Monday, August 5, 2013
THE BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY
Frette Ramping Up Wholesale Biz Frette’s duvet fillers are woven from the long staple cotton yarn and filled with high quality goose down.
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NY Now 2013 Welcomes Home BY JILL ROWEN NEW YORK — NY Now, previously known as the New York International Gift Fair, has always attracted exhibitors and buyers by being both an international event and a regional show. Home textile companies that HTT spoke with are looking forward to the upcoming market, Aug.17 to 21, with most confirming optimism and anticipating a positive show.
As HTT reported recently, a collection called NY Now Home will showcase a large number of home suppliers all together in an area on Level 3 of the Jacob Javits Convention Center during the show. “Our thought was ‘go big or go home,’” said Tiffany Takter, sales manager, Linum Inc., explaining why the 40-year old Swedish company chose this NY Now to make its U.S. debut. SEE PREVIEW PAGE 18
Bliss Living is showing the Harper duvet, which has a navy sateen face and a multi-tonal stepped chevron — a design inspired by the slopes of the Rockies rising out of the Colorado River. See page 12 for additional NY Now introductions.
BY JENNIFER MARKS NEW YORK — Luxury linens house Frette will make its debut at NY Now this month as it looks to expand its wholesale business into the luxury retail segment in the Americas. In addition to its eight U.S. stores and ecommerce site, Frette also sells into the luxury hospitality and cruise line areas. Roughly two years ago, it began putting more emphasis on distribution to highend department stores and dot.com retailers. “I’m a big fan of letting shoppers buy where they want to buy,” Frette ceo Laurence Franklin told HTT. “We’re relatively under-distributed in the U.S. compared to other luxury brands.” SEE FRETTE PAGE 28
Inside This Issue Koltes Revs for 30th Anniversary .......................................................page 4 Two-Minute Warning ...........................................................................page 6 Right On…line ......................................................................................page 6 Bedside Manor a Four-Shop Mainstay in Chicago Suburbs..............................................................page 8 MSLO’s JCP Biz Buoys Q2; Macy’s Sales Flat ......................................page 26
Meet the Contenders NEW YORK — Home Textiles Today is spotlighting six first-time exhibitors at the NY Now show (previously the New York International Gift Fair) in our America’s Next Great Home Textiles Company series. Three industry judges will visit the companies at the Javits Center here during the show, which runs from Aug 17-21. In future issues of HTT, they will evaluate the companies on their booth presentation, product development and marketing. The winner will be announced during the winter 2014 edition of NY Now, which is set for Feb. 1-6. To learn more about the companies, turn to pages 10-11.
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America’s Next Great Home Textiles Company A SPECIAL REPORT
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Home Textiles Today
August 5, 2013
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Koltes Revs for 30th Anniversary becoming more interested in color again, which I think is repN EW YORK — As industry leg- resentative of the more optimisend Nancy Koltes approaches tic attitude among consumers. her third decade in the home We are ready to embrace sometextiles business, the design- thing more exciting, more fasher is getting ready to launch a ion. And for me it’s very rewardnew collection of coloring to go back and centric linens that repstart working again resents a new avenue for with color and bring her timeless signature it back to the marketlines. place.” “This is a big anniKoltes’ career in versary for me. I have textiles got started in managed to survive 30 1984. NANCY KOLTES years in this very vola“I came out of the tile business,” she told design side,” she said. HTT. “And for this anniversa- “I had a textile collection — all ry, I would like to present a re- Italian, wide width, and back invention of classic patterns in then most designers didn’t know my line. I still have some clas- what to do with wide width. So sics that are part of the collec- I made many custom bed lintion and I am looking to contin- ens.” ue with them and regenerated She recalled that all-natural and reintroduce them.” cotton linens “were unheard of Koltes, who is participating in those days. People were not in the summer 2013 New York using them at all.” Home Textiles Market from Koltes tried to convince peoAug.17-21, is gearing up for the ple to buy and use all-natural unveiling of these new offerings cotton sheeting, “but it was not from the New York City show- easy,” she recalled. “Particularroom of her company — Studio ly, ladies in New York City were Domus — at 230 Fifth Avenue concerned about using them. in suite 1906. They didn’t know how to care “Post-recession, we searched for them and didn’t know how for tranquility and my collec- to train their housekeepers to tions became more neutral, wash and iron them.” more spa-like, more watercolor. As she observed, “the indusPeople were nesting and needed try has since then changed enorsomething that was calming.,” mously.” she explained. “We are emergIt was not much later, in ing from that now. The market 1988, when Neiman Marcus is strengthening and people are decided to launch a fine linens BY CECILE B. CORRAL
Peacock Alley founder Mary Ella Gabler says took for her to get her business started 40 years ago. She chose words from the late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to further explain her sentiments. “Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” That is how Gabler starts her new book, “Uncommon Thread. A Woman, A Brand, A Legacy: The Story of Peacock Alley Fine Linens” – which is being self-published. The 265-page autobiography, written by Gabler with Denise Gee, will be sold starting Sept. 1 by Peacock Alley via its stores, web-
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Eleanor’s Ribbon, one of Koltes’ original bedding collections, remains part of her line.
catalog that featured collections of luxury bedding, cotton bedding and other upscale linens. “A few players were involved here in New York and elsewhere — just a few of us purveyors of fine linens and sheeting,” Koltes said. “But most importantly, what [Neiman Marcus’] linens book did was introduce fine Italian linens to the U.S. market, and ultimately changed the whole industry. It launched the category in the marketplace.”
