Glen Raven

Glen Raven is a family-owned global textile company founded in North Carolina in 1880. It began as a cotton mill and small business focused on apparel, then expanded from cotton yarn into woven cloth and broader textile markets. The company describes its development as driven by market-focused innovation, research and development, design, production, distribution, and logistics. Today, Glen Raven serves customers in more than 120 countries. Its markets include awning, marine, furniture, interiors, outdoor living, shade, hospitality and commercial applications, utilities, and several industrial sectors. The company reports a global presence with locations in 23 countries across six continents, and its homepage describes eight manufacturing facilities, more than 3,000 associates, and five flagship brands. Its portfolio includes Sunbrella, Dickson, GlenGuard, and Trivantage, alongside other products and services. The company’s offerings include performance fabrics, protective apparel, and distribution. Dickson, one of its portfolio brands, makes technical textiles for solar protection—including awnings, shade sails, pergolas, parasols, and vertical screens—and woven vinyl flooring. Glen Raven presents its purpose as “Weaving Connections That Keep the World Spinning” and emphasizes practical innovation, customer needs, design, and durable textile solutions. It remains active as a family-owned company.

Glen Raven traces its history to 1880, when it was founded in North Carolina as a cotton mill. The company says it started as a small, family-owned business focused on apparel. In its early years, it produced cotton yarn; in 1887, it wove its first yard of fabric and moved into manufacturing plain cloth for shirts and undergarments. This transition established a foundation for the company’s later expansion within the textile industry. Over time, Glen Raven evolved beyond its early apparel-oriented business. Its own account highlights a continuing willingness to adapt and a commitment to innovation shaped by the needs of the markets it serves. The company developed capabilities across research and development, design, manufacturing, distribution, and logistics, and expanded into markets including awning, marine, furniture, and protective applications. Its corporate history describes the company’s development as a sequence of milestones reflecting changes in its products, services, and the industries it serves. Glen Raven’s current business is a global textile operation with customers in more than 120 countries. Its website describes locations in 23 countries across six continents, eight manufacturing facilities, and more than 3,000 associates. The company’s brand portfolio includes Sunbrella, Dickson, GlenGuard, and Trivantage, and the homepage describes five flagship brands in total. Its present range extends from performance fabrics and protective apparel to distribution and logistics services. The history of Dickson illustrates the breadth of the portfolio. Founded in France in 1836, before its association with Glen Raven’s current brand portfolio, Dickson developed a reputation for woven craftsmanship and later diversified into woven flooring. Glen Raven describes the brand as serving solar-protection markets with technical textiles for products such as awnings, shade sails, pergolas, parasols, and vertical screens, as well as woven vinyl flooring. Glen Raven remains family-owned. It frames its current purpose as “Weaving Connections That Keep the World Spinning” and says its history informs its future as it continues to develop textile solutions for the industries, businesses, and individuals it serves. The company presents innovation, customer focus, design, and product performance as continuing themes in its development.

• 1887

  Wove its first yard of fabric

• 1880

  Founded as a North Carolina cotton mill

A family-owned global textile company focused on market-driven innovation and performance-based products and services for consumer, commercial, and industrial markets.

• Performance fabrics

  A core category in Glen Raven’s portfolio, serving markets such as awning, marine, furniture, and outdoor living.

• Protective apparel

  Protective apparel is among the product categories identified in the company’s portfolio.

• Dickson solar-protection textiles

  Technical textiles for awnings, shade sails, pergolas, parasols, vertical screens, and related solar-protection applications.

• Dickson woven vinyl flooring

  A woven flooring category in Dickson’s product range.

1. 1Enriching The Fabric Of Life | Glen Raven Inc.glenraven.com
2. 2Our Story | Glen Ravenglenraven.com
3. 3Our History and Future | Glen Ravenglenraven.com
4. 4Dickson | Glen Raven Brandsglenraven.com