Metrax-Craye has over a century of experience in high-quality tapestries and jacquard accessories. After a long history in Roubaix and several takeovers the rhythmic sounds of our looms resonate today in Waarschoot, a small village between Ghent and Bruges.
Tapestry is a meticulous form of textile art. Although they were common in Europe during the Middle Ages, gobelins slowly declined in popularity as they took so long to make. By combining Flemish craftsmanship with a passion for innovation, Metrax-Craye has succeeded in giving the tapestry tradition a modern make-over.
Specialised in tapestry and jacquard reproductions of famous artworks, Metrax-Craye brings the tradition of Flanders’ tapestries intocontemporary homes. Each product is researched, sampled, refined and reworked until we are fully satisfied with the result.
The roots of Metrax-Craye originate in the 19th century when Israël Jean-Baptiste Craye founded the original weaving mill. In 1869, when he was 14, he and his family left Houthem, near Veurne, and moved to Roubaix to seek their fortune in the tapestry industry.
In the late 1960s, the family started reproducing medieval gobelins according to the Flemish tapestry tradition. More than 200 people − including the most experienced Belgian weavers − kept the Craye family weaving mill weaving full-time.
When Metrax's founder retired in 2012, B&T Textilia took over the production and trading activities of ‘Metrax-Craye-Comag’. Today, all of the gobelins, tapestry handbags, other jacquard accessories, and gobelin fabrics by the yard are made in Waarschoot, the home of B&T Textilia.