Peacock Alley’s Gabler Pens Autobiography With Inspirational Messages DALLAS — Courage sums up, in word, what
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site and trunk shows. Gabler said she is also planning a brief tour for book signings at key retail partners around the country in the coming months. The book is a first for Gabler, who has spent the nearly two years working on the project. The idea for it started out as a coffee table book. But that plan changed before she even put pen to paper. “I started looking around and realized that there were already many pretty coffee table
At the time, Koltes was focused mainly on custom work. For the Neiman Marcus book, she offered several collections — including her Eleanor’s Ribbon, which she still carries today — and added accessories to the mix like top of bed components and decorative pillows. With that, “my whole manufacturing side of the business was launched.” However, the story is not that
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Home Textiles Today
August 5, 2013
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OPINIONTodaY Right On…line
Two-Minute Warning
O
K , IT’S R E A LLY MOR E like a three-week warning for suppliers taking part in the New York Home Fashions Market week next month. You’ve got just shy of three weeks to get your new product information to us for HTT’s big market
issue. The deadline to submit photos and descriptions of your new product lines is Friday, Aug. 23. Email your information to HTTSamplesNY@ gmail.com. Digital product images should be at least 4-by-6 inches at 300 dpi (1,200 by 1,800 pixels). To reduce attachment sizes for e-mail, we recommend sending your images in JPEG file format. We can also accept .TIFF, .PSD, and .EPS files. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF If you prefer to send a physical sample or digital files on disc, they should be addressed to: Peter Sherwood, Home Textiles Today, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 17th Floor, New York, NY, 10020. If you have any questions about formatting or what’s appropriate to send, call (917) 934-2858. We’re publishing three issues about market: the market preview issue (Sept. 16), the big market issue (Sept. 22) and the market daily (Sept. 24). If your company has some news that deserves a story, I heartily recommend you contact us about it sooner rather than later. The space fills up quickly, and by the time market week itself rolls around it’s too late. I’ve already gotten a few calls from folks asking about story deadlines. I’m encouraging everybody to get their news in by Sept. 6. You can contact me at jnegley@hometextilestoday.com or senior editor Cecile Corral at cbcorral@aol.com. Also, fyi, I’ll be doing showroom preview visits the week before market officially begins, mostly from Sept. 18-20. Your showroom doesn’t have to be perfect. I’ve done pre-market walk-throughs in construction zones where the ‘presentation’ consisted of pulling product out of boxes. So don’t worry, I’ll get it. Consider yourself informed. HTT
Jennifer Marks
O
K, LET’S DO A HEAD count first. All vendors who are not — repeat, not — selling to consumers directly, either under their own name or some third-party phony-baloney name, please take two steps into that closet over there on the left. All the other vendors who are selling direct can report to the grand ballroom over there. The battle for direct Warren distribution, don’t look now, is over. Shoulberg Way back when in the PUBLISHER/ dark ages, when the InterEDITORIAL DIRECTOR net first became a commercial vehicle to sell stuff — remember when everyone called it the Informational Superhighway? — there was a lot of debate and chest-beating about who would control this channel of distribution. The candidates were this new upstart class of e-tailers — some oddly named company called Amazon but also seeming invincible operations like eToys and Pets.com — and trailing far behind, the brick-and-mortar retailers who had controlled retail sales since the days of the General Store. Vendors? No way, Jack. Fast forward a couple of retail lifetimes and an altered state of reality has evolved. Yes, Amazon, along with eBay, flash sites and some specialized players have endured and become real
players. But it’s the in-store retailers who have come to dominate the online space, much to the consternation of all of those so-called experts who predicted otherwise. And what do you know, suppliers and vendors are right smack in the middle of this thing, too. In the home space there probably isn’t a single major player — Hunter Douglas window coverings might be the best-known exception — that isn’t selling direct, either under their own name or some cockamamie disguise. Their retail customers moaned and groaned and threatened to pull their business, but the tide was too strong and the rewards too big for vendors to capitulate. If retailers really wanted to boycott direct-selling suppliers, they would have pretty empty shelves these days. This is not some morality play, either. How many stores are trying to go direct to manufacturing sources and cut out their vendors? This is just the way business is being done today. So any vendor that is still wrestling with their business conscience and wondering how transparent they want to be needs to come out of the supply closet and put legitimate effort into building this side of their operation. This is just the way business is being done today. Which means going with your best products, not supplemental also-rans. It means going with your best prices and brands, not being worried about your so-called retail partners. It means getting serious about online, not doing it because … well, you think you have to. The battle for direct distribution is over. And the consumer has won. HTT
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8/1/2013 12:42:31 PM
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Retail Briefs
Revman Headed for Empire State Building 12, the company’s new phone in its uptown showroom here on number will be (212) 894-3100. Company president and Avenue of the Americeo Rich Roman said mocas, Revman Internativations for the move were tional will relocate this financial and geographic. month to the Empire When Revman opened State Building. its showroom on Avenue of The home texthe Americas at 47th Street tiles brand specialist in 1989, most of the big — whose licenses inU.S. mills had their New clude Tommy Hilfiger, RICH ROMAN York offices nearby. Laura Ashley, Tommy Revman “That’s where the marBahama, Vera Wang, ket for home fashions was,” Eddie Bauer, Nautica, Marimekko, Steve Madden, Can- he said. “It was the place to be.” Revman has since become the dice Olsen and Perry Ellis, among others — will occupy the full 70th northern-most outpost of for an infloor at 350 Fifth Ave. Once the dustry whose showrooms are largemove has been completed on Aug. ly located on or near 5th Avenue
NEW YORK — After nearly 25 years
between 27th and 34th Streets. The Empire State showroom being designed by architectural firm Schweitzer + Associates will give Revman more flexibility in displaying its brands. A system of moveable walls will allow the company to expand or contract space and create meeting spaces for specific presentations. “It’s nice to be able to design a space from the get-go,” said Roman. The new showroom also allows Revman to display the Nautica brand alongside its others. Nautica had previously been housed in its own showroom at 295 Fifth Ave. HTT
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Home Textiles Today
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Men’s Wearhouse to Acquire Joseph Abboud Brand
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pecialty apparel chain The Men’s Wearhouse has signed an agreement to acquire JA Holding, parent company of the Joseph Abboud clothing brand as well as the owner of the Joseph Abboud Home, Joe Joseph Abboud, Joseph Abboud Boys brands. The deal for approximately $97.5 million in cash is expected to close during the third quarter. JA Holding is currently majority-owned by funds affiliated with J.W. Childs Associates, L.P. Menswear designer Joseph Abboud launched the brand in 1987. He has served as chief creative director of Men’s Wearhouse since December 2012. Joseph Abboud Home licensing agreements in in home textiles include Sam Salem for fashion bedding and Nourison for rugs.
Hudson’s Bay Company Buys Saks
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Uncommon Thread GABLER FROM PAGE 4
books out there,” she told HTT. “I discussed it with my sons, who are now both running the business, and they said, ‘Mom, just tell your story. We have a 40th anniversary coming up this year, we know some of the things you’ve been through, and it could be inspirational to a lot of people to read about your story.’ So that is what got me started thinking about changing the format.” The result: An inspiration-inclined, first-person account about Gabler and her self-started company – from its origins to the present day. Almost as soon as she got started, Gabler realized her task would not be easy. “It was difficult, I will tell you,” she explained. “And it was a journey. Writing this book and putting it together proved to be a real journey of my life while I was living through the whole Peacock Alley part of it.” And the hardest part of the effort, she continued, was reflecting on the many different decisions she confronted and made over the years in building her brand
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and business. “I felt it was a soul-searching exercise,” Gabler went on. “As I put it together, I remembered different things, and different decisions I had to make over the years, and it got me thinking more deeply about why I had made those decisions made those choices. At the time, I had pressures and had to think about matters more quickly. Now I have more time to consider them. And it has been hard in some respects going back.” That’s not to say she isn’t proud of the outcomes, and that the experience of writing her book about her career was not “truly terrific.” “As I say in the book, when you are a positive person and you try to look at situations in a positive way, it is hard when you are involved in negative situations. But you put that behind you, learn from it, and go on, which is what I always tried to do in my life,” Gabler explained. “But when you have to write about it years later,” she added, “it is almost like you are going to a psychotherapist. Upon reflection, you wonder why you thought the way you did back then. You think more about decisions you had made in a different way than when you made it.” Peacock Alley – “Forty years
and still dreaming,” as the company notes on its logo -- is one of the most recognized and respected luxury linens brands and suppliers in the industry, thanks to the dedication and hard work of Gabler and more recently, her two sons – Jason, ceo, and Josh, vp of sourcing and product development. It is to them that she has dedicated the book. And it is to her future readers that she hopes to pass on some inspiration not just professionally but also personally – just as she did to her two sons. “I want it to be particularly inspiring to women,” said Gabler. “They have such a challenge today, juggling all that they do – their work and their families. But there is a way to juggle it all and still have a successful career. It just takes passion for what you do, and I feel very lucky to have found my passion and lived it.” Quoting the words of Virginia Satir at the onset of the seventh and final chapter, dubbed “Continuity”: “Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individuals’ differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible – the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.” HTT
udson’s Bay Company is adding to its department store portfolio with the acquisition of New Yorkbased Saks Incorporated for approximately US$2.9 billion. In the U.S., HBC also owns 48-unit Lord & Taylor. In Canada, it operates Hudson’s Bay, the nation’s largest department stores with 90 locations, as well as the 69store Home Outfitters home furnishings specialty chain. The acquisition plan includes bringing Saks into the Canadian market via full-line, outlet and online formats and building upon Canada’s position as saks.com’s largest international ship-to market. HBC also plans to expand the number of Off 5TH’s outlets throughout the U.S.
