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Raised on a window covering factory floor, Zhang led the development of HybridMotion™, the first lift system that lets the shade be operated by hand or by motor

PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES, November 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Worldwide Window Fashions, the company behind the HELIO window treatment brand, is proud to announce that CEO Han Zhang has been named to Window Fashion VISION magazine's 2026 Class of 40 Under 40. Official announcement HERE.

Now in its seventh year, the program recognizes emerging leaders across the window covering industry for their leadership, professional achievements, and contributions to the industry.

A leader raised on the factory floor
Zhang grew up inside a window covering factory. His father founded a shade manufacturing business before Zhang was born, and its factory floor became his childhood home. Raised alongside sewers, machine operators, and line leads, he learned a principle he still leads by: the person on the line today may be the person carrying the business tomorrow.

From “impossible” to HybridMotion™
Four years ago, Zhang questioned a trade-off the industry had long accepted: a roller shade could be cordless or motorized, but never both. For more than a year, motor manufacturers told him the idea couldn't be built and that there was no demand for it. Zhang assembled his own engineering team and led the program himself.

After three years of development, HybridMotion™ reached the market in September 2026 on HELIO's Renaissance roller shade collection. It is the first lift system that lets the same shade be operated by hand or by motor, with manual control that works even when the power is completely off. HybridMotion™ was named a finalist for Best Motorized Solution in Window Fashion VISION's 2026 Readers' Choice Awards.

Building on a 75-year legacy
Zhang leads a company built on three generations and seventy-five years in the craft. The story began in 1950, when Morris Caplan founded a small window covering company, selling and installing one home at a time. His son Rob Caplan carried it forward, and in 1994 partnered with Andy Yuen to found Worldwide Window Fashions. When HELIO launched in 2025, Zhang committed to building on that heritage rather than replacing it.

The business he leads is vertically integrated, from yarn winding through weaving, dyeing, and fabric finishing to the finished window treatment. That span lets his team solve problems at the component level, rather than relying only on what suppliers already offer.

Looking ahead
Zhang's favorite line at HELIO is “We're going to sell our shades on the moon” — a working principle rather than a joke. HybridMotion™ is the first step toward his larger goal: window treatments that respond naturally to the people who live with them.

“HybridMotion™ exists because our team refused to accept that something was impossible. This recognition belongs to them,” said Zhang.

About Worldwide Window Fashions
Worldwide Window Fashions is a Philadelphia-based manufacturer of custom window treatments and the company behind HELIO, a design-driven window treatment brand. Its products include roller shades, banded sheer shades, woven wood shades, vertical blinds, hardwood and faux wood blinds, and shutters, sold through authorized dealers across the United States. HELIO builds technology to inspire better everyday living through intelligent sunlight control and design innovation. Learn more at www.worldwidewf.com.

Syanne Jiang
Worldwide Window Fashions
+1 215-455-2266
syannejiang@worldwidewf.com
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