History
Let's take a look at the past twenty years
Let's take a look at the past twenty years
2010-2015
Mistral has taken a new path. More than ever, the focus was on professionalism and a thorough knowledge of the business. A more modern brand name and logo were created in this new period: Mistral, with the rectangular dark logo, now gave way to Mistral Home. The logo was designed in fresh red, with a playful twist. Trendy and modern. Warm and pleasant. A feminine touch. Mistral Home has succeeded in continuing its growth to become a medium-sized company in Europe. The building in Nazareth now covers 12 000 m2 and is big enough to be ready for further expansion.
2005-2010
A large and sleek building, with a stately appearance and large windows, became Mistral’s new home. With a total site area of 18 000 m2 and 6 000 m2 of building space, Mistral could now develop further and become even more professional. The Far East was (and would remain) a key component in the entire textile pipeline, so we soon decided to set up offices in China and Pakistan, where Mistral is represented by our two merchandisers, Robin and Amjad.
2000-2005
We decided to invest in our own building. The Venecoweg in Nazareth became the new base, with 3 000 m2 of space. Thanks to close collaboration with Béata in Poland, Mistral was now able to take care of its own manufacturing. Today, Beata remains our most loyal and reliable manufacturing partner. The inhouse design department was inaugurated. The old logo was also revamped. The new logo looked a lot fresher, with tighter lines replacing the outdated jagged edges.
1997-2000
The Vanderbauwhede family home quickly became too small. Since there wasn’t enough investment capital, Mistral decided to rent some office space and a warehouse at Teirlinck transport in Asper - a total of 1 200 m2. The seat cover collection was expanded and the initial mini-showroom materialized.
1995
It all began in 1995, when Luc Vanderbauwhede decided to start his own textile business. At that time, his wife Claire De Clercq was reading the book “Mistral’s Daughter”, so the Mistral brand name naturally seemed like a good idea. With great ambition and even greater risk, the Vanderbauwhede family house was turned into a business space. The hobby room became an offi ce, the hall became a reception desk, the garage served as a warehouse, and the living room was converted into the fi rst showroom and photo-shooting studio. The children helped to count curtain brackets, while the help of neighbour Roger also became indispensable.