PBTeen Adds To Store Base
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illiams-Sonoma Inc. nameplate PBteen recently opened its first stores in Maryland and Orange County, Calif. The new East Coast site is located in Annapolis at the Westfield Annapolis 1800 Annapolis Mall. The West Coast store is in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., which is home to Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids stores.
Victoria’s Secret Gets into Dorm Bedding
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ntimate apparel retailer Victoria’s Secret is revving up for the Back-To-College season with a bedding collection in its Back To School Shop. Three comforter designs are available in twin, full/ queen and king sizes priced from $109 to $129. Coordinated print sheet sets are priced from $69 to $99. The collection also includes a stadium blanket, body pillow, duvet cover and a pillowcase set.
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Home Textiles Today
August 5, 2013
News
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and Michael Carroll have mastered the home textiles specialty retailing business in their vast suburban market. Co-owners and operators of Bedside Manor Ltd., the married couple and parents of three 20-somethings have managed to raise their family and grow their business over the past 28 years into a four-unit chain of luxury linen stores in spite of external economic hurdles and rapidly shifting practices in the industry. Meg Carroll was actually the one who founded the business. She aligned forces with her longtime friend and colleague Rosella Louis, founder of Brass Bed of Denver, which was featured in this monthly column in the May 13 issue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started the store in 1985 with my friend. We were partners,â&#x20AC;? Carroll told HTT. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My background was in department stores. I was a buyer for Carsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and wanted to do something different. So I turned to my friend from college at the University of Denver, Rosella, who went into specialty retailing with the opening of her own store â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Brass Bed of Denver.â&#x20AC;? Louis, who today operates a two-unit chain that this year celebrates its 35th anniversary in business, acted as Carrollâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50/50 yet silent partner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She helped me get the business started, with the idea that one day I would buy her out,â&#x20AC;? she explained. And about four years later, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly what happened. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My husband, Michael, who was working in finance, left his job to work with me. We bought out our partner, and we got started expanding our business.â&#x20AC;? Together, the Carrolls built Bedside Manor into a mini
Back-To-School has emerged as an important selling season for Bedside Manor. The segment has grown by 30% over the past three years, spurred by affordable high quality collections in trend-right colors and patterns by John Robshaw, Pine Cone Hill, Yves Delorme â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all of which have new product featured on this bed display at the store.
Meg and Michael Carroll
empire of neighborhood luxury linens shops, surviving the recession almost intact, maintaining their four-unit operation, and most proudly, never letting anyone go from their staff. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been through some economic recessions, but it really didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t affect our clientele until 2009,â&#x20AC;? she explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Before that, we were in a real growth stage. Things were easier. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true that good business and lots of business bring on a whole set of challenges. But we were rocking for several years
for sure. Then when the recession hit, we really didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to close our stores. It was four long years of trying to figure out how to work smarter, and we obviously ordered a lot less merchandise. And if ever a staff member moved on, we just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t replace them. But we never let anyone go during that time, and we are very proud of that. Instead, we made changes within our organization in terms of hats people wore. But we kept everyone we had on staff.â&#x20AC;? When Carroll established the company, she did so much as her partner had: with brass and iron beds, as well with some Amish quilts and some limited bed linens from Palais Royale (which today is known as Yves Delorme), Brinkhaus, and now defunct-Coverdown.
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“What we had was a smattering of European linens to help the consumer focus on the beds, and back then, our brass and iron beds comprised about 80% of our business,” she said. To d a y, t h a t f i g u r e h a s “flipped,” Carroll said. Bedding linens generate 80% of Bedside Manor’s business, while small furniture and accessories make up 20%. “As years passed, our business has dramatically changed,” she explained. “As European linens have come more and more into the U.S. market, that is where our growth has come and taken us to four stores.” Bedside Manor’s first unit opened in the village of Long Grove, a Northwest suburb of Chicago. “It was in a cute, old-fashioned shopping and restaurant town — a very nice place for us to start our business because Long Grove is such a destination spot,” Carroll said. “We were there about four years when we decided to open a store in Lincoln Park,” — which remains open today as Bedside Manor’s
Home Textiles Today
August 5, 2013
flagship site. About a year and a half later the Carrolls began working together — Michael heading all operations, Meg in charge of merchandising, marketing, and advertising. Also around that time, they were starting a family. “Our commute to Long Grove became a little too long, so we closed that store in 1991 and kept only our Chicago store,” she said. They ran the single store until 1996, when they opened a new shop in Winnetka — a suburb on the North Shore of Chicago. “Winnetka was a natural place for us to be because there are a lot of home furnishings stores and design stores there,” Carroll said. “And it is still that way. It’s our highest volume store to this day.” Encouraged by growth in sales, the Carrolls then opened a third store — this time in Hinsdale, a suburb due west of Chicago. “Again, we picked Hinsdale because it is also an upscale area with good schools and high home values.” Carroll recalled the forma-
tive years of both her business and family in the late 80s and early 90s. “Our kids were born in 1988, 1989 and 1991 — it was all kind of fast,” she said. “And so during those years, we were living in Lincoln Park and our store was in Lincoln Park. So as we grew as a family we decided to expand our business and have multiple stores. We considered one big store at one point. But in the end, we decided the Chicago market was big enough for more, and there weren’t any other stores like us anywhere, so multiple stores — like boutiques — in the nicer areas would ultimately be a smarter move for us.” Bedside Manor’s fourth store opened in 2001 in Lake Forest. As the national economy has been slowly improving, Bedside Manor is seeing its business respond. “Now we feel like we are recovering,” Carroll said. “A couple of our stores are doing some pre-recession numbers and we’re seeing good increases at one store that had the hardest time.”
Fashion has become more seasonal and basics have taken over as a core business. “We are way more selective about what we do bring into the stores,” she explained. “But we do have some fashion inventory. We have great relationships with some key vendors.” Bedside Manor’s basics line is anchored by the store’s private label program, dubbed just that — Private Label — which was developed via a small company in Italy. “We stock a beautiful 460count hemstitch in white and ivory sheeting, and we have five different embroidered patterns on that same base cloth,” she said. This program also has a few other simple looks. Other basics programs in stock include Sferra and Yves Delorme, among a few others. On the fashion bedding side, vendors include: SDH — “a very important vendor to us, very, very important,” Carroll noted; Ann Gish, and John Robshaw, as well as others. This month, fashion plays a more central role at Bedside
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Manor in time for back-to-school — a season that has grown by about 30% for the company over the past three years. “Our back-to-school programs are from the likes of John Robshaw, Pine Cone Hill, Matouk,” she said. “These brands are a little more affordable and a little more fun, and they offer a lot of pattern and color and a fun vibe.” She added that BTS creates another reason to “keep us fresh out there for the customer. We are working on not being so promotional, and instead looking at parts of the seasonal business to stir business.” At the Winnetka store, BTS has seen a noticeable uptick over the past two to three years. “People are coming in to buy really beautiful linens for their high school students or for the dorm rooms of their college kids,” she said. “So this year we are focusing on doing some magazine advertising toward a more youthful look and reaching out to show we have in stores and that we are broadening that assortment.” HTT
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7/31/2013 11:10:11 AM
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Home Textiles Today
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America’s Next Great Home Textiles Company A SPECIAL REPORT
News
Meet the Contenders This summer’s first-time NY Now exhibitors include retail veterans as well as entrepreneurs from outside the home furnishings world, each taking aim at fashion with a unique point of view.
Vestiges
Mary Lazarus, left, and Lucy Consonni Pelizzer with their European-inspired towels.
