Home Textiles Today December 31st 2012 by Sandow Media

Monday, December 31, 2012

THE BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY

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| Vol. 33, No. 29 | $8.00

Trade Show Season 2013 is at Hand First Half Promises New Features, New Sessions HTT STAFF REPORT

January 9-12

NEW YORK — There’s no time for the post-holi-

Heimtextil

day blues in the home textiles world as a series of Frankfurt Fair & Exhibition Center trade shows will keep executives hopping in the Frankfurt am Main, Germany coming weeks. (770) 984-8016 In addition to boatloads of new product, shows heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com during the first half of 2013 Next month’s edition of Heimwill offer a broad assorttextil, the largest trade show First Half Show Preview ment of parties, receptions, in the world for home textiles, awards ceremonies and edwill increase its focus on texucational programs. tiles design by revamping the design area in Hall Here, HTT presents a brief run-down of high- 4.2. lights for 15 shows of particular interest to the By giving the design area a makeover, show orgahome textiles industry that will take place from nizer Messe Frankurt is looking to highlight HeimJanuary through June. textil’s position as a platform for textile design. HTT’s 2013 pull-out calendar will provide a listThe exhibit will feature the work of approxiing of all home furnishings shows and will be avail- mately 150 international exhibitors, including a able in the Jan. 7 issue. SEE PREVIEW PAGE 18

Showtime Accents Bright, Bold Colors BY CINDE W. INGRAM & ALEXA BOSCHINI

Home Textiles Today revisits the eight men and women from this exclusive two-yearlong series who continue to help lead the companies they worked to build over lifetime careers in the industry. See Pages 10-16 Inside This Issue New Supima Cotton Crop Comes in .............page 2 The Hasbro Model ..........................................page 4 Triskaidekaphobia ..........................................page 4 Lenzing Celebrates 20 Years of Tencel ...........................................page 6

HIGH POINT, N.C. — The Showtime fabric fair this month revealed a range of bright colors as outdoor furniture fabrics continue to be invited indoors. “We’re pushing a little more color out there in accent form,” said Greg Voorhis, design manager of Sunbrella fabrics manufacturer Glen Raven. “Neutrals and grays will continue to be important, but they will be balanced by really bright color accents. We’re also making a strong push into the artisanal, SEE SHOWTIME PAGE 22

These indoor/outdoor pillows by Liora Manné display two popular palettes – indigo blue paired with contrasting lighter hues, and aqua blue paired with spring green.

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Home Textiles Today

December 31, 2012

News ADVERTISEMENT

New Supima Cotton Crop Comes in

Third-Quarter Loss Widens at Hudson’s Bay Co. BY MICHAEL J. KNELL

Late fall means many things, but to the folks who use Supima, it’s when the new crop comes in in the four states — California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico — where the high-grade cotton is grown. This year’s crop totals out at 657,000 bales or about 315 million pounds. That’s down from the number a year ago when skyrocketing cotton prices caused farmers to plant a record amount of acreage, but consistent with historical levels from prior harvests. Supima reports that almost 92% of this year’s cotton is classed at Grade 2 or better, indicating a particularly high quality crop.

Tracking Textiles E-COMMERCE BECOMING BIG COMMERCE Online sales share continues to increase

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Overall, online dollar sales of home textiles products have grown 16% in the 12 months ending October 2012, with kitchen and table showing the largest increase — 33% — while bedding grew 23%. Only bath failed to show an increase in the online sales. Source: The NPD Group, Inc. / Consumer Tracking Service 12 months ending October 2012

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TORONTO — In its first report since becoming a public company last month, retailer The Hudson’s Bay Co. said its third quarter loss widened slightly, although same store sales on both sides of the border were stronger than anticipated. “Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor continued to deliver solid mid-single-digit samestores sales increases for the third quarter of 2012, including an 8% same store sales increase in October at both banners,” Richard Baker, HBC governor and ceo, said in a statement. He added that the company will also begin paying a quarterly dividend of 9.4 cents a share on its stock beginning this month. The company reported retail sales for the 13-week period ending Oct. 27 of C$930.4 million, up 3.8% from the corresponding period a year earlier. Consolidated same store sales were up 3.5% in the third quarter - with an increase of 4.5% at Hudson’s Bay (which includes The Bay and Home Outfitters) and 5.2% on a U.S. dollar basis at Lord & Taylor. HBC attributed the upticks in same-store sales to strong promotional events at Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor. Consolidated same store results were hurt by currency exchange rates as well as by lower sales at Home Outfitters. The net loss from continuing operations was C$8.5 million or 8 cents a share, compared with a net loss of C$7.5 million or 7 cents per share a year ago. For the 39-week period ended Oct. 27, retail sales were C$2.69 billion, up 5.5% from C$2.55 billion in the corresponding period of last year. Consolidated same-store sales increased by 4.9%, with gains of 5% at Hudson’s Bay and 4.6% on a U.S. dollar basis at Lord & Taylor. However, the net loss from continuing operations widened to C$62.1 million or 59

cents per share from C$41.9 million or 40 cents per share. Michael Culhane, the company’s chief financial officer, said that as a result of the IPO during the third quarter, “We have reduced our net debt and we are in a strong position to con-

“Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor continued to deliver solid mid-singledigit same-stores sales increases for the third quarter of 2012.”

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—RICHARD BAKER, HBC tinue growing our business.” HBC also said in the earnings report that 80% of its Lord & Taylor stores were negatively impacted by Hurricane Sandy, including closings and limited operating hours. “The effects of the storm may negatively impact fourth quarter sales by approximately US$20 million and result in moderately higher inventory levels at Lord & Taylor,” Baker said. The disruption caused by the hurricane resulted in flat samestore sales for November, the company reported, with comps up 9% at Hudson’s Bay and down 12.4% at Lord & Taylor. Adjusting for the US$20 million impact of Sandy, HBC said same-store sales at Lord & Taylor would have increased 3.7% on a U.S. dollar basis, and consolidated same store sales would have increased 5.7%. Both banners experienced uplift in sales performance as a result of promotional activity during Black Friday sales in late November. In a conference call, Baker — who is a real estate developer — said HBC is considering spinning off its real estate holdings into a REIT (real interest income trust), although no firm plans have been set. A number of other large Canadian retailers, most notably the grocery giant Loblaw Cos. Ltd., have spun off their real estate to increase shareholder equity. HTT

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December 31, 2012

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OPINIONTodaY The Hasbro Model

HER E W ER E A N U M BER OF interesting presentations during Lenzing’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of its Tencel fiber earlier this month in New Orleans. As far as consumers were concerned — understanding what’s important to them and creating products and marketing that appeals to them — the focus was very much on Millennials, who are roughly between 13 and 29 years old. And the remark that really stuck with me from the day had to do with surveys that have shown today’s adults believe their children will not be better off than EDITOR-IN-CHIEF the generations that preceded them. That is an insult, said Sam Moore, who works with Millennials every day as managing director of the Hohenstein Institute America. It assumes the emerging generation is less innovative, less motivated and less entrepreneurial than its predecessors. In fact, its members have been tech savvy practically from the cradle and are interconnected in ways previously unimaginable. As the Pew Research Center noted: “They are the first generation in human history who regard behaviors like tweeting and texting, along with websites like Facebook, YouTube, Google and Wikipedia, not as astonishing innovations of the digital era, but as everyday parts of their social lives and their search for understanding.” And they expect companies that want to sell them stuff to listen to their concerns. We saw a fine example of that a couple of weeks ago, when Hasbro announced it would begin making its Easy Bake Oven in colors that appeal to boys and will begin featuring boys as well as girls on its packaging. The oven’s long-standing pitch to girls, and only girls, became a cause celebre in social media earlier this month thanks to a 13-yearold New Jersey girl named McKenna Pope. Her four-year-old brother likes to cook and wanted an Easy Bake Oven, but didn’t want one “for girls.” Pope first took to Facebook, then launched a petition on Change.org that got more than 40,000 signatures. On Dec. 18, Pope and her family were meeting with Hasbro executives, who unveiled a black and silver prototype it had been developing for several months. It was a win for consumers, a win for social media and a big win for Hasbro, whose quick and positive action pushed the story out into the national media — as a tale about a hero big sister and a company that cares. That’s not a future brands need to prepare themselves for. It’s already reality. The question is how well marketers are listening. HTT

Jennifer Marks

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Triskaidekaphobia

E A R OF THE NUMBER 13 is a fairly common malady and that’s likely to surface with more frequency next year. But as they say, the only thing you have to fear is fear itself … unless you happen to be somebody who really should be scared about the coming year. Indeed there are a number of fearful situations that have the potential to be quite frightening over the next year. As luck would have it, I count 13 of them: 1. Fear of February: That’s when JCP starts anniversarying its monthly Warren numbers from the RonJon era. If they can’t beat those lame numbers, it’s going to be very, very scary. Shoulberg 2. Fear of Percentage-Off Promotions: If Kohl’s can’t stop its recent slide PUBLISHER/ into flat lining comps, it may require a fundamental change in its overall EDITORIAL DIRECTOR merchandising strategy. 3. Fear of Merchandising Malaise: Save for the occasional Missoni blip, Target’s product offerings continue to register big yawns on the excitement scale. Everyone keeps asking where’s the beef, but so far nobody can find it. 4. Fear of the Pacific Ocean: The sourcing structure of the industry is downright terrifying these days as everyone tries to figure out what’s up in the Chinese domestic market, the economy in India, the politics in Pakistan and the reality of Southeastern Asia as an alternative. 5. Fear of the Beyond: What does the great Bed Bath & Beyond do with Cost Plus? Will they experience some short-term problems in the first quarter of the year due to the massive turnover in their merchandising staff? Can they avoid the problems afflicting virtually every other big box retailer from the online onslaught? 6. Fear of a Sweet Lady Named Anna: A lot of the big boys in textilesland still haven’t caught on to the impact Anna’s Linen is having on the lower end of the retail marketplace. Those who continue to do so will be Anna-rized. 7. Fear of Brand X: That’s X as in TJX, which continues to take market share through its TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods nameplates. This is not going to stop anytime soon. 8. Fear of Domesticity: Big vertical mills are not coming back, but more small-scale cutand-sew is. Will the American shopper care, much less pay a premium for a Made-in-America label? 9. Fear of Sh’rooming: Shoppers rule these days and if you can’t figure out how to compete with online cherry-picking, you are probably in the wrong line of work. 10. Fear of Overseas: Many American retailers are pulling back on their international expansion strategies following the downturn in the European economy and a massive misread of how to do business in China. But that’s the future, so they better learn how to get it right. 11. Fear of Fast Eddie: What assets will Sears Holding sell off this year as it continues to drain cash out of there faster than industrial strength Drano? 12. Fear of Chapter 11: There have been very few retail bankruptcies over the past year, but some people think that’s going to change soon. 13. Fear of Sheets and Towels: Why oh why, you keep telling yourself, did you ever pick home textiles as your career? On the other hand, in 2013 you could just be fearless. HTT

