ADO Goldkante

ADO Goldkante is a German textile brand specialising in decorative and curtain fabrics, founded in 1954 by Hubert and Marianne Wulf in Aschendorf, Germany. The name "Ado" derives from the founding location, and the brand's signature is the "Goldkante" — a gold thread woven into the weighted hem of its curtain fabrics, which serves as both a quality seal and a trademark. Over its history, ADO grew from a small curtain workshop into one of Europe's largest curtain manufacturers, with international subsidiaries and a presence in 30 countries. Today, the brand operates under the German trademark rights held by the Hessian textile publisher Zimmer + Rohde, following a 2013 sale. Its product range includes over 400 fabrics in various colours and widths, most of which are washable, easy-care, and equipped with the Goldkante. The company offers functional textiles with features such as antiviral and flame-retardant properties, blackout and thermal variants, and innovative climate-regulating fabrics like SUNLIGHT FR, which reflects sunlight to prevent overheating without darkening the room. ADO Goldkante positions itself as a provider of innovative home textiles with hidden functions that make life easier, combining timeless designs with technical performance. The brand has received numerous awards, including the iF product design award and the German Design Award nominations, and was listed in the Lexicon of German World Market Leaders in 2010.

The history of ADO Goldkante begins in 1924, when Felix Wulf, father of future founder Hubert Wulf, established a successful textile factory in a barn in Rheine, Germany. Hubert Wulf, however, saw no future at the Rheine location and chose not to take over his parents' business. In 1954, he and his wife Marianne founded their own textile factory, the Ado-Gardinenwerke, in Aschendorf. The name "Ado" was derived from the founding location. The company grew steadily in the following years. In 1961, the first foreign subsidiary was established in the Netherlands, followed a few years later by a second in Austria. A major boost in brand awareness came in 1968 with the first television commercials featuring actress Marianne Koch. The Goldkante, a woven-in gold thread, became the trademark and quality seal of Ado, heavily promoted in advertising. By 1979, after 25 years, Ado had grown into Europe's largest curtain manufacturer and expanded into the USA. At that time, Ado had a production and storage area of about 10,000 m², employed 1,000 people worldwide, and achieved annual sales of 100 million DM. In 1985, Ado started its own fibre yarn spinning mill, gaining greater independence from suppliers. On 15 April 1989, Hubert Wulf died. His wife Marianne took over management and simultaneously trained her sons Andreas and Klaus for the business takeover in 1992. Under their leadership, Ado expanded further into Asia in 1997. Ado employed 1,100 people in 17 branches worldwide, of which 550 worked at the headquarters in Aschendorf. The production area in Aschendorf measured 100,000 m². In 2008, managing director Heinz Otto Müller took over the majority of Ado. In the same year, the company's own yarn production was discontinued for economic reasons, and the manufacturing company was split into several firms: Bothorn as the holding company, the production company DTF (Deutsche Textilfabrik), and the sales companies Marido, Heimtex, and Ado Goldkante. In 2011, managing director Heinz Otto Müller feared further declining sales in the curtain business. He believed that decoration behaviour had fundamentally changed and described the Goldkante in an article in the newspaper Die Welt as a "discontinued model". Technical fabrics and upholstery fabrics for automotive production were intended to open up further markets. The window decoration industry in general and Ado in particular struggled with sales declines and a dusty image in 2011. At the beginning of 2013, the German trademark rights to the curtain brand Ado Goldkante were sold to the Hessian textile publisher Zimmer + Rohde. The Ado heirs Klaus and Andreas Wulf again took over 90% of the shares in Bothorn and intended to focus more on technical fabrics and upholstery fabrics for automotive production. DTF filed for insolvency at the end of 2013 and ceased operations in February 2014. Heimtex and Marido also filed for insolvency at the end of 2014. Despite these changes, the ADO Goldkante brand continues to operate under Zimmer + Rohde, offering a wide range of curtain and decorative fabrics with the signature Goldkante.

• 2014

  DTF ceases operations; Heimtex and Marido file for insolvency.

• 2013

  German trademark rights to Ado Goldkante sold to Zimmer + Rohde.

• 2010

  Ado included in the Lexicon of German World Market Leaders.

• 2008

  Heinz Otto Müller takes over majority; yarn production discontinued; company split into Bothorn, DTF, Marido, Heimtex, Ado Goldkante.

• 2006

  Ado Cordon wins iF product design award.

• 2005

  AIT Innovation Prize 'Textil & Objekt 2005' for Ado Cordon, ActiBreeze, BioProtect.

• 2004

  Ado Cordon wins Australian Trend Award Decoration+Design.

• 1997

  Expansion into Asia.

• 1993

  Ado curtains receive Öko-Tex Standard 100 certification.

• 1992

  Sons Andreas and Klaus Wulf take over the business.

• 1989

  Death of founder Hubert Wulf; Marianne Wulf takes over management.

• 1985

  Ado starts its own fibre yarn spinning mill.

• 1981

  Awarded 'Ercole d'Oro' for outstanding entrepreneurial achievements.

• 1979

  Ado becomes Europe's largest curtain manufacturer and expands to the USA.

• 1977

  Introduction of Ado CoverTex textile wall coverings.

• 1974

  Launch of Ado Cordon, the thread curtain.

• 1968

  First TV commercials with actress Marianne Koch boost brand awareness.

• 1961

  First foreign subsidiary established in the Netherlands.

• 1954

  Hubert and Marianne Wulf found Ado-Gardinenwerke in Aschendorf.

• 1924

  Felix Wulf founds a textile factory in Rheine.

Innovative home textiles with hidden functions, combining timeless design with technical performance and sustainability.

• Ado Cordon

  A thread curtain launched in 1974, made of machine-crocheted yarns with loose hanging threads; became the world's most awarded fabric.

• Ado CoverTex

  Textile wall coverings introduced in 1977; from 2008 mountable with the CoverTex rail system; provide thermal and acoustic insulation.

• SUNLIGHT FR

  Functional climate-regulating fabric that reflects sunlight and prevents overheating without darkening the room.

• SUNDANCE FR

  Fabric that lets in light but not heat.

• COLOR FIELDS

  Spring collection celebrating the lightness of the season with floral inspiration, tradition, and modernity.

• 1968First TV commercials with Marianne Koch

1. 1Vorhangstoffe: ADO Goldkanteado-goldkante.de
2. 2Über uns: ADO Goldkanteado-goldkante.de
3. 3ADO Goldkante - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4ADO Goldkante - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org