Mary Lazarus, ceo of Vestiges, is a brand launch pro. Lazarus was a co-founder of Caldrea and Mrs. Meyers, the earth-friendly home cleaning brands that were eventually sold to SE Johnson. Like many supply-side entrepreneurs, her roots are in department store retailing. Lucy Consonni Pelizzer, Vestiges’ vp, moved to Minnesota in 1991 and began teaching Italian — which is how she met Lazarus. Consonni Pelizzer also went to work for Lazarus’ company, and after the sale decided Lazarus should start another business. During her student travels in Europe, Lazarus had fallen in love with souvenir towels and that became the inspiration for Vestiges, founded in 2010, which produces high-quality cotton printed pique towels. Designs now include all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and some major cities. “Our differentiation is we operate with large company discipline, even though we are a small company,” she added. “We are always in stock and we fulfill excellently.”
Courtney Collection
Kathleen Courtney Chan loves timeless imagery.
Courtney Collection began with a small store front, Luxury Pillows, which opened in San Francisco in December 2000 and remains in business today. Store owner and interior designer Kathleen Courtney Chan will be coming to Javits for the first showing of Courtney Collection custom-designed pillows drawing on her background of doing high-end hotel and resort projects in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jakarta, Indonesia, Chennai, India and resorts in Bali and Thailand. Most of the pillows are made in San Francisco, though some are manufactured in North Carolina and oversees. Chan’s aim is high-quality, pieces with staying power. “I feel things need to be classic and timeless,” she said. “I don’t want you to throw this away. I want these to be passed on.” Her current design mood swings toward whimsy. “What has me jazzed right now is authenticity and genuine things. What are you going to add to something classic that gives it a twist?”
Henry Handwork
Tim O’Hearn is bringing new designs to a legacy portfolio he acquired last fall.
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Tim O’Hearn began as an apparel buyer for May Company and now owns three linens stores: French Quarter Linen (Portland, Ore.), Samuel Scheuer (San Francisco) and the new Maison de Blanc in Beverly Hills. Last fall, he acquired a small wholesale company called Statements whose owner was retiring – along with the client list and the inventory of hand and guest towels, cocktail napkins, dinner napkins, and wine bags. After renaming the business, O’Hearn travelled to Vietnam to work with producers there on expanding the product, which had always been embroidered on a white cotton base. He added pure linen in natural and ivory as well as colored cotton and introduced dozens of new designs. Between legacy and new artwork, Henry Handwork now carries 300 patterns. “I’m taking an old business and making it relevant to today’s consumer,” he said. “The idea is to branch out.”
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Simple Things “Conceived in Ireland. Born in Peru” is the motto for Simple Things, a Dublin-based producer of alpaca throws, shawls, baby blankets and slippers. Owners Shane and Sabrina (aka Breezy) McGlynn were pursuing careers in business before they started the company — he in commercial real estate and she as an art director at a major advertising agency. “We were looking for a change,” he said. On visit to the West of Ireland they found it, crossing paths with a man raising alpaca. They began researching, which ultimately led to a three-week trip to Peru. They travelled the Andres, checking out everything from large ranchers to small farmers and production facilities ranging from commercial mills to family groups. Simple Things was founded five years ago, the company’s first big account coming from Harrod’s. From there, business expanded into The Conran Shop, Liberty and Selfridges. Two years ago, the company opened its first door in the United States — at Neiman Marcus. “We’re a small brand and very niche, with an absolute focus on superb quality at moderate to upper moderate prices,” said McGlynn.
Shane and Sabrina McGlynn set off on a different path after meeting an alpaca farmer in the West of Ireland.
La Cozi Sunghee Kim launched her business in 2011, spurred by a love of home décor. But there is also some family precedent in home furnishings. Kim’s parents own a business in South Korea that manufactures curtains and blinds for the hospitality trade. When it came time to create her own company, however, she gravitated toward the sleep end of the business. La Cozi’s product assortment includes duvet cover sets for adults and kids, sheet sets, baby blankets, dec pillow covers, napkin sets, and printed fabric by the yard in light, medium and heavy weights. Some products carry her own designs and others use the work of outside artists. “I try to create high-quality products that are still affordable,” said Kim. Kim began selling from her web site, lacozi.com, in late 2011 and wants to expand her products into boutique customers. La Cosi does custom order work, often made in the U.S. Sunghee Kim’s line marries quality with affordability.
Silk Story Serendipity (in the form of his wife’s job transfer) brought Arun Jain to Shanghai, where he discovered silk “needle paintings” called SiXiu. Relocation to Bangalore got him into the business of bringing SiXiu from China back to India. And involvement with silk got him into the home textiles business. “The idea of silk being used in unusual ways is Silk Story,” said Jain, ceo, who brought his nephew Devesh Jain into the company as vp. Founded four years ago, Silk Story’s range includes silk-filled duvets with silk or cotton covers, pillows, blankets and accessories. Bedding launched this past January and the company is revamping its web site as it broadens its reach to the wholesale market. “At the end of the day, I think our products speak for themselves,” said Jain.
Arun Jain, right, and Devesh Jain, left, are translating the heritage of silk into modern products.
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Mytex LLC welcomes a new day with its Sunrise collection, a yarn-dyed jacquard comforter with accessories made of faux silk.
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LinenMe has created the Emilia tablecloth, seen here in Rainforest Green. It is a 100% linen hemstitched style and comes in 49 other colors.
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For Michele Keeler Home, Turquoise is one of the three new colors being introduced to its collection of hand loomed towels, which are woven in Turkey of 100% untreated cotton and finished with hand-tied fringe.
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Famous Home’s Serge Blue bedding collection offers a young urban look by Essenza and features a black and white graphic print of a street scene.
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Vietri Accent Linens’ Glamour collection pieces are created with P. Kaufman fabrics in high-fashion colors and designs. They are machine washable and can be laid flat to dry.
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Textillery Weavers’ bamboo chevron throw is hand-woven in India. It comes in ocean blue and natural bamboo.
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7/31/2013 10:46:10 AM
COUNTDOWN TO INTERTEXTILE SHANGHAI HOME TEXTILES /A SPECIAL ADVERTISING REPORT
The Textiles World Gets Ready To Gather In Shanghai
Expo Centre, a world-class exhibition facility spread out over 12 adjacent halls and more than 1.5 million square feet of space.
The largest trade fair in Asia for home textiles is rapidly approaching and there are many reasons for Americans to attend…and still time to make your travel arrangements
These include the leading Chinese manufacturers who are set up for export to the U.S. There will also be an extensive collection of decorative fabric resources in several of the East halls.
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t’s 22 days -- and counting to opening day of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles, the biggest trade fair for the industry on the Asian continent.
Are you packed yet? More than 40,000 people are expected to attend the three-day event, held at the Shanghai New International
This year’s fair will feature over 1,350 exhibitors from 31 countries and regions presenting American show-goers with a wide assortment of opportunities from resources around the world. These are among the many choices. Chinese Suppliers A large number of Chinese domestic textiles suppliers will occupy halls W3-W5 and E1-E7 including featured bedding and towel suppliers in halls W3 and W4.