12/21/2012 3:16:18 PM

Jellybean Introducing New Line of Memory Foam Rugs ATLANTA — Accent rugs manufacturer Jellybean will introduce a new line of Memory Foam rugs in January at the winter markets. Like all Jellybean rugs, the new Memory Foam rugs are handmade and completely machine washable, but these new introductions have 12 mm of memory foam inside. Fifteen new designs will be available in two sizes, sold in sets of two in 20-inch-by-30-inch or individually in 20-by-40. “This exciting new line utilizing popular memory foam combined with our machine washable rugs is sure to be a hit with customers,” said Renee Ringstad, Jellybean VP of merchandising. “With a variety of our popular designs available, these new rugs will be a great addition for buyers to add to their rolling racks and sales programs.” Jellybean manufactures handmade, machine washable accent rugs. The company will open a new showroom at AmericasMart during the upcoming Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market, to be held Jan. 9-16. Located in Building 2 West Wing on the seventh floor, number 787A, the new showroom will be designed to present the complete Jellybean line to retailers by featuring category specific vignettes. In January 2013, Jellybean will introduce near-

ly 100 new designs, in addition to Jellybean with Memory Foam. The 2013 Jellybean catalog will be available this month. HTT

Feizy Launches New Pinboard with Tracy Porter DALLAS — Designer Tracy Porter will be the first in a series of “Guest Pinners” slated to create a Pinboard on the Feizy Rugs Pinterest page. Porter’s new “Poetic Wanderlust” collection encompasses a wide range of home products, including tabletop items, pillows, poufs, ottomans, wall art, and others. The alliance is not new for Feizy, a longtime area rug house that has collaborated with Porter since 2006 on an expansive line of Fine and Home Collection groupings. The new Pinboard, titled “Tracy Porter- Poetic Wanderlust Inspirations,” will be live Dec. 14 through Jan. 14. Porter’s inspirations “come from all corners of the globe, so expect an eclectic assortment of design and decorating ideas,” Feizy noted.

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Home Textiles Today

December 31, 2012

> hometextilestoday.com

Retail Briefs Bon-Ton To Add Two Locations

he Bon-Ton Stores said it will open two new stores next year in Maine and Indiana. In Maine, the retailer will open a 120,800-squarefoot store at The Maine Mall in South Portland - its first store in the state. In Indiana, a 122,000-squarefoot unit will be located at Glenbrook Square in Fort Wayne. This will be Bon-Ton’s 14th operation in the state. The company expects to begin remodeling the stores in February 2013 and be completed by mid-September 2013. The Maine Mall is anchored by Macy’s, Sears, JCPenney, Best Buy and Sports Authority. Specialty stores include the Apple Store, H&M and Coach. Glenbrook Square, one of the largest enclosed super-regional shopping malls in Indiana, is anchored by Macy’s, JCPenney and Sears. Bon-Ton currently operates 273 department stores, including 11 furniture galleries, in 24 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers nameplates and, in the Detroit, Michigan area, under the Parisian nameplate.

Ballard Designs’ New App Interacts With Print Catalog

ome furnishings retailer Ballard Designs has launched Ballard+, an app that enables the user to browse and shop the retailer’s print catalog using image recognition technology. The free app, which features “tap-to-buy” shopping, product details and reviews, multiple image viewer and social sharing, works with Ballard’s December 2012 early winter issue. Shoppers hold their iPhone or iPad above the page of the catalog to activate the app and connect to the digital experience. A box encompasses each item on the page, wherein users tap for product information. A touch of the purchase button directs items in the shopping cart to ballarddesigns.com for check-out. Ballard+ is available for select iOS devices and is compatible with iPhone 4/4S and 5, as well as iPad2, iPad with Retina display and iPad mini. The free app works with the Ballard Designs December 2012 early winter issue, with more to be added in the future, and will require a data plan or WiFi connection for use.

Costco Beats Earnings Estimates

C Added Leah Feizy, the company’s evp: “Tracy lives and breathes design. She is so passionate and has such gorgeous ideas, I can’t think of a better person to kick off our Guest Pinner series. To make things even better, she makes her beautiful design ideas accessible to all and has such an easy yet elegant style. Her blogs are truly in-

spirational.” The first of several Poetic Wanderlust-Feizy Rugs collaborations will be unveiled at the Las Vegas January market. In addition, Tracy Porter will be on hand in the showroom to meet and greet market attendees as Feizy Rugs kicks off a year-long 40th Anniversary celebration. HTT

ostco’s new income jumped 30% during the warehouse club’s first quarter, which ended Nov. 25. Net income for the quarter was $416 million, or $.95 per diluted share, compared to $320 million, or $.73 per diluted share in the previous fiscal year, which was negatively impacted by an income tax settlement regarding the company’s operations in Mexico. The prior year’s earnings also included a $17 million charge (or $.04 per diluted share) related to contributions to an initiative reforming alcoholic beverage laws in Washington State. Sales increased 10% to $23.20 billion. Comp sales were up 7% for the U.S., and 9% for international.

12/19/2012 12:22:48 PM

Home Textiles Today

December 31, 2012

News

> hometextilestoday.com

Lenzing Celebrates 20 Years of Tencel New Orleans — Lenzing executives invited a client roster of manufacturers from around the world to The Big Easy to mark the 20th anniversary of its Tencel brand fiber. In addition to a tour of the Tencel manufacturing facility in nearby Mobile, Ala., Lenzing held a full day of seminars that looked toward the future, both in terms of sustainability and the emerging Millenial consumer.

Jason Kibbey Sustainable Apparel Coalition Executive Director The Sustainable Apparel Coalition is group of over 60 apparel and footwear brands, retailers, suppliers, nonprofits, and NGOs working to reduce the environmental and social impacts of apparel and footwear products around the world by creating a common index all parties can us. “All too often, sustainability efforts started with the brands pushing the problems on someone else in the supply chain,” said Kibbey. The Higg Index developed by the coalition ensures that no unneccessary environmental harm has been caused by the product and that the process had a positive impact on the people and communities associate with the production. “Transparency and being honest — those are now a barrier to entry [for the textiles industry],” he said. “They’re no longer a point of differentiation.” The coalition — which includes Walmart, Target, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Li & Fung and Lenzing – is working to creative credible measurements. “We try to measure the entire range of impact, from the materials use through the end of the product’s life,” said Kibbey.

LaRhea Pepper Textile Exchange Managing director Severe weather events, global economic shocks and incidents like the recent garment factory fire in Bangladesh are pushing consumers toward the tipping point where valuing sustainability is concerned, said Pepper, who works with nearly 200 organic brands, retailers and supply chain companies. “This is not an option any more. Business will be done differently,” she said. The new model for business is a three-legged stool: planet, people, profit, said Pepper, who is also an organic cotton farmer. “It’s all about people. It’s all about being fair,” she added. Companies can’t play games anymore. The Federal Trade Commission is more diligent about product claims. Consumers are more engaged, and the Internet gives them the tools to research corporate responsibility. “They want to know what’s in the product, where is it from, and how is it impacting the people where it’s made,” said Pepper. “It’s about living your values and not being a fake.”

Sandra Fowler UC Davis Consumer food scientist Every marketing student is taught what are known as The Four P’s: product, price, place and promotion. To engage the Millennial shopper, said Fowler, consumer product companies need to add a fith P: purpose. “Any cause-related campaign has to foster a relationship between the customer and the cause,” she said. “This Millennial customer can smell greenwashing a mile away. And 80% of these cusotmers believe brands are not doing enough for causes.” Noting that 75% of the 52 million Millennials in the United States use social media, Fowler said communication needs to be a two-way street. “It’s about putting out a message and letting the consumer talk back.” Cause marketing can’t merely seem to be responsible — it has to be authentically responsible. “This is a group that does its research,” said Fowler. “Eighty-three percent will trust a company if it’s more socially or environmentally responsible.”

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Home Textiles Today

December 31, 2012

News

> hometextilestoday.com

Lenzing Celebrates 20 Years of Tencel

Sam Moore Hohenstein Institute America Managing director The textiles industry needs to follow the food business by creating a way to redefine value not just to mean cost but as a measure of “cost + value,” making sustainability part of the value equation. “Resilience is the ability of a system to survive shocks and return to a position of equilibrium,” said Moore. “If we build resilience into the system, we build sustainability into the system, and we save over the long run.” He pointed to the garment factory fire in Bangladesh earlier this month. “We can’t have these fires that kill people. We learned these lessons [in the U.S.] in the 1920s,” said Moore. He also talked about the destabilizing impact of resource shortages brought on by global climate change. “Poor people fighting wars are nobody’s great customer.”

Ellen Karp Anerca Internation

Susanne Jary Lenzing Head of marketing for home textiles

Textiles are not yet a high priority to consumers who think about sustainability, said Karp, whose company monitors consumer behavior. “About 40% of consumers say they are buying sustainable textiles,” she said. “They aren’t. They’re buying cotton.” To raise the profile of sustainable textiles, she advised, the industry needs to engage in “shock therapy” – letting consumers know, for example, how many pounds of chemicals are used to make a Tshirt or a bed sheet. Sustainable textiles also needs a “hero fabic,” said Karp. “Gortex became a hero for people who wanted dry feet. Lycra became a hero for people who want to be squeezed in,” she added. “I think a fabric like Tencel can be a hero.”

