About Us: A Venerable Tradition
For well over a century, Shamash & Sons has been known as a leader in the textile industry. From being the leader in silk exporting, to introducing the rest of the world to China's new cotton/lycra woven fabrics, Shamash has always been a pioneer in textiles, as well as in international business.
Priding ourselves in a longstanding belief in first-class customer service and quick response to the needs of apparel manufacturers internationally, Shamash & Sons has become a tradition unto itself in the world of textiles. With 8 offices worldwide, in New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, China, Russia, India, Korea and Germany, Shamash & Sons is a name synonymous with quality, beauty and dependability.
Of course, this international conglomerate was not always as vast as it is today. In fact, as with its exotic products, the history of Shamash is just as fascinating. Begun in 1870s, Shamash was an exporter of teas, spices and silks from China, distributing product throughout the middle east along the old 'Silk Road'. The company thrived in that region until WWII broke out and forced the Shamash family to relocate to New York. In 1946 the company started it’s operation in the US. In 1949 Shamash moved it’s foreign operations from China to Japan. From the import business in Japan, the company expanded and began to develop business ties through Asia, to Europe and in the US. With the company's reputation as being the industry’s leader in silk, in 1972 Jack Shamash, then the president of the firm, was historically honored by being invited by China to attend the Guangzhou Fair which was the 1st trip into China taken by a U.S. businessman after relations with China were re-established.
Today, Shamash and Sons is headed by Kevin Kiley as President. Kevin and his team carry on the pioneering spirit. Although the company still offers the best in a global silk house, we have further expanded in the arena of cotton, linen, ramie, rayon, polyester-all also with lycra.
With a specialty in the women's and junior apparel arena, Shamash & Sons also have started an expansion into home furnishing. "We have developed a lot of new products from our archives of natural fabrics. A lot of well known names come to us, to see what we are working on. We concentrate on product development, including embroideries, bum-out fabrics, hand painting and velvets, ramie, etc ... and making new fabrics. Shamash undertakes a lot of projects many other textile companies will not get involved with, because of the risk and difficulty as this is what our customers have come to expect. We have a very diverse customer base. On the upper rung of the scale, we can sell to Melinda Eng, whose garments can retail for over $2000; then we can also sell to Rampage Clothing," says Kevin Kiley, President.
Clients of Shamash include: Ralph Lauren, Eileen Fisher, Donna Karan, Liz Claiborne as well as over 2,000 wholesale accounts and 8,000 retail stores. With their product featured throughout the retail spectrum, Shamash has also become exalted as the premiere textile innovator. Having forged an alliance with 3M; Shamash has recently debuted new fabrications with stain resistance. Kiley explains, "People today are looking for more performance in their clothing and by adding 3M Scotch Guard to the fabric. When you spill something, it just bead up and rolls off." In addition, Shamash's association with 3M has also aided in a joint trade and counter trade initiative in China and the former Soviet Union. Russia is one of Shamash's most important resources for linen, cotton and viscose fabrics and is also a significant market for U.S. products. Currently, Shamash handles a substantial percentage of Russia's total textile exports.
Of course, Shamash is not just known as a textile company. In recent ventures, Shamash has also gone into the manufacturing of garments. Opening a garment division, the company creates both men's and women's wear, creates silk and linen fashion, woven and sewn in China then imported for sale to apparel vendors in the U.S. This service began as a request from clients.
In January 1999 in order to upgrade their control over quality, Shamash opened Shamash Shanghai Textile Corporation, 100% owned by Shamash. It contains a textile testing laboratory as well as an inspection facility in Shanghai to examine and export shipments.
In November 1999 Shamash merged it's European operations with i.s.p.e.r.t. KLW textilvertrieb GmbH based in Cologne Germany. This 100 year old European textile distributor with offices in France, Spain and Italy will provide Shamash with a much larger market for it’s products.
As the company heads into yet another century, they look forward to creating more beautiful fabrics and expanding their global reach. With new fabrications being unveiled monthly, Shamash has also planned to further expand into home furnishings and are currently in the process of creating a studio to display their line of home decor textiles. Furthermore, Shamash will strengthen their presence in Europe and plan to open offices in 12 countries, starting in the year 2000, and continue to cater to their clients' needs. "All our planning and imagination are focused on the needs of our customers. If they succeed, we succeed," concludes Kiley.