Proposte China For the first time ever, the famed Proposte fair from Italy will be represented in Shanghai with the Proposte China Pavilion, featuring 24 premium home textiles decorative and furniture fabric suppliers from Italy and elsewhere in Europe. This promises to be a can’tmiss stop, the only place outside of Proposte itself to see
these companies. The pavilion will be in hall W1. The European Hall In addition to the Proposte China Pavilion, there will be a large number of European companies showing independently, also in hall W1. The line-up includes companies from Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. These companies will be showing a wide variety of products including upholstery, bedding, bath towels and accessories and floor coverings. The Overseas Hall This area includes exhibitors from Asia, Australia and the Americas showing a broad assortment of product, much of it more reasonably priced than can be found elsewhere at the fair. This is located in hall W2.
casing the latest designs from more than 40 international design studios. This is located in hall W1. Seminars and Forums A key component of Intertextile has always been a full schedule of seminars and forums, many translated into multiple languages and covering a wide variety of business, market, design and trend subjects. One of the highlights for American attendees will be a session being held on Wednesday, Aug. 28 featuring a presentation of trends and analysis from Home Textiles Today. That session runs from 4:00 to 5:30pm and will be held in room W2-M2 and is open to all fair attendees. To find out more, download the visitor guide at www.intertextilehome.com. Or contact us at textile@hongkong. messefrankfurt.com to request a printed copy.
Trends and Designs The Intertextile International Lifestyle Trend Forum is a comprehensive resource for those looking to understand the home living trends for 2014. This is located in hall W1. There is also the Intertextile Design Boutique show-
Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles - Autumn Edition will be held August 27-29 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai, China. For more information, please visit www.intertextilehome.com.
Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles will feature exhibitors from 31 countries and regions, making it the largest home textiles trade fair on the Asian continent.
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Ann Gish’s new viscose quilting luxury bedding collection, Luster, is available in the silver colorway seen here as well as champagne, rattan, and russet.
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DownRight is presenting the Eiderdown comforter covered with a silk shell and filled with the rare down harvested in Iceland from abandoned nests in special Eider Duck sanctuaries.
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Slate & Coral is showing its new decorative coverlet with attached duvet cover inspired by mosaics and ornamental tiling of the Middle East.
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Frette’s Montecito collection features hand-drawn peonies sketched on white printed piqué and decorative cushions with hand-made appliqués.
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Bellino Fine Linens’ yarn-dyed jacquard collection includes Norah, with florals in brown hues on a neutral background in a duvet and shams.
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Ambatalia is promoting eco-friendly habits with its Remember Me satchel, a linen-made shopping bag with a social media campaign to bring awareness marine life impacted plastic waste.
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Sferra is showing its Janella collection, a delicately embroidered floral that graces the luxury company’s best-selling Italian-woven White Celeste percale sheeting.
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Pyar is introducing the Nirakar collection, which translates to abstract in Hindi. The 18-by-18-inch cushion depicts vibrant colorful sequins in raspberry and electric blue, and is accented with white and subtle gold shades.
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Libeco’s Maxwell bedding collection is made from 100% Belgian linen and constructed with a herringbone weave in a palette of warm browns, grays, and creams.
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Kevin O’Brien’s Metallic Links velvet pillow is made of silk/rayon velvet, and features scroll-like lines linked together across the fabric to form an ornate pattern reminiscent of Baroque and Art Nouveau iron work.
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Chilewich’s Knits placemat collection encompasses round pieces knitted with extruded vinyl yarns for easy care and indoor/outdoor use. Made in the USA, they come in brown, tan and gray.
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2. Chortex is introducing its Tramlines collection which includes embellished towels — wash cloths, hand and bath towels, and bath sheets, all of them made of 100% combed cotton. 3. Pendleton is showing 100% alpaca throws made in the United States. 4. Ox Bow Decor is introducing its 20-by-20 Waving Santa pillow available in linen (antique white) with corded or knife edge and down fill as well as hidden zipper in back
NY Now PREVIEW FROM PAGE 1
Designs from the company’s soft furnishings, including tabletop and decorative pillows, have the Scandinavian esthetic that “has always been well received in the U.S.” One of the products on display will be its West Collection, a 100% stone washed linen offered in tablecloths and napkins as well as placemats, tea towels, runners and decorative pillows. “We’re pretty optimistic; the mood is good,” noted Meg Woodhouse, director of marketing, John Matouk & Co. For the show, the company is showcasing its Casual Couture tabletop. The line includes different shaped placements and three styles of coordinating napkins, available in 10 colors. To
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take care of its textiles, the company is also introducing an ecofriendly laundry detergent for the first time and re-introducing a home fragrance line with three new scents. “We’re very excited about the show. It’s been a busy summer. I feel like we’ve weathered the storm and things are good,” said Judith Rose, owner, Textillery Weavers. The makers of high-end throws are showing products in three areas; its classic chenille throw, a bamboo chevron handwoven throw and an ethnic, Arizona-inspired design that looks like an Indian wrapped blanket. Textillery is also offering indoor/ outdoor options. “It’s a trend people are paying attention to now, but we’ve always done it,” said Rose. “It was always a mat-
ter of how much time and space do we devote to it.” “I think buyers were more upbeat and confident in their buying these last few shows, and I expect New York to be the same,” said Cathy Deale, founder of Jacaranda Living. Among the new designs, Jacaranda will show a ginger jar motif on pillows and guest towels in a natural linen. Natural linen, beige and other neutrals are the color focus in its new lines. “Even in some of our holiday designs, we’ve replaced the red and green with more neutral shades,” she said. For M & Z Marketing, known for its bedding and pillow products, NY Now presents an opportunity to reach gift buyers and expand into new categories. According to Clyde Zucker, presi-
dent, the company has done well with an animal print blanket that specifically fits the gift category. The newest entry in its Pillows With A Purpose collection is the Crease-Less Pillow, designed to help minimize wrinkles. Design Weave will also be focusing on its performance products, including its Cocona license, which helps with moisture management. According to Jack Kurilla, svp, the company has added quilting designs and other fashion touches to help support the value of its performance bedding products. Overall, Karilla notes that education is a constant in the performance industry as the price band for performance items is pushed up. According to Caroline DeFrance, founder and designer for Mia + Finn, new designs in
its line were inspired by French tiles from the beginning of the century. Among the new bedding introductions, Thomas is block printed in a Nautical Blue color with matching flange. Eugenie is available with Nautical Blue cotton lace or fuchsia lace. The company has also added shine to its some of its tabletop items to make them “more holiday friendly” with silver accents, said DeFrance. Classic Concepts Inc. will show three new pillow collections from its Villa brand at NY Now. The company recently named Nikki Chu, the original designer for the Villa pillow line, as its new creative director for the entire textiles division. Chu will refresh the Villa brand as well as Classic Concepts rug collections. HTT
7/31/2013 11:15:53 AM
Is this your plan for NY Market Week?
Let Home Textiles Today help you with a smart, cost-efficient marketing program to make your market week a success. Your HTT sales representative can give you all the details.
TEXTILES IS OUR MIDDLE NAME
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Home Textiles Today
Koltes
KOLTES FROM PAGE 4
simple. Koltes created several photo samples for the Neiman Marcus book and was waiting for the fabric to arrive at the Milanbased facility with which she had a partnership. “But it was August, and basically everything shut down in
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August 5, 2013
Italy for the month,” Koltes said. “So at the end of July I got a call that they could not get the color for the border because they were closing in two days [for summer vacation]. So I had them send me the fabric and I’d get it done. I got an extension from Neiman’s, set up a workshop in my [New York City] loft, gathered people who could do cutting and sewing, and we got to work.”