Independent studies have found sleep quality per night improves up to 10% when the subject is sleeping on Tencel bedding rather than standard bedding, said Jary. “That’s all due to the better thermo-regulation of Tencel,” she added. Tencel is promoting what it calls “the Botanic bed environment” – with linens, mattress ticking and fill made from Tencel. “With Tencel, micro-organisms do not have enough moisture to growth and regenerate well,” she said. “It also greatly reduces the number of dust mites.”

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12/19/2012 12:07:06 PM

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December 31, 2012

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Living & Working Legends

t began with noble, if not innocent goals: Interview some of the senior elites of the home textiles industry, the people who had been plying their trades and helping to lead their companies for very long times. The idea was to interview each of these men and women – and the former outnumbered the latter by a substantial margin – about their lives: What led them into the industry, their early successes and possible later regrets, choices not made and hopes both personal and professional for the future. Each subject was asked the same eight questions both to adhere to format as well as to keep the conversation focused without veering off into overly nostalgic reminiscences. The premise purposely excluded both those long-time industry members who had moved onto the consulting stages of their lives as well as life-long veteran worker-bees who

Revisting the eight men and women from this exclusive Home Textiles Today series who continue to help lead the companies they worked to build over lifetime careers in the industry

livinglegend.indd 10

toiled in the trenches without necessarily reaching the top, by choice or by the fates. Over a two-year period Home Textiles Today interviewed eight Legends, always in person, each supplied with the questions in advance for premeditated pondering. Some came to their interview with copious notes, others a few bullet points and still others with their responses noted only mentally. We anticipated some of the responses but it was the patterns that emerged that were the unexpected treasures: • Most of the Legends entered the industry either through family or friends, but a few found their way in the randomness of life. • Each basically knew they had made the right career choice fairly early on.

decisions they had made. • As we all do, there was a general pining for the old days but it was coupled with some constructive suggestions on how to make things a little better. • And each planned to keep at this until … well, until they couldn’t. Retirement was not in their Legends lexicon. As we wrap up the series – there will be new entries as the occasion arises – HTT thought it would be an interesting exercise to compile the interviews in a format that compared all the individual responses to each question. Viewed this way, our Legends are equal parts predictable, accomplished, insightful, a touch ironic and very much alive and working. They wouldn’t have it any other way.

• Few, if any, had any serious regrets as to how their business lives turned out and were almost unanimous in being pleased with the

— Warren Shoulberg

Mary Ella Gabler Chairwoman Peacock Alley

Carl Goldstein Vice chairman S. Lichtenberg Co.

Kurt Hamburger President Lintex Linens

For an industry whose products are overwhelmingly bought by women, the home textiles industry remains one largely run by men. The one exception is the higher-end bedding category, where several women do indeed run the show. And in this area, one woman has been doing it longer than most: Mary Ella Gabler.

His name may be spelled and pronounced otherwise, but Carl Goldstein is as close to a Lichtenberg as you can get.

Begun in 1967, Lintex was a pioneer in upscale bath, first from Brazil and more recently from around the world, but now its showroom and offices at 295 Fifth Avenue in New York are full of all manner of product.

Stockbroker turned designer turned entrepreneur, the 70-year-old Gabler has been the face of Dallas-based Peacock Alley since she created it in 1973. And even if her two sons now take care of most of the business, she is still very much the person identified with the brand.

For the past 35 years, the ever-smiling, always upbeat Goldstein has been one of the cornerstones of S. Lichtenberg Co., the curtain specialist now going on its third generation of family ownership and management, with a fourth generation recently coming aboard. Goldstein isn’t family — at least by blood — but the 70-year-old vice chairman of the company functions as the last of the second generation, following the passing of brothers Alan and Herbie Lichtenberg over the past decade.

Kurt Hamburger, who will only approximate his age as “octogenarian,” has forged a reputation as someone never afraid to speak his mind or take a stand, even if unpopular with customers, counterparts ... or both. As the owner and operator of Lintex, he represents a business model that was once the backbone of the home textiles industry but is now a vanishing breed.

12/19/12 7:12 PM

HTT: How did you get started in the home textiles industry? Louis Hornick: I was born into it. My grandfather started the company and my earliest memories are of going to the factory in Haverstraw, N.Y. It’s not like my father and I played catch together. That’s where we went.

Park B. Smith: I joined my father’s company, Craig Creations, in 1957 following graduation from Holy Cross College and the United States Marine Corps.

tising. I did the design and she did the selling. Back then there weren’t any prints. Maybe there was some lace or embroidery, but there was no coordination of anything and everything was very basic. So there had to be somebody to start the process and that was Rose. She decided the whole industry was boring. The first thing we did was get the department stores to put pillows into the bedding department and we turned them into impulse items.

Alen Sands York: My Nobody else was doing it, grandfather had started a feather company and in 1950 when I was 18 I started working with my mother (Rose York) there at the company, New York Feather Co. Rose and I worked as a team. She deserves the credit. I was a back-up guy, having worked in public relations and adver-

but Rose was and I’m proud of what we did.

Kurt Hamburger: I came

and he said I could come along with him and help him carry his bag ... which meant I carried all the bags. After he finished selling, I was allowed to sell negligees. I never sold anything. In 1947 I started as an apprentice at a wholesaler in the linen business. My job was to fold up tablecloths after the salespeople made a mess. I joined the army in the Korean War and afterwards I joined Post and Sherman for the next 17 years. I styled the line and handled 80% of the sales. In 1967 I went into business for myself under the Lintex name.

Arthur Tauber: When

to this country from Germany in July of 1938 as a little boy. I graduated from Stuyvesant High School but didn’t have any money to go to college. My uncle was in the linen trousseau business

I graduated from college in 1959, my Uncle Milton offered me a job in his monogramming business. I was clueless on what I was prepared to do and I had no idea what he did for a living. I worked for him until we had

Louis Hornick Chairman Louis Hornick

Lydia Rose President Rose Tree

Very few people in the home textiles trade have been as low profile as Louis Hornick, yet even fewer turn out to be as sociable, outgoing and, dare one say, charming as the 62-year-old third generation head of the curtain and drapery company that bears his family name.

The accent was always a little hard to pin down — turns out it’s from her native Argentina — but the look of the products she creates is instantly recognizable. Lydia Rose, the founder, matriarch and namesake of Dallas-based Rose Tree, has been designing fashion bedding and coordinates since the late 1970s after making the switch from apparel.

Louis Hornick the company remains one of the handful of suppliers in the business that focuses on window fashions exclusively and one of the last where the fourth generation is already being groomed to take over the reins.

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And while the petite, always stylishly dressed Rose defers any discussion of her age with a laugh that can only be described as infectious, it’s clear that despite the growing involvement of her son Mark in the family business, she is still very much the Rose in Rose Tree.

a dumb argument in 1968 and he fired me. Thank god. So I was out of work and I went up to see Henry Laskin, the buyer at Lord & Taylor. He talked to me for about three hours about life. I told him I had a towel with a bamboo design I wanted to sell him, but I really didn’t have any kind of a plan whatsoever. He said to me, “What’s the name of the towel?” I said “Bamboo.” He asked the cost and I quoted him the same cost my uncle would have. He asked who the supplier was. I knew his big supplier was Springs, so I said Springs. “When can you deliver?” he asked. I said to myself, wow, he thinks I’m in business and I’m not. All I had were sketches on a piece of paper, so I told him 16 to 18 weeks.

ended up giving me towels from his stock to embellish and told me to order the same amount from Springs and when they came in in eight or ten or 12 weeks I would pay him back the towels. “Do you understand?” he asked. “Yes I do,” I said. And that’s how I got into business.

Mary Ella Gabler: I started making some decorative pillows and giving them away to friends after I moved to Dallas in 1966. I had young children, so I wanted to do something at home. In 1973, I created a boudoir pillow and then got in touch with Neiman Marcus. I showed it to them and they asked me to do something for their next Fortnight promotion.

Then he yelled at me that he couldn’t wait that long. He

My first order did well and so I saw the need to do a bedding line for Neiman’s, too. That’s when I established the Peacock Alley name. I

Park B. Smith Chairman Park B. Smith Ltd.

Arthur Tauber Chairman Avanti Linens

Alen Sands York Partner Stellar Alliance

There are very few people in the industry who are instantly recognizable by just one name. Park is one of them. Over the more than half a century that he has called textiles home, Park B. Smith has created a persona unlike virtually anybody else.

Arthur Tauber founded and is the persona of Avanti Linens, the embellished towel resource that has carved out a unique niche in the home textiles industry.

Look up the phrase Renaissance man in any dictionary having to do with this industry and chances are the first reference you’ll find is to one Alen Sands York.

Begun in 1969, Avanti has endured as that most unusual species, a resource focused on just one product classification, serving the middle and better portions of the marketplace.

Literally born into the home textiles business — his mother Rose York is considered one of the true pioneers of the business and perhaps the first to create coordinated bedding ensembles — the 80-year-old York has spent his fair share of time in the world of sheets and towels, but that hasn’t stopped him from having parallel careers in advertising, public relations, shipping and marine activities, automobiles, alcoholic spirits, medical technology and other assorted endeavors.

Always impeccably dressed and groomed, the 80-yearold ex-Marine still has his legendary flair for showmanship: Nobody presents product quite the way Smith does and his taste for developing merchandise is only matched by his taste for fine wine.

Tauber, 76, is as legendary for his hands-on management style as he is for his voracious letter writing and admitted hoarding of virtually every piece of paper he has ever come into contact with.

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stock market career.

ASY: I’ve done it. I had an ad agency with clients like Datsun and Saeco. I wrote for business publications in the shipping and marine industries. I was an importer bringing in beer from Hong Kong. I developed a car. We don’t design anything in this business because we’re an aftermarket industry. We style things. We have talented people, but they’re not designers.

“I just wanted to work. The first job that was offered to me I took. I was hired as a sample boy, cutting swatches.” Carl Goldstein, Lichtenberg named it for the restaurant at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, where I had lunch when I lived there.

Carl Goldstein: In 1960, I graduated from high school on a Tuesday and on Thursday I went to the employment agency. I was hired as a sample boy, cutting swatches, for M. Lowenstein. I was young enough that I had to get working papers. In 14 years, I went from sample boy to president of Pacific Home Fashions there.

designing clothing. But after getting married, I got tired of the quality of the apparel I was doing and decided to go into business for myself and focus on quality goods. That’s when I looked at home rather than apparel and founded Rose Tree in 1979. I did some tablecloths for Neiman’s and Saks and then moved into decorative pillows and then bedding.

