This interview is with Jay Soni, Marketing Specialist, Founder and CEO at Yorkshire Fabric Shop.

Jay Soni, Marketing Specialist, Founder and CEO, Yorkshire Fabric Shop

Jay, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming an expert in fabric?

I’m Jay, and I founded Yorkshire Fabric Shop and Create Fabrics. Both are dedicated to selling high-quality furnishing and upholstery fabrics to both trade professionals and individual customers. We’ve even had the honor of working with big names like Warner Brothers Studio and the Dorchester Hotels, which has been a fantastic experience.

 I’ve spent over 15 years in the textiles and furniture industry, and I’ve also worked in the digital realm. This mix of experiences has helped me build solid relationships with suppliers all around the globe and craft brands known for their commitment to quality, customer care, and, above all, an obsession with customer satisfaction. Yorkshire Fabric Shop is our direct-to-customer arm, where we offer more than 6,000 different fabrics and provide custom, made-to-measure services.

We’re based in North West England, and we have a hangar display where customers can come and see the variety and quality of our products in person. My journey to becoming an e-commerce expert has been driven by my passion for delivering the best possible products and services to our customers.

What were some of the pivotal moments in your career that solidified your passion for fabric and its possibilities?

There were definitely a couple of memorable moments that solidified my love for fabric and its power. This was the case when I first saw the power of a room being repurposed by changing its textiles at a very early stage in my career. This was a project that we had; the client was told to spruce up a very dull hotel lobby, and we decided to go with the textiles, bright colors on the curtains, and upholstery.

When we were done, the place was so different that we’d remade it. It was then that I realized just how effective fabric could be, not only as a substance but also as an important design element that can transform the experience of a room entirely. Another turning point was an excursion to a fabric mill where I witnessed weaving, from beginning to end. This discovery of raw fibers becoming exquisitely patterned textiles also led to an understanding of the possibilities of textile design.

The experience was as if it were an event in the making, as delicate patterns and colors were rendered tangible, destined to enter someone’s home or office. It helped me to appreciate the design process of fabrics and become a greater artist of our fabrics in our products, taking the traditional fabric applications to new heights.

You’ve talked before about the importance of human touch in your fabric business. Can you elaborate on a specific instance where understanding a client’s vision led to an innovative use of fabric?

Our fabric business has a strong focus on the human element when it comes to taking what a client has in mind and delivering on that vision. For example, there was this once-in-a-lifetime job where a customer approached us and wanted something custom-designed for their home theater. They loved the Golden Age of Hollywood, and they wanted their room to embody that decadence and glamour. We took the vision and their needs seriously and used velvet—but not just any velvet—a custom-dyed, red velvet with a subtle sheen that looked like an old film curtain.

This decision was not purely aesthetic but practical. Even more than being pretty, the velvet helped make the room sound better, trapping sound for a more full-bodied soundscape. The success of this project proved that deep insight into a client’s vision can result in a deeper application of fabric that goes beyond the surface, merging fashion and utility.

Many people might not think of fabric as a medium for innovation. What are some of the most exciting advancements in fabric technology or design that you’re particularly enthusiastic about?

You know, something I’ve become very interested in these days is the way textiles are now designed to change contexts, almost like they are aware of their surroundings. I’m not referring to your standard stain-resistant or water-resistant aspects here—handy, but not groundbreaking. I really want textiles that already contain climate-sensitive fibers that respond to moisture and temperature.

The fabric for a sofa, for example, is more breathable when the room warms or slightly textured when the room is dry. This flexibility gives us all kinds of ways to actually make rooms feel really comfortable in ways we hadn’t imagined before.

Imagine a soft cloth that is slightly squidgier and warmer in the winter but tends to become lighter as it absorbs more heat, which is appropriate year-round without the need to change out fabrics. It’s here that I see genuine creativity—fabrics that, well, make everyday life better because they react to the world.

In your experience, how can incorporating unique or unexpected fabrics elevate a design project, and what advice would you give to someone looking to experiment with unconventional fabric choices?

