider audience. The mill also collaborated with some of the most influential tastemakers of the era, among them Paul Poiret — widely recognized as the first fashion designer to establish a lifestyle brand that extended to fabrics for the home.
Following the death of Felix Vanoutryve in 1912 — coincidentally the same year that Frederic Schumacher also passed away — the mill remained under family ownership until 2013 and eventually ceased operations in 2019. Notably, one of Vanoutryve’s original fabrics, Parrots Moderne, continues to be produced by Schumacher to this day, a testament to the enduring relevance of the historic textile collection.
Leadership Reflects on the Acquisition
FS&CO President and CEO Timur Yumusaklar underscored the significance of the acquisition in the context of the company’s heritage: “Acquiring archival pieces directly connected to our company’s founder is a natural extension of our brand heritage. We have always and will always continue to work with the finest mills in the world, and we firmly believe that quality craftsmanship and great design can withstand the test of time. I’m honored to continue preserving and reimagining the artistry of these timeless pieces by introducing them to the U.S., just as Frederic Schumacher did 150 years ago.”
Chief Creative Officer Dara Caponigro described the experience of first encountering the Vanoutryve archive in Europe: “What struck me most was the mix of patterns that were produced within a specific time period, which reflected the broad range of aesthetics and varied appetite for design during that era, with modernist Art Deco designs existing right alongside traditional brocades.”
A Breadth of Styles Across Eras
The French textile history captured within the Vanoutryve archive spans an impressive range of styles — from classic Persian motifs and traditional European florals to early-20th-century French designs. The collection includes fine silks and brocades as well as heavier, more deeply textured fabrics such as tapestries and jacquards, representing the full breadth of the mill’s creative output across decades.
FS&CO Archivist Kristen Robinson spoke to the broader significance of the acquisition: “Our company’s founder, Frederic Schumacher, began his textile journey at Vanoutryve, and this acquisition adds not only to our understanding of Schumacher’s own story, but also to the history of manufacturing and textile design. For more than a century, Vanoutryve was one of the most revered weaving houses in France and Belgium, and now its impact will still be felt in homes around the world.”
A Living Resource for Design Education
Beyond its historical and archival value, FS&CO views the Vanoutryve archive as an active resource for creativity and learning. As Caponigro noted, “This important lesson in the decorative arts will provide inspiration and education for our internal teams, students, and interior designers around the world for many generations to come.”
The acquisition of this landmark French textile history collection reaffirms FS&CO’s position as a steward of design heritage — and its ongoing commitment to ensuring that the craftsmanship and artistry of the past continues to inform and inspire the work of the future.