HTT: If you hadn’t gone into this field, I never thought I would leave what would you there, but in 1976 I joined S. have done? Lichtenberg as senior vice president and national sales manager. I had met Herbie (Lichtenberg) in 1962 at O’Neil’s department store, and he had been offering me a job ever since. He and I became friends instantly. We had lived around the corner from each other in Brooklyn, but he was nine years older, so we didn’t know each other.

Lydia Rose: My original profession is as an apparel designer. I came here from Argentina in the mid-1960s with two degrees: One in journalism and one in art and design. Back then, Dallas had a good apparel manufacturing business, so I got a job

livinglegend.indd 12

CG: Any job that was offered to me. I just wanted to work. I grew up without a father; he died when I was 2. The first job that was offered to me, I took.

AT: I was going to be a baseball player. I grew up playing lots of baseball and had a college baseball career at the University of Vermont. In 1956 I was asked to try out with several major league teams, but I knew I wasn’t good enough. That’s when I got in touch with Uncle Milton. If I hadn’t started Avanti, I would have been a salesperson. LH: That’s impossible to an-

swer. I never intended to do anything else. I would spend summer vacations at the factory earning $2.35 an hour until I graduated college as an accounting and English major. I joined the company in 1972. My funny answer to the question is that I would have been a buyer.

PBS: I would have joined

The only thing that differentiates me is that I’ve been in other industries and learned from other businesses. I’ve run parallel lives.

HTT: When did you know you were going to be successful in this business? MEG: I always felt I was going to be successful. If you’re working in a dedicated way, you know it will work.

LH: I never doubted I would be successful. The first time was when I solved a production-planning problem when I was 23. There’s also when I got my first big order from W. T.

Grant for tier curtains. I had a big program with Kmart, too, in tiered curtains. Back then they had three buyers just for curtains and two more for draperies.

KH: I knew it when I was at Post and Sherman with the success I had in sales. I was far and away the most successful salesman in New York. And if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. It was the start of discounting, and I sold them all. That made me very successful. LR: I’m an optimist by nature, so it never occurred to me that I wasn’t going to be successful. We had put all our resources into starting the company, and one day my husband said to me, “Do you realize we could be poor with all of this?” That never occurred to me. I remember we got a big order from Bullock’s (a long -gone upscale department store in California). It was such a huge quantity it would have put us out of business. We said “no” to them and chose not to take the order.

AT: When the product started to appear in catalogs. That first order from Laskin

General Motors, which offered me a job as a junior member of their negotiating team. My major in college was labor negotiations.

LR: I’d probably still be an apparel designer. I was doing well in it. I still miss the excitement of fashion, but home can be fashionable, too. But I love what I do now. Recently we’ve expanded into woman’s accessories like hand bags and totes, all under the Rose Tree name.

MEG: When I lived in New York in the 1960s - I was born in Pennsylvania - I was one of the first female stockbrokers on Wall Street. But I always thought I needed to do something more entrepreneurial, though I wasn’t trained in design. I had one semester of home economics at school. But I have no regrets about giving up my

“My earliest memories are of going to the factory. It’s not like my father and I played catch together. That’sw herew ew ent.” Louis Hornick, Hornick

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was for $20,000 and by the first year, Avanti was making some money. I think I knew then that if I kept working hard and Sandy [his wife, who did all the designing for the company at the time and came up with the Avanti name] could keep designing great patterns, we were going to succeed long term.

PBS: I took a job as a Fuller Brush Man for two summers when I was in college. I was assigned to Jersey City (N.J.), which I had been told was a difficult and tough area. Well, I exceeded my quota, even when Fuller ended up doubling it. I had no idea I was good at sales, but I found that I loved selling. And if you can sell door to door, which was what you did at Fuller, you can sell anything. I knew I’d be successful in this business if I were involved in selling.

CG: I never knew I was going to be successful. When you grow up poor, you have

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to work for everything. I’ve built a successful business at S. Lichtenberg — we went from a small, family-owned business to the largest soft window company in the industry — but I still don’t think I’m successful.

ASY: I don’t know if I am a success. The only thing I’m successful at is in sticking around and still being here. I consider myself a success in limited areas such as the medical devices I’m involved in developing in Germany right now.

HTT: What single accomplishment are you most proud of in your career?

“I don’t know if I’m a success. The only thing I’m successful at is in sticking around and still being here.” Alen Sands York, Stellar Alliance

KH: Of all the questions, way around. So this has althis is the most difficult to answer for me. I have never borrowed money to this date. I’m self-financed, there’s no factoring situation, no borrowing situation. The bank has my money, not the other

lowed me to be very independent, not dependent on anybody. It’s a feeling of freedom.

LR: What makes me most proud is when people come into the showroom and say,

“Your stuff is the nicest quality.” We still get that, and I take a lot of pride in that. The quality level has never been bastardized, and nobody doubts my word if I say I’ll fix something. I thrive on the fact that when

it gets out of here, it’s right.

PBS: It was “Eco-ordinates,” the first entire collection of bedding, curtains, rugs and table fashions all made from vegetable dyes. I had started Park B. Smith Ltd. in the early 1970s and I

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“I thrive on the fact that when it gets out of here, it’s right. I take a lot of pride in that.” Lydia Rose, Rose Tree was one of the first people to go to India. Up until then all products coming out of India were natural, and I said: “Why can’t we use color?”

we inspired everyone else. I’m proud to have been part of the team with Rose that did this. It didn’t just happen, somebody had to do it.

On my first trip, I had no appointments, but I met with an Indian company that liked my idea, but I told them I had no money. They said they would give me one order with 30-day terms. I bought it and then sold it and then went back and forth. I made 13 trips to India that year.

AT: I created an industry. Back at the start there was no embellished towel classification in the stores. We have survived for 42 years in an industry that has seen massive changes. I think I’m proudest of the fact that I was able to employ so many people over the years, many of whom were with Avanti long enough to receive large pension checks along with bonuses and pay increases.

I knew India would work because of the hardworking nature of the people and the culture. I’ve made over 200 trips to India in my life. When we did Eco-ordinates, one pattern called Eco Jewel Square did $52 million at cost in two years. It was my biggest success story ever.

ASY: The single accomplishment was helping to transform our dull, boring industry to what is considered the normal industry today. Back when I started, the sheet mills didn’t realize that comforters were the focal points of the bed and they could drive sales. We weren’t the only ones doing it, but

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MEG: The first thing I think of is that we have a respected brand that the marketplace knows, and that gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished.

LH: It has to be the intersection of manufacturing, marketing and selling. I did that three or four times like with Snowflake, which was the leader in the tab top business. Heimtextil had a profound effect on us in terms of the product I wanted to develop.

> hometextilestoday.com

It was everything. I wanted home textiles products that would last a lifetime, not like today.

and I grew up with. I think the talent pool dried up and this industry is not as attractive as apparel.

CG:

It’s educating and training the next generation in the industry. There are now five Lichtenbergs and one Goldstein, besides me, in the company, and we’re now on the fourth generation. I wanted my son to go into the business, though my daughter is an attorney.

LR: I think we were probably late on the bandwagon in moving production overseas. Did it hurt me? Probably. Does it still hurt? No. Could we have had a bigger following? Probably.

Less than 5% of all family businesses make it to the third generation.

KH: Knowing what I know

HTT: If you had to do something over, what would it be and how would you do it differently?

It’s not arrogance, it’s just me. I don’t know how to compromise. now, I would perhaps have gotten into some products earlier, like top of the bed and sheeting. And I would have expanded towels. I also would have gone to India and China earlier. I got into it too late, and I stayed in Brazil.

CG: I wouldn’t do anything ASY: What I should have differently. I love this indusdone is purchase other companies when I could have. We should have acquired companies with mills in the 1960s and 1970s.

try. We bring good product at great values. Could we have moved sewing offshore a year earlier? Yes, but it was fast enough.

We were successful in some things and some things we bombed in.

MEG: I don’t think there’s anything I would do differently. Now, I’ve made my share of mistakes and learned some things the hard

From a totally different standpoint, I probably should have never gone to work. I was an artist before I got involved in the industry. I was selling paintings and didn’t have to work.

way. I might have managed my company differently from time to time, but focusing on specialty stores was the right way for us to go.

AT: I wouldn’t change anything. Maybe that’s crazy and egotistical, but I’ve stayed with my own philosophy and principles over the years and I would do it exactly the same. I do wish I never had to put in such crazy hours. I would have liked to have spent more time with my children. Also, remember I had no money when I started. It was many years before a vacation came. I remember on many days driving to Michael’s [one of his two sons; the other is Jeff; both are in the industry] school 60 miles away, watching his soccer or tennis match and then driving back to the factory to finish the day at 10 p.m. Luckily, my wife understood. PBS: I really can’t think of anything I’d like to do over or do differently. I made my mistakes all my life, but nothing earth-shattering. In the early 1990s I was offered $80 million for the company, and I turned it down.

I bought the junk in 1955 (now docked in Connecticut after a long run at Manhattan piers) with the idea of living in Cuba, but Castro came along and changed my plans.

LH: I didn’t fire people fast enough. I don’t think anybody would accuse me of being a nice guy. There were people I hired who lasted five or ten years and they should have lasted six months. I thought they needed more time. It’s a mistake; you really need to fire people, if you can, in the first three months. I guess one of my mistakes was having an HR department. I never got better at it. I was never able to find as good people as my father hired

“The bank has my money, not the other way around. This has allowed me to be very independent.” Kurt Hamburger, Lintex

12/19/12 7:13 PM

Regrets? I don’t think so.

HTT: What’s the single-biggest change you’ve seen in the industry? LR: It’s been a long time coming, but there’s no pride in quality or design. How many people want to take the steps to get it right? There seems to be just total ignorance and no knowledge. Where are the old merchants? In a big company you can hide all kinds of incompetencies.

LH: Globalization — in a bad way. Did I see it coming? Yeah, I thought I could beat it with hubris. It’s a classic Greek tragedy. It happened very quickly. I saw it coming, but not as fast as it happened — but neither did most other companies. The people who were successful in imports were the people who never manufac-

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tured here in the first place. It’s hard for small and medium-sized companies to deal with globalization. The textiles industry was sacrificed for other industries. It was a bad trade for this country, but what’s done is done.