One thing I’ve noticed is that strange-textured fabrics or even unusual fabrics really can give a design personality, especially in more conventional spaces. Like, for instance, introducing fabrics that you might never use for upholstery—woven metallic threads, or even fabric combinations with raw materials such as jute or hemp—to alter the mood of a room entirely. It injects this sort of touch that’s grounded, even a little unexpected, and that draws people in, to make them want to touch and feel rather than just look at the space.

My tip for someone wanting to experiment with quirky fabrics is to begin with juxtaposition, one heavy-duty texture with a more classical one. For example, you might be upholstering an antique chair: using a fabric that has a rough texture or a metallic appearance on a specific section, such as the backrest, is dramatic but doesn’t overwhelm. It’s more about letting one piece stand out without going too far, making the entire project feel unusual without being too pushy.

Sustainability is a growing concern in all industries. How do you see the world of fabrics adapting to these concerns, and what role do you think natural and sustainable fabrics will play in the future of design?

To be honest, I really focus on sustainable fabrics not in switching to natural fibers such as organic cotton or linen, but in the transition to regenerative fabrics that actually improve the environment in their production. There’s this idea of making fabrics from fast-growing plants, such as seaweed or algae.

Such materials aren’t just low-impact; they’re good for the places where they originate and can be grown and harvested with far fewer water and chemicals than crops. I believe it’s these regenerative materials where we’re going to see an enormous leap forward in design.

But we’re not just striving for sustainability in terms of harm reduction—fabrics might help sustain environmental harmony. For designers, that is to say, they are dealing with a material that has an eco-story attached to it—not just making the project less carbon-intensive but also adding some environmental reinforcement to it. It’s an idea about fabrics that doesn’t stay at “sustainable” but is proactive.

You’ve successfully integrated technology into your business. What advice would you give to other fabric professionals who are hesitant to embrace new technologies like automation or AI?

My recommendation to fabric experts who’re considering AI or automation technology is to go slowly, but always think about customer experience first. You may be thinking of technology as just streamlined business, but what’s really been a big deal for us is how tech has allowed us to truly personalize the shopping experience.

The use of AI to suggest fabrics to customers, based on their design preferences or recent purchases, has revolutionized the market, for example. It’s like taking that personalized, brick-and-mortar feel online, and people appreciate that extra effort. Rather than upgrading your entire infrastructure with technology in one go, consider just one place where it can make a meaningful difference in the way you engage with your customers.

Good tech won’t make things automatic – you’ll feel like you’re closer to every customer’s exact needs. So, concentrate on how you can leverage that connection to technology, and it’ll likely be much more accessible and effective than you think.

Looking back on your career, what’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned about the fabric industry, and how has that knowledge shaped your approach to your work?

My number one takeaway is that in the fabric industry, we’re not just selling fabrics; we know how a fabric will live once it leaves the factory. It’s completely revolutionized my whole approach, from where I get materials to how I speak to customers. I don’t see a fabric as just a strip of fabric; I’m looking at wear-and-tear, what that fabric is going into, and how it will feel decades later. It’s like going beyond the sale and getting into the fabric’s own mission.

This has made me more careful and selective about what we provide, and this has made me more intentional about it. I’ve gotten more serious about quality and how to make sure clients get fabrics that they can work with over the long-term, not just look good. It’s that idea that if you know what you’re working with and what you’re using a fabric for, then you really can make suggestions that have long-term value, and that’s something that people remember.

What advice would you give to aspiring fabric enthusiasts or entrepreneurs who are just starting their journey in the world of textiles?

The first thing I would say to anyone who is entering the textile industry is to really get a feel for the materials. Don’t just peruse fabric samples or swatches; learn what each fabric does in real life. Don’t limit yourself to perception, and try washing, stretching, or even subjecting materials to different temperatures to see how they respond.

This firsthand knowledge will provide you with a much richer insight into what each fabric is actually capable of, and this isn’t something you’ll read about in a textbook or brochure. The sooner you get this kind of real-world experience, the more confident you’ll be as a consultant to buyers or customers. It’s the ability to communicate the merits and demerits of different textiles directly, from the inside, and that’s an important asset.

Seeing how fabrics actually work in the real world not only aids your design but also helps you build trust with people because you’re telling them to choose something that will actually be good for them in the long run.