American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Looks to Take Legal Action Against International Textile Alliance

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame® is considering legal action against the International Textile Alliance (ITA) and Interwoven, the trade show it hosts for textiles used in home furnishings. The organization says a recently announced ITA honor bears its name and has already created confusion in the industry. The Hall of Fame was founded in 1988 and is widely known within the industry simply as “the Hall of Fame.”

“The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame® has spent millions of dollars to establish the brand and more recently to construct a bricks and mortar Hall of Fame as the industry’s home to honor our leaders, to gather and to learn,” says Jeremy Hoff, Board chairman and CEO of Hooker Home Furnishings. “We have inducted members, donors, ongoing supporters, annual Foundation members, Paul Broyhill Leaders, participants in our Leadership Institute, Board members, events and museum exhibits representing individuals in the textiles field. It is in our logo and the name on the outside of our building.”

Satya Tiwari, chairman of the organization’s Board of Directors and CEO of Surya, which acquired Mitchell Gold a few years ago, says his ownership of an upholstery manufacturing division has reinforced the role textiles play in home furnishings. “The rug side of the business has always held a great appreciation for color and patterns but now that we own an upholstery manufacturing division, I recognize even more so just how critical fabrics are to upholstery – to what sells and what doesn’t sell. For ITA to maintain that textiles and their members aren’t a part of the home furnishings industry is just incomprehensible. Even their showrooms are located in the heart of the High Point Market showroom district, with several just across the street from the Hall of Fame.”

“As we all know and appreciate, textile fabrics used in upholstery, pillows, draperies, bed coverings, linens and more are a crucial element of home furnishings,” says John Schultz, Board second vice president and co-CEO of John V. Schultz Furniture and Levin Furniture. “We all know that fabrics introduce color, patterns and tactile textures as a vital and significant element of what makes us a fashion industry and turn a house into a home. So much so that our Selection Committee actively considers this segment of the industry for induction.”

Karen McNeill Pond, CEO of the Hall of Fame, said the organization’s selection process was the product of years of research. “After better understanding the vast array of honors, we spent another year crafting the profile of what an inducted member of the Hall of Fame should stand for in order to inspire emerging leaders to greatness through Enduring Excellence, Superior Accomplishments, Innovation and Creativity, and a Philanthropic Heart. This includes a point-based ballot and specific system for evaluating nominations and candidates,” she says. “It is highly factual and above all, the anonymous Selection Committee, comprised of industry executives, studies what the candidate has done to change and impact the industry.”

“To copy our name and award has already created confusion,” says Gat Caperton, Board first vice president and founder of Gat Creek. “Moreover, the timing and manner in which ITA has chosen to position and launch its new venture is uncannily similar to ours, opening their nominations at the same time and adopting a selection criterion that just changes a few words. ITA has even announced that they are going to establish a Wall of Fame again, which we established decades ago. There is confusion about whether this new award is an adjunct or subset related to us.”

“It is for these reasons that we are defending not just our brand but our very name for past and future inducted members of the Hall of Fame representing the textiles and upholstery segments. We are protecting the value of receiving the industry’s highest honor,” Hoff adds.

“This whole situation is unfortunate,” says Greg Avitabile, Board secretary-treasurer. “There is such an easy solution: choose a different name, a worthy name, for the textiles honor. That is all that we are asking.”

About The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame® Foundation, Inc.

The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame® Foundation, Inc., is an industry-wide organization founded to preserve its history, to celebrate exceptional individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the U.S. home furnishings industry, to inspire the next generation of innovative leaders and to engage the community with the world of home furnishings. Our new home, which opened in April 2023, is a symbol of the Home Furnishings Capital of the World™ where the industry gathers, where we honor our leaders and tell our stories, and where we learn through exhibits, seminars and speakers. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, funds support our history and leadership programming. The organization is based in High Point, North Carolina, at 311 S. Hamilton St., and can be reached at 336.882.5900. For more information, visit www.homefurnishingshalloffame.com.