CG: It’s offshore production and the fact that there’s no sewing in the country. But also the professional buyer doesn’t exist anymore. Today our biggest investment is in technology, but I’ve always believed it’s all about the product. When you forget about that, that’s when your business starts to hurt.

PBS: Partnership with retailers, in the truest sense and meaning of the word, is gone. In business, one expects hard bargaining, that’s a major part of a retailer’s job. However, what is not fair is where they want to change the deal once made or want more than the initial agreement.

Fortunately, there are still some whose word is their bond: With them, a deal once made is sacrosanct.

KH: The biggest change — and I regret it terribly ± is the demise of the small hometown department store, which we used to sell to in a big way. That was a good business, a faithful business. The same for the demise of the specialty store. AT: I have first-hand been a witness and participant to the winds of change that have blown across the industry over the years. The single biggest change is the depletion of all the retailers over the years along with the growth and expansion of Bed Bath & Beyond and the explosion of the off-pricers.

MEG: The biggest change I think has been the focus on the consumer versus the way it used to be. Relating to the consumer through the Internet has been a dra-

“I was going to be a baseball player, but I knew I wasn’t good enough. That’s when I got in touchw ithU ncleMi lton.” Arthur Tauber, Avanti

K C AR L GOLDST EI N … husband, father, grandfather, mentor, author, leader, philanthropist. A true living legend at home, in his community and in our home furnishings industry. We are proud of all of his successes in life and congratulate him on this achievement, but most important, we are honored to have him as part of our S. Lichtenberg family for all of these years! Cheers from everyone at S. Lichtenberg & Co., Inc.

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“I took a job as a Fuller Brush Man, I had no idea I was good at sales, but I found I loved selling.” Park Smith, Park B. Smith going to be very important for the United States.

and intend to decide my exit strategy on that day.

My other answer would be: I think the consumer has to buy curtains and draperies.

MEG: I’m always going to

enough advertising for windows from the big-box retailers. Windows are one of the most profitable areas for a store, but they are not promoted enough. It’s up to the retailers to do that.

be in place here. My sons — Jason, ceo, and Josh, vice president of marketing — have taken over the majority of the business, so I can do product development and design. But I love what I do and I love working with them. I’m not going anywhere.

KH: I have no fear or inhibi-

LH: Death is my exit strat-

CG: I don’t think we get

matic change. It used to be the retailer before, and while we’ve always tried to support retailers, the consumer is the focus in the market now.

ASY: I haven’t seen anything new in the business for a long time.

HTT: If you could do one thing to improve the industry’s overall business, what would it be? PBS: I don’t give a damn what anybody says, the consumer is tired of sameness. I’d try to convince the industry that business would flourish were it to concentrate on creating merchandise which is fun, fashion, fabulous and affordable. This is what the consumer wants, responds to and continues to buy.

ASY:

Invent something new. I don’t have anything special yet, but I’m looking at the space and medical fields for input. Maybe we take a pill and we think we’ve slept the night. We need great new products, people will respond to color and design, but you need to go beyond just that.

MEG: I would say to find a better tool for educating the

livinglegend.indd 16

consumer on the quality that goes into these products versus just the price. This industry makes some wonderful products, but the consumer never hears about them.

LR: I would return to the age of quality. Everyone’s gone to cheaper and cheaper because the assumption is the customer doesn’t know any better. But some do. It’s the retailers that have to drive this. Department stores could do it; they just have to have the will to do so. Maybe not all at once — it doesn’t have to be 50 styles — but a little at a time. Textiles still have a good base at retail, people like to touch it. Will we see it? Probably not.

AT: This is a cinch for me: I think that buyers should be more involved and easier to reach. Also, I guess I wish everything wasn’t financial, financial, financial. LH: We don’t want the government getting rid of industries or creating them because of too much regulation. There should be a consumption tax rather than a payroll tax. Nobody wants to be the last buggy whip manufacturer, but we must balance manufacturing and service. This is

tion, and I’m not afraid to say it: I deal only from the top of the deck. I’m fair and I’m honest ... unlike some others that load onto their prices. I do not believe in doing that. Never have, never will. Because of these unscrupulous large retailers who do not discriminate between those that do that and those that do not, that’s hurt us badly. I wish that was not so, but that’s the reason I prefer to be selective in who I will call on.

egy. Our 100th anniversary will be in 2018, and that’s not far away.

KH: My exit strategy is that I have no exit strategy. I have been approached many times by venture capitalists and entrepreneurs that want to buy

this business. They always want me to run the business for them. They want to give me a modest down payment and then pay me out of the profits. My question is: Why would I do that? I’ve been in this business for 65 years, and I’m still going strong.

AT: I love the Broadway show “Jersey Boys” and as Frankie Valli says in it, “I’m like that battery, I keep going and going and going.” Hopefully I’ll stay healthy enough to enjoy continuing my role at Avanti and to spend more time with Sandy and in Florida. I’m very fortunate to have the Jeff Kaufman and Michael Tauber team who can run Avanti with or without me. There’s no plan for me to throw in the towel anytime soon. CG: In a box. I like working. I’ve always worked — as a delivery boy, a shoeshine boy, wrapping packages. I went to work at 17 full time. ■

HTT: What’s your exit strategy? LR: I don’t have an exit strategy. This is a family business with my son involved, but I still go overseas seeing factories. The day you don’t see me here is the day I die.

ASY: To stay around as long as possible. And I’ve done better in that respect than others. I will be 80 this year; Rose worked until she was 90. I have enough things to keep me busy right now. I want to keep doing this and many other things. There’s a TV show I’m working on...

PBS: I’d like to take more time off. I’d like to spend more time with my wine in Connecticut. I’m still in the office at 6 a.m. every day. I’ll be 80 (2012) in January

“If you’re working in a dedicated way, you know it will work. I always felt I was going to be successful.” Mary Ella Gabler, Peacock Alley

12/19/12 7:13 PM

Thank you to all the companies that chose Home Textiles Today to help their business in 2012:

1888 MILLS • 7 WEST - MMPI • A & B WIPER SUPPLY (BEST RAGS) • A Q TEXTILES • ACS TOWEL LTD. • ADVANSA IBIRICA, S.L. • AHMAD MANUFACTURING CORPORATION • AL KARAM TOWEL INDUSTRIES LLC • AL KARAM USA • ALOK INTERNATIONAL INC • AMBADI ENTERPRISES LIMITED • AMERICAN DAWN INC • AMERICAN HOMES & TEXTILES • AMERICAN TEXTILE COMPANY • AMERICAS MART ATLANTA • ANNA’S LINENS • AVANTI • BARDWIL INDUSTRIES INC • BARI TEXTILE MILLS • BB&T INSURANCE SERVICES OF CALIFORNIA, INC. • BEATRICE HOME FASHIONS • BETTER TRENDS, LLC. • BIDDEFORD BLANKETS, • BOMBAY DYEING & MFG CO LTD • BRENTWOOD ORIGINALS • C & F ENTERPRISE • C3 CRESCENT COMMERCIAL CORP • CAMBRIDGE TOWEL • CANJOY LINENS, INC. • CARLPAT TRADING, LLC • CARNATION HOME FASHIONS INC • CARPENTER CO • CARPENTER CO. • CARPET-ART-DECO • CATHAY HOME FASHIONS INC • CECF ADVERTISING CO LTD • CHESAPEAKE MERCHANDISING • CHF INDUSTRIES INC • CHORTEX LIMITED • CLASSIC HOME TEXTILES • COCONA, INC. • COMFORT REVOLUTION • COMMONWEALTH HOME FASHIONS • CONTOUR PRODUCTS • COSMIQUE GLOBAL • CREATIVE BATH PRODUCTS • CREATIVE MEDIA AGENCY, LLC • CRESCENT TEXTILE MILLS • CUDDLE TIME BY TRIBORO • CUDDLEDOWN • DAVID TEXTILE, INC • DECOR EXPORTS • DESIGN WEAVE USA • DIVATEX HOME FASHIONS INC • DOHLER S.A. • DOHLER USA • DREAM FIT • DUCK RIVER TEXTILE INC • EA INTERNATIONAL • ELLERY HOMESTYLES LLC

