Images_December_2019_Digital Edition

IS DECORATOR PROFILE www.images-magazine.com 50 images DECEMBER 2019 There are many facets to Suleman Gaffar’s embellishments business Packtex, as Images discovers A s their name suggests, the original rhinestones were made from sparkling rock crystals from the river Rhine in Austria in the Middle Ages, but by the time country singer Glen Campbell sang that he was “like a rhinestone cowboy” in the 1970s, they had become a fashion staple made from any kind of crystal glass, an affordable accessory with the glistening appeal of diamonds. These shiny accessories caught the attention of Suleman Gaffar nearly 20 years ago and, through his company Packtex, he has become the leading wholesale supplier of not just rhinestones but many other kinds of embellishments for garment decoration, from sequins and glitter to beads and other trimmings. But the name Packtex reflects the company’s somewhat less glittering roots. Based in Leicester, it was founded in 1999 by Suleman, who still heads the company, with his brother Mahomed, who is no longer involved, to supply packaging to the textile trade. The new business drew on the brothers’ backgrounds in family-run businesses in the fashion and textile trade, buying and selling clothing. They spotted a gap in the market for supplying trimmings The outlook is good for both embellishments and DTG printing and embellishments to decorators and, by 2002, this had become the focus of the business. “The margins became tighter and tighter in packaging and competition was fierce so we had to change direction,” Suleman recalls. “We found trimming and embellishments more profitable and a lot more design-oriented than packaging.” With a portfolio now ranging from rhinestones, rhinestuds and Swarovski cut crystals to caviar beads, sequins and glitter powders, the business has steadily grown its sales across the UK and overseas, and now employs 15 people, including in-house designers and a sourcing team. “The business continues to operate from its original premises but over the years this has been converted from a primarily warehousing function to a full manufacturing role,” Suleman says. Most of Packtex’s rhinestones and other embellishments are for the retail fashion sector, and are mainly supplied as hot-fix transfers. Driven by design trends, the company offers all kinds of colours and sizes from stock, such as the Grade A Rhinestones ranging from 2mm to 8.5mm in more than 25 shades, and the Diamante Machine Cut Rhinestones, in over 20 colours, which typically have 12 facets providing a more dazzling shine. For a premium finish, the Swarovski Elements selection – from jewellery specialist Swarovski – is made from cut crystals, with faceting and polishing to provide extra brilliance. These crystals are supplied both for hot-fix heat applications as well as glue-fix crystals. Packtex’s glitter powder is made of precision-cut metallised hexagon polyester flakes, with over 45 shades available in various finishes including metallic, holographic and iridescent. Its tiny caviar beads are also popular for textile printing, and are available in over 20 colours. The company also supplies its sequins and discs (sequins without the hole) in a wide selection of colours from stock, from peacock holographic to pink