Fueled by Inez Svensson’s collaboration, Proventus began a design-intensive era with the acquisition of the fabric company Kinnasand. Kinnasand developed, manufactured and marketed curtain and furniture fabrics, as well as floor coverings. When the company was fully acquired by Proventus in March 1993, it was experiencing severe difficulties which required a strong owner. A financial recontruction was effected in connection with the acquisition and a new management was installed and the internationally recognized textile artist Sheila Hicks was appointed Chairman of the Board.

Sheila Hicks was educated at Yale University, School of Art and Architecture in Connecticut where she studied under renowned Josef Albers, former student and teacher at the Bauhaus School. In 1959, Henri Peyre, Sterling Professor at Yale University, awarded her a grant to study in France. Upon completion of her studies, she moved to Mexico and, inspired by pre-Columbian textiles and indigenous culture, established her first weaving studio in Taxco el Viejo. In 1964, she relocated to Paris, France, and founded Atelier des Grands Augustins, where she worked on large-scale, site-specific textile-based projects. This was only the beginning of her long and successful career. In 2018 Magasin III in Jaffa presented her newly produced works.