• ELLISON 1ST ASIA CORPORATION • ELLISON FIRST ASIA • ELRENE HOME FASHIONS • EX-CELL

HOME FASHIONS • EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL • EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL FOR HANDICRAFTS • EXTREME LINEN • FAB INDUSTRIES • FAZE THREE LIMITED • FORESTON TRENDS • GEORGE LITTLE MANAGEMENT • GHCL LIMITED TEXTILE DIVISION • GINSEY INDUSTRIES • GLEN RAVEN MILLS • GUL AHMED TEXTILE MILLS LIMITED • HABIB AMERICAN BANK • HANDLOOM EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL • HANOVER DIRECT INC • HARRISON & ELIZABETH, INC • HOLLANDER HOME FASHIONS • HOME SOURCE INTERNATIONAL • HOME TEXTILES TODAY • HONG KONG TRADE DEV COUNCIL • ICA/ART.COM • INDO COUNT INDUSTRIES LTD • INTERNATIONAL MARKET CENTERS • INVISTA SARL • JEFFCO FIBRES • JEFFREY FABRICS INC • KALIN FABRICS INC • KAM INTERNATIONAL • KENNEY MANUFACTURING CO. • LADY SANDRA • LAMONT LIMITED • LENZING FIBERS INC • LOFTEX USA, LLC • LOLOI RUGS • LONDON LUXURY BEDDING • LORRAINE HOME FASHIONS • LOUISVILLE BEDDING • M/S SHEIKH BHULLAN CARPETS • MADISON INDUSTRIES • MAGIC • MAISON & OBJET • MAKROTEKS TEXTILE LLC • MANHATTAN PROPERTIES • MANUAL WOODWORKERS AND WEAVERS • MAPLES INDUSTRIES • MARWAH CORPORATION • MESSE FRANKFURT (HK) LTD. • MESSE FRANKFURT GMBH • MESSE FRANKFURT USA • MICROBAN PRODUCT CORPORATION • MINDSINSYNC • MMPI • MOD LIFESTYLES LLC • MOHAWK HOME • MOOD BRUSSELS/TEXTIRAMA • MYTEX LLC • NANCE CARPET • NANSHING AMERICA INC • NATCO HOME PRODUCTS • NEWMARK KNIGHT FRANK • NEXT CREATIONS • NISHAT CHUNIAN • NORTHWEST COMPANY • NOURISON • NUOVA CREATIONS • OBAC • ORIAN RUGS • ORIENTAL WEAVERS SPHINX • OUTLAST TECHNOLOGIES INC • P & A MARKETING • PACIFIC COAST HOME FURNISHINGS • PANTONE INC • PARK B SMITH LTD • PEKING HANDICRAFTS • PEKING LINEN INC • PERFECT FIT/NC • PRADIP OVERSEAS LTD. • PREMIERE VISION S.A. • PROPOSTE SRL • PROTECT-A-BED • RAYMOND WAITES DESIGN • REGAL HOME COLLECTIONS • REVMAN INDUSTRIES • ROSALIND SHAFFER DESIGN • ROSELLI TRADING COMPANY LLC • ROYALE LINENS INC • S L HOME FASHIONS, INC. • S. LICHTENBERG & CO., INC. • SAFDIE INTERNATIONAL INC. • SARA TEXTILES LIMITED • SATURDAY KNIGHT • SHANGHAI CENTRAL INTERNATIONAL TRADING • SHARADHA TERRY PRODUCTS, INC • SHAVEL HOME PRODUCTS • SHOWPLACE • SHRI LAKSHMI COTSYN LTD • SINOMAX USA INC. • SLEEP INNOVATIONS • SOFTLINE HOME FASHIONS INC • SOFT-TEX MANUFACTURING • SPLASH HOME • SPRINGS GLOBAL • STANDARD FIBER • STYLEMASTER USA • SUNTEX DESIGNS INC • SUPIMA • SURYA RUGS • SYLCOM ENTERPRISES, INC. • TAIWAN TEXTILE FEDERATION • TEXLYNX • TEXTRADE • TJX COMPANIES, INC. • TOTTEN CONSULTING GROUP • TOWELLERS LTD • TRENDEASE INTERNATIONAL • TRIANGLE HOME FASHIONS • TRIDENT LIMITED • UNITED LINENS • UNITED WEAVERS • VARA HOME USA • VERATEX INC • VERSAILLES HOME FASHIONS • VICTORIA CLASSICS LTD • VICTORIAN HEART CO INC • VIPAC • W. STUDIO USA LLC • WELCOME INDUSTRIAL CORP • WELSPUN GLOBAL BRANDS LIMITED • WELSPUN USA • WORLD RUG GALLERY • Z GALLERIE • ZHEJIANG JINCHAN HOMETEXTIL CO • ZORLU USA INC.

We look forward to continuing to do so in 2013.

Textiles is our Middle Name

Home Textiles Today

December 31, 2012

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First Half Show Preview

Show Preview PREVIEW FROM PAGE 1 number of studios that will show at the fair for the first time. The presentation will also include applications of CAD/CAM and ink jet. Heimtextil exhibitors will be allowed to preview the design area Jan. 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. International design colleges will exhibit the next generation of creative talent in Hall 4.0 during the fair. Participating campuses include: • Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar / Produktdesign (Germany) • HTW Berlin (Germany) • Angewandte Kunst Schneeberg, Fachbereich der Westsächsischen Hochschule Zwickau (Germany) • KH Berlin Weißensee (Germany) • Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki (finland) • EAA Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia) • ASP Strzeminski Academy of Arts, Lodz (Poland) • AFAD Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Bratislava (Slovakia) • ORBITATO Pomerode (Brazil) • HSLU Kunst und Design Luzern (Switzerland) • West-Hungarian University Szombathely (Hungary) The Deco Team will present a series lectures and workshops on every day of the trade fair in Hall 3.0, Stand B54. Among the topics will be holistic interior-design concepts; ideas for shop window and inshop displays; and the emotional impact of interior furnishings. The Heimtextil goes City initiative will take place in downtown Frankfurt on Jan. 12 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some 30 specialist retailers, galleries and public institutions will present textiles from all walks of life and cultural fields to fair visitors. 9-16

Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market AmericasMart, Atlanta (404) 220-3000 www.americasmart.com The Atlanta market, the third largest U.S. trade show, will present more than 45 merchandise categories as well as five days of events and seminars. Among the stand-outs: • Design directions from Stan Topol’s Atlanta Symphony Associates 2012 Decorators’ Show House Living Room will be presented daily from Jan. 9-16 in Building 1, Floor 14, Room 14-D-7 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. • HD Home, a juried collection of design-driven home furnishings, will host a preview party Jan. 10 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Building 1, Floor 1, Center Hall. Refreshments and cocktails are included.

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• Lolita Healy, celebrations expert and founder of Designs by Lolita, will present “Tips for Creating a Successful In-Store Event” on Jan. 11 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in Building 2, Floor 9, Seminar Room. • The Presentation of the 2013 Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles 10 Under 40 Class – which features champions of interiors, architecture, landscape design, gardening, culinary arts, fine arts, real estate and more — will take place Jan. 12 from 10 a.m. to noon in Building 1, Floor 14 Seminar Room. The presentation will be followed by a champagne and hors d’oeuvres reception. David Bromstad, host of HGTV’s “Color Splash,” will present “The Power of Color” on Jan. 12 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Building 2, Floor 9 Seminar Room and Building 2, Floor 17, Showroom 1701. The session will be followed by a cocktail reception in the Dugan-Bliss showroom.

• Home Accents Alliance has a new showroom on Floor 5. • Home and More has taken a space on Floor 3. Kenneth Brown of HGTV will present “Decorating from Top to Bottom” on Jan. 11 at 10 a.m. with an emphasis on how rugs can kick-start design. The session takes place in Building 1, Floor 4, Room 4-D-8. The Mart’s Magnificent Carpet Awards will be presented by AmericasMart in partnership with HTT parent company Sandow Media as well as the Oriental Rug Importers Association (ORIA). The ceremony will take place Jan. 11 starting at 6 p.m. at the Georgia Aquarium for all market attendees. There will be 13 select rug awards and three Retailer of the Year recognitions. A party to celebrate the launch of Home and rug on the 4th Floor will take place Jan. 12 at 5 p.m.

10-13

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The Atlanta International Area Rug Market

Maison & Objet

AmericasMart, Atlanta (404) 220-3000 www.americasmart.com AmericasMart is kicking off 2013 by integrating its home furnishings and home accents with area rugs in Building 1 “to facilitate buyers’ changing needs.” Temporary exhibits will run Jan. 11-13. The market preview party will take place Jan. 10 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Among the related changes: • Four Hands, a home furnishings company, will be on Floor 4 of Building 1 — a floor formerly exclusively dedicated to area rugs. The shift is part of a move to create product collections and destination resources better suited to fit the way retailers shop. Throughout Floor 4, new and existing showrooms are expanding to be able to present more complete collections of rugs and complementary furniture and home accents. • Safavieh has added a 3,000-squarefoot space across the aisle from its current 13,000-square-foot Floor 5 showroom to present its line of home furnishings. • Amer has more than doubled to 6,000 square feet on Floor 5. • Surya, an area rug and home furnishings company, shifted space to Floor 12 in Building 1, which was classically a home furnishings floor. The move enables Surya to show its entire line of home accents in addition to its area rug lines. • Karastan is growing to more than 7,000 square feet on Floor 3. • Concepts International returns to AmericasMart with a 1,200-square-foot showroom on Floor 3. • Kaleen has doubled showroom space on Floor 3to more than 6,000 square feet. • Aminco Inc., with more than 50 years’ experience in Oriental carpet, is returning to Floor 4 after an absence.

Parc des Expositions, Paris-Nord Villepinte, Paris, France (888) 522-5001 www.maison-objet.com The winter edition of the semi-annual show will include the éditeurs section of high-end decorative fabrics. Also running concurrently will be “now!, living design,” a selective and international home design exhibition focused on innovation, trends and the new design generation. 26-30

New York International Gift Fair Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Passenger Ship Terminal Piers, New York (800) 272-7469 www.nyigf.com The fair’s 21st anniversary Gift For Life fundraiser will take place Jan. 27 from 6:30-10 p.m. at the Central Park Boathouse. All proceeds will benefit DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, one of the largest funders of HIV/AIDS service and education programs in the U.S., and Gift For Life’s sole charity partner. For information about tickets and sponsorships, contact Steven Williams at swilliams@diffa.org or (212) 727-3100. A show orientation program for firsttime visitors will take place Jan. 26 and again Jan. 28. Both events are scheduled for 8:45-9:30 a.m. in the Javits Center, room 1E01. The New York chapter of the International Furnishing and Design Association (IFDA) will present “Color Pulse 2014: From Theory to Selection” on Jan. 28 at the Javits Center, room 1A02-03. A continental breakfast and networking opens at 8:30 a.m., followed by the program from 9 to 10:30 a.m. John Turner, director of architect and designer sales for Benjamin Moore, will present the company’s influential color forecast. For ticket informa-

tion or to register, call (212) 686-6020 or email ifdanyny@verizon.net. Once again, NYIGF has lined up a wideranging variety of events and educational sessions. The full roster can be found at http://www.nyigf.com/TheShow/ProgramsEvents.aspx. 25-31

New York Home Textiles Market Week At the New York International Gift Fair, Jan. 26 - 30 At 230 Fifth Avenue, Jan. 26-31 At 7 W New York, Jan. 26-30 (800) 272-7469 www.nyhometextilesmarketweek.com The winner of the America’s Next Great Home Textiles Company Award will take place Jan. 28 from 6:15-6:30 p.m. at the Javits Center. The HTT competition began at the summer 2012 show, highlighting six first-time exhibitors whose efforts were rated by industry experts in showroom design, product development and marketing. NYIGF will offer several events and seminars for Home Textiles Market Week participants. On Jan. 26, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Home Accents Today senior product editor Tracy Bulla will present “Fashion Forward — How Apparel Trends Impact Home Design.” The presentation, co-hosted by ART, will showcase current and future home fashion trends and will forecast what the best-dressed homes will be “wearing” next season. Also on Jan. 26, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., NYIGF will host an At Home welcome reception at Pier 94 to celebrate the market’s opening day. During this event, ASID’s N.Y. Metro Chapter will bestow its “Best of the Best NYIGF Winter 2013 Awards” to select At Home exhibitors in seven categories — Imaginative Product Presentation; Innovative Product Design; Social Responsibility/Ecological Sensitivity; Lighting; Accessories; Textiles; and Wall Art. New York’s Chapter of the International Furnishings & Design Association (IFDA) will sponsor “Color Pulse 2014: From Theory to Selection,” on Monday, Jan. 28, from 9:00-10:30 a.m. Topics include directional colors and emerging trend information which is influencing the future of design. John Turner of Benjamin Moore will present the company’s color forecast — Color Pulse 2014: Facets. The Home Textiles Market Week Best New Product Awards will return this winter to spotlight design innovation in Bed, Bath, Dining and Home Accessories. Winners, as selected by a panel of trade and consumer editors, will be announced on Jan. 29. 28-Feb. 1