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She noted that she needed to have the border specially dyed, which somewhat complicated matters. “In those days, New York had a much more extensive fashion industry, which extended all the way to where I was, in the Flatiron district. I got the color. And that is how I started my domestic work room,” she said. “But I will say, it was a good thing I knew how to cut and sew. My grand-
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mother was a wonderful seamstress and taught me, and I in turn was able to teach my staff to make the product. It was a happy ending to what could have been a disaster.” Another feather in the cap for the fine linens category came in the early 1990s when ABC Carpet and Home launched a home store, and included Koltes’ wares in the merchandise mix. “We had a nice association for
a number of years,” she said. “The business flourished, and fine linens became a category that was well known. Cotton sheeting became a strong category. And the rest, as they say, is history.” It was also around that time that Koltes served for almost a decade as the president of thenScandia Down (today known as Scandia Home). “I was running the business as well as manufacturing linens for the Scandia store,” she said. “We were interested in making sure the store carried a larger breadth of products, and not so specifically oriented to just one category, being down.” Retailer became another title on Koltes’ resume in 1993, when while with Scandia, she bought two of the company’s Californiabased units amid Scandia’s then bankruptcy. They were located in Costa Mesa and Beverly Hills. Eventually, her chain grew into seven stores around the country. But a few years ago, when the recession started, Koltes found an opportunity to restructure her company in a way to better adapt to the many shifts in the home textiles industry. In May 2009, she formed Studio Domus by partnering with Ridvan Tatargil — principal of Eastern Accents. Studio Domus’ president and creative director is Koltes, and she works from here at the company’s showroom; Tatargil, in turn, serves as managing partner/director of operations. All of her linens still originate in Italy, but cut-and-sew production is done from Studio Domus’ Chicago-based headquarters. Since forming this new venture, Koltes has turned her focus, via Studio Domus, on designing, manufacturing and wholesaling her lines as well as exclusive down bedding to specialty retailers — a segment of the industry that she said is experiencing notable sales increases post recession, thanks to some improvements in the economy paired with customers’ new perspectives and attitudes about fine linens. “The world has changed and today we have a new generation that understands this category better than their predecessors,” she observed. “Fine linens and all of the different products that make up the category have emerged as a category that is accepted and embraced.” HTT
7/31/2013 11:17:54 AM
September 22-26, 2013 Fall NY Home Fashions Market Week 7 West 34th Street
Make appointments to see these oustanding suppliers: AMR Internacional LDA
Carvalho – Fabrica De Tecidos Do Carvalho, LDA
PureCare by Fabrictech
Website: www.amr.pt Contact: amribeiro@amr.pt
Website: www.ftcarvalho.com Contact: ftcarvalho@ ftcarvalho.com
Website: www.fabrictech.com Contact: chrissyg@fabrictech.com
American Green Rug
Texeis Colmaco – Industria De Colchas, LDA
Nance Carpet & Rug
Website: americangreenrug.com Contact: johnmcleold@americangreenrug.com
Website: www.colmaco.com Contact: Esmerelda@colmaco.com
Website: www.nancecarpet.com Contact: sean.adcock@nancecarpet.com
Al Karam Towel Industries
DS – Domingos De Sousa & Filhos, SA
Serta, Inc.
Website: www.alkaramtowelindustries.com Contact: charla@alkaramtowel.com
Website: www.domingossousa.pt Contact: dsousa@domingossousa.pt
Website: www.serta.com Contact: Kmorris@sertanational.com
Akshaj Ventures
Finera – Confeccoes Texeis, LDA
Shamrock Tekstil
Contact: Pankaj_vangavi@yahoo.in
Website: www.finera.pt Contact: finera@finera.pt
Website: www.shamrock.com.tr Contact: Billgehan.kahraman@shamrock.com.tr
Giestal Home Textiles
United Weavers
Website: www.giestal.com Contact: joao@giestal.com
Website: www.unitedweavers.net Contact: diane@unitedweavers.net
Bombay Dyeing and Mfg. Website: www.bombaydyeing.com Contact: Vidyesh.telekar@ bombaydyeing.com
For show information, contact: J. V. Carena, HTT Global Home Show Manager, jvcarena@gmail.com (203) 329-9553
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1. Creative Touch Design Studio appeals to the eclectic with its new Over-dyed Vintage collection of woolcotton blended rugs featuring bright, summery colors in vintage-inspired patterns. 2. Karastan’s Dahlonega rug, seen here, is part of the Studio Collection’s new Panache grouping of woven nylon rugs made on Van de Weile looms in the USA. 3. Oriental Weavers, via its new exclusive partnership with Pantone Universe, is launching Expressions, a collection of energetic mid-century abstract designs interpreted on a cross-woven construction for enhanced texture. 4. Surya’s new hand-tufted Serenade rugs are crafted in a viscose and wool construction, and feature muted watercolor designs reminiscent of sunset sky. 5
Momeni’s new Mirage collection is machine-made in India of wool and viscose and features unusual and sophisticated color combinations to enhance its distressed patterning styles.
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1. Jaipur Rugsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clean and crisp Riad collection comes in three colorways, including this deep blue as well as a persimmon and a soft gray. Made of 100% wool, these rugs are handtufted in India. 2. Capel Rugs is launching its CocoCozy Collection, which comes in a variety of all-over patterns like Cocoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flower seen here. This rug is made in India in a hand-knotted, IndoTibetan weave of 100% New Zealand wool. It comes in four color combos, including this apple/hunter. 3. Couristan is showing the flat-woven Dolce collection, a grouping of structured tapestry construction rugs made of 100% fiber-enhanced Courtron polypropylene and polyester. These rugs can be used both indoors and outside because they have been UV stabilized and are resistant to mold and mildew. 4
Nourison is debuting its new Kathy Ireland Home collection with several styles. Seen here is Chateau De Ballue, which employs a textural construction with patterns highlighted in silk-like cut pile polypropylene on flat woven, chenille grounds.
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BUSINESS TodaY MSLO’s JCP Biz Buoys Q2; Macy’s Sales Flat N E W YO R K — Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.’s second quarter was led by the strong performance of its merchandising division, which in turn was driven by the launch of the company’s new branded goods at JCPenney during the three-month period. While its business with Macy’s was “principally flat with the prior year second quarter,” noted interim principal executive offi-
cer, chief administrative officer and general counsel Daniel Taltz, MSLO’s newly launched home goods lines at JCP were largely credited with the company’s double-digit revenue increase in merchandising. Overall merchandising revenues for MSLO increased 11% to $16.1 million for the quarter, and operating income was up 14.7% to $11.7 million. “Our second quarter results
showed improvements on a number of levels, and highlights included the launch of multiple categories of Martha-branded products at 550 JCPenney stores and on jcp.com,” he explained. “More specifically about JCPenney, with the launch of licensed merchandise, we began recognizing royalty revenues this quarter, which drove growth in merchandising revenue and operating income.”
