Donghia shutters showrooms, lays off most staff

According to multiple sources with knowledge of the company’s workings, Donghia shuttered its nine showrooms and laid off most of its employees on Thursday. The company will maintain a reduced presence in its Milford, Connecticut corporate office.

Donghia has been owned by Italian textiles brand Rubelli since 2005, and represented the parent company’s line in the U.S. Moving forward, a source with knowledge of the company’s plans said that Rubelli will pursue distribution in multi-line showrooms throughout the country, while the Donghia brand—which has been quietly shopped around the industry for more than a year—remains for sale.

Though the company’s recent struggles were quietly acknowledged in the design community, the news came abruptly, leaving representative lines scrambling to find a new venue to sell their wares. Donghia currently reps a wide range of makers, from Boyd Lighting to Missoni Home. As of today, several hadn’t been informed of the news.

“They had been struggling for a while, at one point we were in most of their showrooms, then it started to dwindle,” an employee of a company repped by Donghia who asked not to be named, told Business of Home. “The coronavirus is just going to be difficult enough for strong businesses. It’s sad for the legacy of Angelo Donghia.”

Founded in 1968 by designer Angelo Donghia, the company grew in the succeeding decades to encompass a furniture business, a fabric line, and a thriving network of multiline showrooms. When Donghia passed away in 1985, the business continued on as a private company.

In 2005, Donghia was purchased by European textiles company Rubelli and a conglomerate of investors including German textile company Sahco Hesslein and Italian glass company Seguso Viro. In recent years, the company has experienced a period of frequent change at the top.