Las Vegas Market Wo r l d M a r k e t C e n t e r, L a s Ve g a s (702) 599-9621 SEE PREVIEW PAGE 20

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Home Textiles Today

December 31, 2012

News

First Half Show Preview PREVIEW FROM PAGE 18 www.lasvegasmarket.com The Gift + Home segment of the show will hold its first CEO Summit during the winter market on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 featuring former Labor Secretary and CNBC contributor Robert Reich as keynote speaker. For details, visit www.giftandhomelv.com/ ceosummit. Gift and home executives who register for the summit no later than Jan. 4 will have exclusive access to Reich at a special breakfast event on Jan. 31. In addition, Gift + Home will have a dedicated seminar series running over five days beginning Jan. 28. Among the highlights: • “First Look,” an overview of the best new products at the market presented by HGTV’s Monica Pedersen and home trends editor Julie Smith Vincenti on Jan. 28 at 10 a.m.; • “Visual Storytelling: Modern Social Media for Brands in the Home Space,” presented by Crystalyn Stuart, President of 5Loom, on Jan. 28 at 11:30 a.m.; • “Fantasies and Realities Impacting Color Choices for the Future,” present by Pantone Color Institute vp Laurie Pressman on Jan. 29 at 9:30 a.m.; • “Fast Forward: A Future-View of Interior Trends,” by Gregory Dunlop, global commercial director of WGSN-Homebuildlife on Jan. 30 at 9 a.m. The 2013 Design Icon award presentation will honor Alexa Hampton on Jan. 30 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Building C • Seminar Room C-176. The event includes a presentation and remarks from Hampton, followed by a book signing and trunk show featuring her newest fabric and trim collection with decorative fabric and furnishings manufacturer Kravet. The event is open to all Las Vegas Market attendees.

February 8-11

Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair India Expo Centre & Mart New Delhi, India +91-11-26130692 www.epch.in The 35th edition of the IHGF will feature about 2,500 companies exhibiting products such as home accents, housewares, furnishings, floor coverings, gifts, jewelry and fashion accessories, among other categories. These products are largely produced from the raw material base of wood, metal, leather, natural fiber, artificial fibers, wool, silk, coir, hemp, jute, animal bones, lacquer, stones etc. The products are made using natural materials and are promoted as eco-friendly and not made using chemicals. The last edition of the show was held in October and was visited by 5,500 foreign buyers representing some of the

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world’s major buying houses and retail chains. Countries represented by buyers were the United States, UK, Japan, Germany, France, Australia, Spain, Greece, Italy, Hong Kong, China, Turkey, Hungry, Oman, Bulgaria, Thailand, Singapore, Lebanon, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Mexico, Denmark, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Taiwan, UAE, Bangladesh, Nepal, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and many other countries. A total of US $200 million worth of business was placed at the show.

March 18-21

New York Home Fashions Market Home Fashion Products Association (212) 297-2122 (Kellen Co.) www.homefashionproducts.com The showroom-based home textiles market will kick off with HTT’s semi-annual market party on Sunday, March 17 at 6 p.m. The location will be announced early in 2013. During recent markets, the HFPA Young Professionals group has hosted events featuring industry veterans and specialists who share their insights on state of the business in addition to a social networking evening at a Manhattan hotspot. Plans for 2013 have not yet been announced, but the YoPros encourage younger members of the industry to learn more about the group and its activities by contacting yopros@homefashionproducts.com.

April 20-25

High Point Market International Home Furnishings Center, other locations High Point, N.C. (336) 869-1000 www.highpointmarket.org Registration will open Jan. 8 for the spring edition of the show. Details about special events and educational sessions will also be announced after the first of the year. At the fall 2012 edition of the market, Solon expanded with a mezzanine level on the second floor with 22 new exhibitors showing the latest in hip furnishings. The Made in America pavilion, which debuted in fall 2011, also continues to expand. High Point’s upgraded My-Market social media and planning tool helps attendees customize their market week schedule, locate exhibitors, presentations and events, send messages and set up meetings. MyMarket is mobile-browser compatible for smart phones, iPads and other tablets. The tool also offers an RSS feed on the home page that makes it easier to search and find information. It’s available at www.highpointmarket.org/MyMarket

May 15-17

Hospitality & Design Show Sands Expo Center, Las Vegas (508) 743-8502 www.hdexpo.com The schedule of special programs offers runs deep. One of the highlights will be the annual Owners’ Roundtable, featuring 25 companies representing key industry hospitality owners, developers, and brand executives on May 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at HD/ISHP Town Hall: O. The session will include industry issues, forecasts, ideas, updates, and trends. The 7th Annual HD/JHG Radical Innovation in Hospitality Awards Competition will take place May 15 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Featuring three finalists in the competition to spotlight intriguing and progressive hospitality concepts, attendees will be given a chance to vote on their favorites. The event will be followed by a cocktail reception for the jurors and contestents immediately following the session from noon to 1 p.m. at the Global Allies booth. Also on May 15, the NEWH Student Scholarship Awards Luncheon and Green Voice Panel Discussion will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. The topic will be “Sustainable Hospitality in the Crossroads of Climate Change,” with a panel of experts discussing sustainable hotels, tourism, and the future. 15-19

Evteks CNR Expo, Istanbul, Turkey +90 212 465 74 75 www.cnrevteks.com/ The second largest home textiles trade fair in the world will reprise the Dizaynist area that debuted during the 2012 show. Dizaynist features displays from international design studios showcasing innovative home textile products. The Trend Zone will look at up and coming motifs. It is designed by Inkrit Berbee of Lobster Concepts and supported by Uludag Exporters Association in Turkey. Trend Seminars will cover forecasts for home textiles colors, as well as the latest developments in style, constructions, yarns, patterns, and finishes. Seminar details will be announced in 2013. The show currently anticipates 978 exhibitors from 22 countries, including Austria, Azrbaijan, Belgium, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Lebanon, Moldova, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Lebanon, The Netherlands, Turkey, the UK and the US. 18-21

International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York (914) 421-3200 www.icff.com Evolving trends will be featured in ICFF’s

juried exhibition of projects from with world’s leading design schools, which the show describes as “a harbinger of starts to come.” The fair’s more than 500 exhibitors include designers, manufacturers, representatives of contemporary furniture, seating, carpet and flooring, lighting, outdoor furniture, materials, wall coverings, accessories, textiles, kitchen and bath for residential, home/office, and contract. About half come from outside the United States. ICFF’s 25,000-plus attendees include interior designers, architects, retailers, developers, facility managers, wholesalers, store design professionals, hotel and restaurant designers, manufacturers, students and the general public. 19-21

Surtex Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York (914) 421-3200 www.surtex.com It’s a year of expansion for Surtex, which attracts 300 exhibitors and 6,000 attendees, with the show promising more exhibition space, a specialized section for textile design studios, additional trend and business resources, and two new collocated shows. Surtex will launch Atelier, a new section featuring about 75 textiles design studios from Great Britain, Europe, North America and Japan that primarily sell their art and designs outright. Both the Trend Theatre, created in 2012, and the ReSource Hub will be enlarged in May with a focus on color, design and business trend information, as well as resource materials, software and other business essentials. Ongoing Trend Theatre sessions, presented by worldwide forecasting companies, will be open to all attendees and exhibitors at no charge adjacent to the Atelier. The trade fair will also include two new co-located shows. The Creative & Lifestyle Arts show will be positioned directly between the National Stationery Show and Surtex. The new SPACE: Strategy, Product, Architecture for Consumer Environments will be located in Javits North. June 2-5

Showtime Fabric Fair Market Square, Textile Tower, High Point, N.C. (336) 885-6842 www.itma-showtime.com The largest decorative fabrics event in the Western Hemisphere just conlcuded its winter 2012 show earlier this month. Events for the summer 2013 show will be announced after the first of the year. Showtime hosts more than 800 buying companies and offers an online appointment format to help attendees schedule their visit. HTT

12/19/2012 12:02:12 PM

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December 31, 2012

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Frette, Chehoma, Mr. Brown Establish New Presence at AmericasMart for January Market A T L A N TA — The Home Accents & Fine Linens collection at AmericasMart is welcoming a bevy of new exhibitors as well as expanding showrooms and spaces in time for the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market come January. The market is scheduled Jan. 9-16, with temporary exhibits open Jan. 11-15. There are 11 new and/or expanded showrooms debuting, including newcomers Chehoma and Mr. Brown, located on the ninth floor of Building 1, right in “the heart of Home Accents & Fine Linens” area, noted AmericasMart. “We offer an extensive array

of exhibitors with innovative and exquisite product lines,” said Nicole Hoppen, leasing manager for AmericasMart’s Home Accents & Fine Linens. “With our diversity, AmericasMart is an unparalleled resource for buyers seeking luxury linens and home lifestyle products.” In its new showroom, Chehoma will present distinctive furniture and home accents in classic contemporary style. Based in Belgium, the company was “a runaway success” in the Mart’s High Design category last year following a long history of showing in the temporaries area since 1995.