Alco Stores to be Acquired by Investment Firm A BILENE , K AN. — Private equi-
ty firm Argonne Capital Group has signed an agreement to acquire 213-unit Alco Stores for approximately $47 million. Atlanta-based Argonne specializes in restaurant and retail industries acquisitions. It currently operates or franchises more than 775 restaurants under brands such as IHOP, Applebee’s, Krystal and Stevi B’s Pizza. The firm’s real estate investment platform, RCG Ventures, LLC, owns more than 60 shopping centers across 18 states. “Argonne Capital is very se-
lective in its acquisition process and focuses on companies that have strong growth potential,” said Royce Winsten, Alco chairman. “Argonne will help Alco grow and achieve the goals management and the board have established for the company.” Rich Wilson, Alco’s ceo, described Alco Stores “as a unique model for providing an attractive merchandise selection and exceptional value to consumers in underserved communities in small-town America. Our associates are supportive of the new brands, variety and value we
offer shoppers — as well as the operational improvements behind the scenes.” The merger is expected to close later this year, subject to approval from Alco’s shareholders. In the most recent fiscal year, Alco generated net earnings of $1.3 billion on sales of $492.6 million. Sales were up 3.5% year-over-year, with comps up 0.3%. Home furnishings and home décor together accounted for 17% of sales, up slightly from 16% of sales the previous year. HTT
Same-store sales
The First Stirrings of Back to School NEW YORK — Comps were up 2.9% in the third week of July Johnson Redbook Index following a 3.3% gain in the Third week of July, year-over-year % change prior week, according to the WEEK ENDED 7/13 7/20 7/27 8/3 MONTH TARGET Johnson Redbook Retail Sales Department stores* 1.7 2.3 1.5 1.8 2.0 Index. Discounters 3.7 3.8 3.6 3.7 3.7 Month-to-date, July was up Redbook Index 3.0 3.3 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.0% compared to July of last *Including chain stores and traditional department stores year, relative to a 3.1% target. Source: Johnson Redbook Index Month-over-month showed a not expected to replace summer seasonal busi0.8% gain, relative to a target of a 0.9% gain. “Heat waves across the country have fueled ness until August,” she warned. Meanwhile, retailers in sixteen states are demand for remaining stocks of hot weather gearing up for the tax holidays. items,” noted Catlin Levis, Redbook analyst. “Retailers are hoping that tax holiday shopSales of children’s apparel ticked up for some retailers as back-to-school merchandise began ping in 10 states, which begins as early as on Aug. 2, will motivate consumers to jump start arriving in stores. “However, demand for this merchandise is spending,” Levis summed. HTT
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The JCPenney launch included Martha Stewart-branded merchandise in six new categorie: Celebrations, Pantry, windows, rugs, lighting and mirrors. “While it is still very early, we are particularly pleased to know that Martha windows have already become the No. 1 window treatment brand at JCPenney,” Taltz noted. Ken West, cfo, later added that MSLO’s second quarter mer-
chandising revenues increased 40% “sequentially from the first quarter,” and that the growth experienced at JCPenney was partially offset by anticipated lower royalties at Home Depot. He said the company “felt the effects” of Home Depot’s decision to feature fewer skus of Marthat Stewart-branded patio products this season. “However, we began to see SEE MSLO PAGE 31
Home a Highlight for Iconix in Q2 N E W YO R K — Iconix Brand Group’s home businesses proved resilient in the second quarter, especially the Charisma and Royal Velvet brands, both of which generated notably strong results for the company during the threemonth period. Neil Cole, ceo and president, offered an update on the company’s different product categories of brands during Iconix’s earnings conference call last week. With regard to home, the business “continues to perform well,” he said. “Charisma is very strong at Costco, and it’s expanding with Costco into Canada. Royal Velvet is positioned as one of largest home brands at JCPenney, and it is benefi tting from JCPenney’s focus on its overall home strategy.” In all, Iconix enjoyed a record quarter, with a 23% leap in total revenue to $115.1 million; a 32% jump in net income on a non-GAAP basis to $42.7 million; and a 60% boost in non-GAAP diluted earnings per share to 72 cents. Year to date, total revenue was $220.2 million, a 21% increase. On a non-GAAP basis, net income was $78.9 million, a 23% increase; and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $1.25, a 42% increase.
“With record results, we continue to make progress on our growth initiative,” noted Warren Clamen, evp and cfo. A point of acute focus for Iconix is international expansion, which calls for “building brands around the world.” Cole said the company expects this segment to represent about 33% of its total business this year. “Our brands have 1,300 freestandings stores worldwide and 65 direct-to-retail partnerships,” he added. During the question-and-answer session of the conference call, Cole was asked about Iconix’s business in the United States. “Our business here is ... mature might be the best word [to describe it]. And there is just tremendous opportunity around the world for us to grow ... We have to make sure we participate. This is an exciting time for our company.” The company also offered its 2013 guidance. Iconix said it is maintaining its revenue guidance of $425 million to $435 million for the year. However, it is raising its 2013 guidance for non-GAAP diluted EPS to $2.20-$2.30 from $2.10-$2.20, and GAAP diluted EPS to $1.97-$2.07 from $1.87-$1.97. HTT
7/30/2013 3:33:40 PM
OPEN HOUSE THE 2ND ANNUAL TREND DISPLAY AU G U S T 1 7- 2 1 , 2 0 1 3 J AC O B K . JAV I T S C O N V E N T I O N C E N T E R N E W YO R K
Stop by and get inspired by the hottest home trends and home products of the moment: monochromatic, neo-traditional, vintage...with a twist, and well-cultured. Then shop a selection of featured products at One Kings Lane’s exclusive sale, F8FDE 2E @?6<:?8D=2?6 4@> &C@4665D 36?6]E :ñ 7@C ":76 E96 :?5FDECJ 492C:EJ supporting DIFFA’s (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS) HIV/AIDS AC6G6?E:@? EC62E>6?E 2?5 65F42E:@? 6R@CED Presented by NY NOW, in partnership with commerce and curatorial partner One Kings Lane and media partners Home Accents Today, Home Textiles Today, and Gifts and Decorative Accessories.
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7/19/2013 9:57:43 AM
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Home Textiles Today
August 5, 2013
Frette
Wholesale customers in the United States tend to stock basics and an edited assortment FRETTE FROM PAGE 1 Frette’s first major target was of fashion pieces, said FrankBloomingdales. “We’ve expand- lin, who noted that Frette beds ed the number of doors and are so richly accessorized that a single bed in a single number of categories color can have up to we’re represented in 30 skus. there. We’ve also invest“The U.S. customer ed in staff and account is slightly predisposed managed,” he said. to favor the basics. The With that anchor in taste is slightly less explace, the company is otic,” he said. “Cusaiming to establish a LAURENCE FRANKLIN tomers in those channetwork of specialty reFrette nels are a little more tailers who serve luxustable in their tastes.” ry consumers. The efThe idea is to provide boufort began earlier this year with Frette’s inaugural showing at tique owners with a “best in clasthe Atlanta International Gift & sification” assortment edited to Home Furnishings Fair in Jan- appeal to local shoppers. “You need to serve your cusuary and its debut at the spring High Point Market in North tomer wherever she shops,” said Franklin. HTT Carolina.
News
Frette’s highly textured Superb bath towel collection
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Highlighting colors, fabrics, shapes and new products, a home-fashion trend session tailored to helping retailers broaden a client base and boost impulse sales by strategically adding home fashions into an existing apparel and accessories mix. SPEAKERS: WARREN SHOULBERG, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, HOME TEXTILES TODAY LAURIE PRESSMAN, VP, PANTONE COLOR INSTITUTE, PANTONE LLC
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Home Textiles Today
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Safavieh Names Tisch vp, Marketing PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. — Safavieh will be developing and implementhas promoted Carol Tisch to vp of ing branding strategy and integrated marketing and branding strategy for marketing activities in the U.S. and area rug and home furnishabroad,” Yaraghi explained. ings, from her previous past Tisch joined Safavieh in as director of marketing. 2005 as director of marketShe continues to report to ing when the wholesale operArash Yaraghi, company prination was exclusively focused cipal. on area rugs. “As we continue to expand “With new markets, new our wholesale lines to include product categories and exCAROL TISCH a comprehensive total home panded distribution chanSafavieh collection with rugs, indoor nels, we have rebranded Safavieh as a fashion leader and outdoor furniture, lighting and decorative accessories, we are providing total home decorating sostepping up our marketing efforts and lutions,” she said. “This is an exciting branding initiatives globally. Carol time to be building and shaping the
Safavieh brand for even greater growth and worldwide recognition.” Prior to joining Safavieh, she was founding editor of Shelter Interiors magazine, editor-in-chief of HFN (Home Furnishings News) and a marketing consultant for Mohawk Industries’ consumer broadloom, area rug and commercial patterned carpet divisions. Earlier in her career, Tisch was president of her own company, Tisch Communications, in New York for 15 years, and has developed marketing initiatives for clients such as Tufenkian Tibetan Carpets, ICI Fibres’ Tactesse nylon and Springs Industries. HTT
Hollander Elevates Cicco BOCA RATON, FLA. — Hollander Sleep Products has promoted Jennifer Cicco to vp of merchandising. She joined Hollander in May of 2012 as director of merchandising. “Jennifer has shown great attention to detail and a true understanding of our business
JENNIFER CICCO Hollander
since day one of joining us,” said Beth Mack, president of sales and merchandising. “She has become a basic bedding expert in a very short time. Jennifer has developed a great relationship with our licensors for our brands and will continue to manage all responsibilities for Nautica,
Laura Ashley and Waverly.” Prior to joining Hollander, Cicco held senior brand management responsibilities at Revman International, where she oversaw fashion bedding and bath product development and merchandising for licensed brands. She previously held positions at Macy’s in both planning and marketing roles. HTT
HFPA Releases Standard for Bath Rugs N EW YORK — The Home Fashion Products Association has published a standard for the makers of residential bath rugs. “The goal is for our voluntary standards to be adhered to by the industry and viewed by consumers and retailers as a measure of quality,” said Ellery Moses, HFPA’s executive director.
