The Big Furniture Group team recently visited Vogue Beds Barwell factory to find out more about their Climate Collection and just how it’s made.
Arriving at the Vogue Beds factory and showroom, the initial perception is rather deceiving as it seemed to be on the smaller-side. However, once stepping foot in the reception, you’re greeted with a glass window that overlooks how deep the 60,000sq ft factory actually runs. It was here Ebrahim Patel, Director at Vogue Beds, met us too as he guided us through the office space, which has recently undergone a significant refurbishment to the tune of £250,000.
The space was a “tired” part of the facility with Vogue investing in new lighting, electrics and décor to enhance both the customer experience when visiting but also for the staff. It’s a bright, welcoming space that the team are proud of. Other investments include machinery updates on the factory floor, while the roof has also seen some attention too. Did you know that the factory used to be shoe-making facility with the building itself over 100 years old?
After an in-depth catch-up with Ebrahim on product development, including learning more about the Climate Collection, and future plans, we geared up for the tour itself, guided by Operations Manager Chris. Starting at the loading bay, the whole factory is designed to maximise efficiency and production with a streamlined flow from one area to another. From the initial viewpoint of the main production floor, the factory has a far deeper offering the further explored. You could lose yourself in a labyrinth of areas within the building – some of which still hosting original features from its shoe factory days. It’s quite an impressive maze to navigate!
Keeping close to Chris, we made our way to a massive open warehouse space then onto another warehouse space, and then another. Each storing specific components and materials ready to be picked and packed to move towards the production lines. In fact, up to 250 mattresses are made each day at the factory depending on the model and order as each product is made-to-order.
From here, Chris guided us through more connecting corridors to the showroom where Vogue’s full product offering is on display. It was here Vogue played host to its first ‘At Home Show’ in May last year, which was a big success for the business. This was also where we found the Climate Collection in the flesh, Vogue’s latest product innovation, as Ebrahim explained: “Our journey for the new Climate mattress collection started with the development of the Vegan mattress back in 2022, when we were the first NBF manufacturer to make a Vegan Society certified mattress.
“Over the last two years learning, understanding the market with customer and retail research, we have progressed this mattress to the next level. This moves us beyond just ‘Vegan Friendly’, offering the retailer and consumer the very best of sustainable, recyclable and comfortable mattress choices.”
The Climate Collection features three pocket counts, 1000 Pocket, 1500 Pocket & 2000 Pocket, with all the Pocket springs approved and certified by the Vegan Society ensuring no animal content is used in the manufacturing process. The Climate Collection is designed to be entirely recyclable too, contributing significantly to the reduction of mattresses that end up in landfills.
Furthermore, a standard double mattress from the collection is crafted using around 350 recycled plastic bottles, playing a key role in preventing bottles from polluting oceans each year. “The Climate Mattress collection features 100% viscose fabric which is a plant base cover, which allows it to breathe, the fabric is unique in its construction and easy to recyclable,” Ebrahim said.
“The fillings also consist of recycled plastic, from the spring insulated pad to the specialist fibre fillings offering support and comfort. All the fillings are made from recycled plastics, which brings it in line with circular economy, where materials never become waste and are regenerated.”
Exiting the showroom, we navigated our way back through the warehouses towards the main factory floor and frame making zone. All Vogue’s bedframes are manufactured inhouse with the company offering 28 different fabrics. Chris continued to the tour through spring production and base making, with all components carefully picked ahead of combining together.
Once ready, the product moves through a number of areas with skilled staff working quickly to complete their respective part of the build – all while quality checking and attention to detail is upheld. The factory, which houses almost 60 staff, promotes multi-skilling across each department to further boost efficiency, although the hardest skill to master is hand-stitching, with only a handful of workers applying the technique – it takes months to learn! The staff were busy, working at pace with the factory in full flow. It gave a resounding impression to the dedication the company employs as well as a real personality behind the products.
What’s more, many of the staff have been there for decades, endorsing a good place of work and the values behind Vogue as a company. Even Ebrahim’s youngest – his 20-year-old son, is now involved in the business, while his daughter and first-born, Bilkis, has worked her way up over the last 10 years to now becoming a director too. It’s the family ethos that hits home and is instilled in every aspect of what Vogue is about.
Upon the conclusion of our tour, Ebrahim reminisced on Vogue’s journey to date, with the company actually starting life as Dreamworld Beds. After a few years of trading under this name, it became apparent that a rebrand was needed due to accidentally using a name that was already taken in the industry. It led to Vogue being born – a brand that encapsulates premium.
Looking ahead, this year marks Vogue’s 35-year anniversary and sees the January Furniture Show (JFS) as an ideal platform to kick off celebrations and display its recent innovations. The Climate Collection will be the show-stopper, which has had big interest since debuting at the NBF Bed Show and Autumn Furniture Show late last year.
“We’ve had such a great response to our Climate mattress, an eco range mattress collection,” Ebrahim said. “We’re now seeing orders come through, which is fantastic, and we are hoping to build on this, offering our customers a true sustainable option during JFS.”
“We realised over the last few years that although the Vegan story was powerful, the end user/consumer message required a better explanation of the benefits of these mattresses. Our Climate Mattress collection provides this message and we’re really excited about our next stage of innovation and growth.”
You can see the Climate Collection for yourself at the January Furniture Show where Vogue Beds are on Stand: 5-C40.