“In a permanent space we could rent a much bigger space to show the real image of Chehoma,” said Marie-Ange Bon, manager of American markets for Chehoma. “The customers were asking more and more to see our entire collection. The permanent showroom will cement the relationship with our customers. We’ll have customers all year long.” Mr. Brown opened its doors for business in October 2010 as part of the Julian Chichester home furnishings and home décor line. Its design concept is, “English informality for a modern Life, offering clients high design at a more econom-

ical price.” explained David Ebbetts, the company’s ceo. “We are excited about our new showroom in Atlanta at Americasmart January 2013 for market, and look forward to sharing The Criteria Collection, a newly launched addition to Mr. Brown Home, which gives one easy choices to fit any design project.” Other new exhibitor showrooms on Floor 9 also include: Bojay Inc., Bellino Fine Linens, and Shadow Catchers. Growth also continues on Floor 10 with six expanded or relocated showrooms, including Karen Alweil Studio, Prestige Identity, Alexander Terry

Associates, Aesthetic Movement, K&K Tabletops and Art Addiction. And the Mart’s temporary collections offer vendors an opportunity to learn and explore the U.S. market before establishing a permanent showroom. This January, Italian linen house Frette exhibits for the first time at AmericasMart with a space in the Fine Linens temporaries, Building 1, Floor 7. “We are exhibiting in Atlanta because it is the largest home/ gift show in the U.S.,” said Georgia Grant, Frette’s director of wholesale, “and we want to reach the great home and bedding stores of the South.” HTT

CLASSIFIEDS LINES OFFERED NATIONAL SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER WANTED INTERNATIONAL SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER WANTED SOURCING ACCOUNT MANAGER WANTED Domestic area & bath rug manufacturing company seeks above positions. Sales candidates should possess solid sales & relationship building skills. Positions based in Dalton, GA with signiﬁcant travel. Requirements include: Excellent oral & written skills and experience & solid relationships with big box retailers and/or department stores, furniture stores, variety/closeout stores. Sourcing Manager should have knowledge & experience in the rug industry & have experience importing & managing foreign rug production. Please send resume Attn: BB184 to: classiﬁeds@sandowmedia.com

Wanted: Established Agents World Rug Gallery, a Turkish manufacturer of machine made area rugs, with signiﬁcant inventory stocked in the U.S. is seeking independent agents who are successfully selling to the Home divisions of any of the following accounts: Clubs: Dollar Stores: Home Improvement: Sam’s Dollar General Home Depot BJ’s Family Dollar Lowes Fred’s General Merchandise: Anna’s Linen’s Big Lots Kirkland’s Ocean State We offer Turkish pricing, U.S. inventory, & proven E-com. Visit us at www.worldruggallery.com, or email us at info@worldruggallery.com

HELP WANTED ABW is a distributor of stock lots, seconds and textile waste products. We are currently looking for salespeople and buyers to work out of our ofﬁce in Philadelphia. We are seeking aggressive energetic people who thrive on performance goals and objectives. Please send resumes to hkanefsky@bestrags.com or by fax to 215-482-6190

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Kamal Limited, one of the premier vertical bedding manufacturers in Pakistan and its US subsidiary Sleepwell Inc. are looking for Sales Agents in Europe and the USA. Candidates should have strong existing relationships with key retailers. Interested parties should visit our Heimtextil Frankfurt stand Hall 10.2 A71, 9-12 Jan-2013 at any time or Contact: Director Marketing Mr. Nasrullah, Tel: +92 41 2424014, Email: nasrullah@kamallimited.com

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12/21/2012 3:17:47 PM

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360 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10010 Tel: (646) 805-0227; Fax: (646) 365-2307 www.hometextilestoday.com www.facebook.com/httmag EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jennifer Marks 10 Ocean Blvd #8B Atlantic Highlands, N.J. 07716 (732) 204-2012 | jnegley@hometextilestoday.com PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Warren Shoulberg (646) 805-0226 | wshoulberg@hometextilestoday.com SENIOR EDITOR Cecile B. Corral 428 Bianca Ave. Coral Gables, FL 33146 (305) 661-7493 | cbcorral@aol.com MANAGING EDITOR Julie Murphy (646) 805-0224 | jmurphy@hometextilestoday.com CONTRIBUTING GRAPHIC ARTIST Desiree Nunez (646) 805-0233 | dnunez@giftsanddec.com DIRECTOR OF MARKET RESEARCH Dana French (336) 605-1091 | dfrench@sandowmedia.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, ACCOUNT MANAGER SOUTH/EAST/CHINA Jeff Reeves (336) 605-1009 | jreeves@hometextilestoday.com ACCOUNT MANAGER NORTHEAST/MIDWEST/ WEST COAST/CANADA Mary McLoughlin (646) 805-0227 | mmcloughlin@hometextilestoday.com CLASSIFIED AD SALES Spencer Whittle (336) 605-1027 swhittle@sandowmedia.com Karen Hancock (336) 605-1047 khancock@sandowmedia.com MANAGER, EUROPE Mirek Kraczkowski Tel: 48 22 401 70 01; Fax: 48 22 401 70 16 | kraczko@aol.com MANAGER, INDIA Kaushal Shah Cell: 91-9821715431; Tel: 91 22 2305 9305 Fax: 91-22-66634596 | Kaushal@kaushals.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Rich Lamb Tel: (336) 605-1074; Fax: (336) 605-1143 | rlamb@sandowmedia.com DIRECTOR, WEB OPERATIONS Chris Schultz | (336) 605-1076 | cschultz@sandowmedia.com MANAGER, CLIENT SERVICES, WEB ADVERTISING Dan Sage | (336) 605-1080 | dsage@sandowmedia.com E-MEDIA PROJECT MANAGER Missy Axe | (336) 605-1005 | maxe@sandowmedia.com DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE MARKETING Allison Ternes (704) 573-9007 | aternes@sandowmedia.com PRESIDENT, FURNITURE TODAY GROUP Kevin Castellani (336) 605-1034 | kcastellani@sandowmedia.com

News Showtime SHOWTIME FROM PAGE 1

handmade, one-of-a-kind type look.” Abercrombie Textiles introduced Ecovation fabrics, made from 100% post-consumer recycled clear plastic bottles. “We’re getting a fabulous reaction to the whole idea of recycled polyester as well as to our colors and designs,” said Debbye Lustig, director of sales and marketing. “These fabrics have a great soft hand, which is not what recycled fabric has been known for. We’re taking the inside out rather than the outside in. We’re very proud to be American made and to be partnering with Unifi in this venture.” Unifi’s Repreve brand is recognized for recycled fibers, now appearing in both the residential outdoor and hospitality furnishings segments. Each yard of Ecovation fabric saves an average of 40 plastic bottles going into landfills, Lustig said. Johnny Jones and Natalie Scott present Outdura’s fabric lineup for the 2014 season to furniture manufacturers and designers.”We’ve had a great response,” said Natalie Scott, vp of sales and marketing. “We’re all about color this season; we’re addressing colors where we had voids. We’re big on texture, too. It’s a fashion-forward line. We’re excited, and we think it’s one of the freshest Outdura lines we’ve ever had because of the new yarns we’ve added.” Covington Fabric & Design expanded to the outdoors and introduced 68 skus of fabrics, constructed

of solution-dyed polyester with polypropylene welts. “Some of the designs can coordinate and some are made to stand alone,” said Chari Voehl, design director. Covington’s coordinated designs include nautical-inspired prints of starfish, barrier reef and Caribbean, Tide Pool and Zig Zag plus Marley, Ziggy and Reggae Stripe patterns. Blue was the dominant color trend across the market, particularly a deep indigo blue and a bright aqua blue. Charles Zaberto, vp of Solarium, said blue can be a hard sell because there are so many shades available, but it’s a color many buyers want to explore. Poufs, floor cushions and outdoor throw pillows provide ample opportunity to incorporate bright pops of color against more neutral furniture

Home Textiles Today

December 31, 2012

pieces, he said. “Everyone loves blue. Everyone wants to see the blue, in particular mixing the kiwi with the blue. We’re getting a fantastic reaction to it,” Zaberto said. Though beige and chocolate brown were still on display, gray appears to be emerging as the new neutral of choice. Nellie Derocher, senior designer, Victor Group, said gray was a strong neutral shade for the company at Showtime, from light gray to charcoal. “(Gray) has sort of replaced brown, I think,” said Donna Rinaldi, senior manager, sourcing and studio management, The Robert Allen Group. “Gray with yellow, gray with blue,” HTT

Johnny Jones and Natalie Scott presented Outdura’s fabric lineup for the 2014 season to furniture manufacturers and designers.

FOUNDING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Carole Sloan 1979-2011

Bright color accents and trim add interest as fabric buyers entered Glen Raven’s showroom to see the full Sunbrella collections. SANDOW MEDIA PRESIDENT AND CEO Adam I. Sandow CFO/COO Christopher Fabian VP CREATIVE AND EDITORIAL Yolanda E. Yoh EVP, GROUP PUBLISHER James N. Dimonekas SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S.A. (866) 456-0405 All other countries: (515) 247-2984 HTTcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com FAX SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1-866-310-7181 THE BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY® 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010 Telephone: (646) 805-0227 Fax: (646) 365-2307 USPS 497-490 HOME TEXTILES TODAY (USPS 497-490) (ISSN 0195-3184) is published 29 times a year except for the weeks of 1/16, 2/6, 2/20, 3/12, 3/26, 4/9, 4/23, 5/7, 5/21, 6/4, 6/18, 7/2, 7/16, 7/30, 8/13, 8/27, 9/17, 10/1, 10/15, 10/29, 11/12, 11/26, 12/10, 12/24 by Furniture/Today Media Group, 360 Park Avenue South, 17th fl., New York, NY, 10010 a subsidiary of Sandow Media LLC, 3731 NW 8th Ave, Boca Raton, FL 33431. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. HOME TEXTILES TODAY copyright ©2012 by Sandow Media LLC. Annual subscription rates: U.S. and Canada $169.97; 1 year, other countries $325.99 for surface mail . All payments must be made in U.S. currency. Subscription inquiries: HOME TEXTILES TODAY, PO Box 5879, Harlan, IA 51593-1379. Phone: (866) 456-0405. HOME TEXTILES TODAY and THE BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY are registered trademarks of Sandow Media LLC, used under license. Sandow Media LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material contained herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever. (Posted under Canadian International Publication Agreement No.40624074. Sandow Media/CDS (Mint Hill) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HOME TEXTILES TODAY, P.O. Box 5879, Harlan, IA, 51593-1379 Email: HTTcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: RCS International; APC; PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Rich Hill, ON L4B 4R6

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