JORI design seating in a luxury coach
Forty years ago JORI sparked a revolution!
In 1973, JORI, Belgian manufacturer of modern, leather seating furniture that doesn’t shy away from innovation, came up with the original idea in 1973 to take its new collection to large foreign customers in a luxury coach. The new approach boosted JORI’s sales figures. Still, it was easier said than done. Coach rental companies were flabbergasted when JORI asked them if they would hire out a large luxury coach twice a year and for twelve weeks at a time. And oh, by the way, if they could first dismantle it completely and then rebuild it to include parquet flooring, a false ceiling, ambient lighting and decors in which to present the new seating collection. When at long last one coach company understood that the JORI crowd wasn’t entirely mad, the JORI ‘Showcar’ was born. This revolutionary way of introducing customers to the new collection still survives today and bears witness to the company’s ability to think outside the box. This year JORI is celebrating its 50th anniversary! And naturally the company has no intention of letting this occasion go unnoticed. It’s time to blow out those 50 candles and look back at how and where it all began.
Juan Jorion founded JORI in 1963.
And now it’s 2013 and Juan Jorion is still the driving force behind this out-and-out Belgian company, which still manufactures its products in Belgium. 50 years of JORI. Faut le faire. Local craftsmanship. A modern masterclass in the art of fine furniture. Rooted in the Westhoek but with an international vision and internationally successful. A success well deserved, every step of the way. By never compromising on comfort. By only working with the best leather and materials and by using the skills of leading designers. The result is a range of designer seating furniture ranging from classic to modern, constantly evolving and of which several models have won international design awards. But it doesn’t end there: JORI also designs and manufactures chairs, tables and accessories. In short, JORI furnishes entire interiors. That’s quite something. Above all, though, JORI values modesty. It’s a virtue. And isn’t virtue its own reward? It characterises the founder and the people with which he surrounds himself. A team with an unrelenting drive and a passion for their trade.
Seating comfort is in JORI’s DNA. The highest quality standards to which all materials must comply and the ingenious and comfort-enhancing systems used by JORI seating relate to our extensive attention to the ergonomic. From its foundation 50 years ago, optimum and incomparable seating comfort has always been the cornerstone. Groundbreaking scientific research into optimum ergonomic solutions resulted in the globally patented relax mechanism that engineered JORI’s final breakthrough in the 1970s. The same genius can be found in the countless comfort-enhancing mechanisms with which most JORI seating solutions are fitted. JORI designs seating furniture that can be adjusted to how the customer wants to sit and to the level of comfort he desires at any given moment. Sofas with an adjustable height and depth, a sofa that can be turned into a chaise longue in the blink of an eye, a recliner with a continuously variable mechanism to move the occupant into the desired position, an armchair with a range of back rests...
Over the years JORI has carved out a worldwide reputation for virtually incomparable comfort, a reputation that is clearly the result of the rigorous quality standards the company has maintained from its inception. Not only in the areas of mechanism and design, but also when it comes to the choice of materials. Only the highest quality materials are selected for the production process. Leather coverings are exclusively made from young European bull hides of undisputed quality from Scandinavia, Italy, Austria and Southern Germany. Young bull hides are less likely to warp and are less elastic than cow hides and will therefore offer years of optimum seating comfort. That is JORI’s creed, after all! And what applies to the hides, also applies to the other fabrics JORI has been using to cover its seating range for some time. Only the highest quality wool meets JORI’s standards. Materials that effortlessly pass the durability test, are easy to maintain and achieve top scores in terms of colourfastness, even when exposed to high light intensities.
JORI and the future
Now more than ever, JORI will continue to stay true to its basic principle of not settling for anything less than top quality on every level. Fifty years of experience haven’t changed that. Quite the contrary. Both longstanding employees and the new creative generation that is currently learning the ropes, are sparing no effort to help the company expand and to ensure its future with innovative ideas. JORI’s customers can rest easy: in times of economic success as well as in more trying times, JORI remains a reliable partner that will stick to its core values, both now and in the future.