The standard for residential bath rugs covers the areas of performance, yarn types, dimensional tolerances, chemical characteristics and labeling. The standards are available to HFPA members free of charge and to non-members for $35. The HFPA has also published vol-
untary standards for residential terry bath towels and standard for residential bed sheets and pillowcases. In addition, through its down and feather section, it monitosr a compliance program for down & feather pillows. For more information or to obtain a copy, contact Moses at (212) 2972131. HTT
Ground Control to Major Tom: Carpenter Co.’s Latest Campaign Heads for Space R IC H M ON D , VA . — Comfort sleep products manufacturer Carpenter Co. has come up with a lot of interesting campaigns to promote its consumer-oriented SleepBetter.org site - partnering with celebrities, inviting consumers to launch old pillows from catapults and creating a viral music video, to name a few recent examples. This summer’s effort will culminate with a space launch. The Out-of-this-World promotion begins on planet earthy, however. Carpenter has invited consumers to “adopt” a custom-made pillow toy, complete with birth certificate, and
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take photos with during their summer travels - what Carpenter calls the Postcards from Pillow project. The shots will be entered into SleepBetter’s TipTop Topper-of the-Class art contest, which will award more than $4,000 worth of prizes. Ultimately, five of the pillows will be sent nearly 100,000 feet above the Nevada desert on JP Aerospace balloons on Sept. 22 — the day before the New York Home Fashions Market officially opens. Carpenter will broadcast a live satellite feed of the space launch online and at “mission control” in the company’s New York showroom.
“We know no bounds for where we take the SleepBetter message and that includes space,” said Dan Schecter, svp of consumer products at Carpenter Co. and the creator of SleepBetter.org. Thus far, pillows have been adopted by Pillow Parents in every state and the District of Columbia. The Postcards from Pillow gallery of photos has more than 50 pictures including adopted pillows with babies, pets and family. Some Pillow Parents have shared the name of their pillows, including “Drill Sgt. Naptime,” who trains U.S. troops in Ft. Benning, Ga., and “McStuffy O’Fluffigan,” who loves hockey. HTT
1271 Avenue of the Americas, 17th floor New York, NY 10020 Tel: (917) 934-2852; 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 (917) 934-2876 | 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 (917) 934-2858 | jmurphy@hometextilestoday.com CONTRIBUTING GRAPHIC ARTIST Desiree Nunez (917) 934-2862 | dnunez@giftsanddec.com DIRECTOR OF MARKET RESEARCH Dana French (336) 605-1091 | dfrench@progressivebusinessmedia.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 (917) 934-2852 | mmcloughlin@hometextilestoday.com CLASSIFIED AD SALES Spencer Whittle (336) 605-1027 swhittle@progressivebusinessmedia.com Karen Hancock (336) 605-1047 khancock@progressivebusinessmedia.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 9305/6/7 Kaushal@kaushals.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Rich Lamb Tel: (336) 605-1074; Fax: (336) 605-1143 | rlamb@progressivebusinessmedia.com DIRECTOR, WEB OPERATIONS Chris Schultz | (336) 605-1076 | cschultz@@progressivebusinessmedia.com MANAGER, CLIENT SERVICES, WEB ADVERTISING Dan Sage | (336) 605-1080 | dsage@progressivebusinessmedia.com E-MEDIA PROJECT MANAGER Missy Axe | (336) 605-1005 | maxe@progressivebusinessmedia.com VP, AUDIENCE MARKETING Eric Rutter erutter@progressivebusinessmedia.com AUDIENCE MARKETING MANAGER Angela Tanner atanner@progressivebusinessmedia.com FOUNDING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Carole Sloan 1979-2011
PRESIDENT, Kevin Castellani VP, MARKETING Connie Lineberry SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S.A. (866) 456-0405 All other countries: (818) 487-2036 subscriptions@hometextilestoday.com FAX SUBSCRIPTIONS: (818) 487-4550 THE BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY® 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10020 Telephone: (917) 934-2852 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 2/4, 2/18, 3/4, 3/25, 4/8, 4/22, 5/6, 5/20, 6/3, 6/17, 7/1, 7/15, 7/29, 8/12, 8/26, 9/9, 9/30, 10/14, 10/28, 11/11, 11/25, 12/9 and 12/23 by Furniture/Today Media Group, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10020, a subsidiary of Sandow Media LLC, 3651 FAU Boulevard, Boca Raton, FL 33431. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. HOME TEXTILES TODAY copyright ©2013 by Sandow Media LLC. Annual subscription rates: U.S. Canada and Mexico $189.97; 1 year, other countries $345.97 for surface mail . All payments must be made in U.S. currency. Subscription inquiries: HOME TEXTILES TODAY, PO Box 16659 North Hollywood, CA 91615. Phone: (866) 456-0405 (Outside the US - (818) 487-2036). Subscription requests may also be made via email to subscriptions@hometextilestoday.com or to update/manage your print subscription, visit www.hometextilestoday.com/subscriptionservices. 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. ) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HOME TEXTILES TODAY, PO Box 16659 North Hollywood, CA 91615. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: RCS International; APC; PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Rich Hill, ON L4B 4R6
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Pacific Coast Feather Co.Completes Re-fi N ORWALK , C ONN . — GE Capital, Corporate Finance announced it has provided a $76.8 million asset-based credit facility to basic bedding manufacturer Pacific Coast Feather Company. The $76.8 million loan was used to refinance current debt and support ongoing working capital needs. “GE Capital worked with us to build a credit facility that provides the liquidity we need to operate our business effectively,” said Joe Crawford, president and ceo of Pacific Coast Feather Company. HTT
Protect-A-Bed Unveils Snore Survey Results C HICAGO — Ladies, you are vindicated. According the results of Protect-A-Bed’s “Who Snores More” survey, men are more likely than women to make a nasal racket at night. The manufacturer of protective bedding products invited consumers to nominate the biggest snorer they know for a chance to win a Protect-ABed SnoreBeGone sleep positioning system, which supports and elevates the entire body to improve posture and encourage side sleeping - which in turn leaves air passages open to breathe easier. More than 2,000 people participated in the sweepstakes. Men accounted for 55% of the nominees. A vast majority of those submitting nominations (84%) said a snoring household member disrupted their sleep. Among those, 10% said they adjust their sleep schedule to avoid hearing the noise, and 30% said they move to another room in search of quiet. Protect-A-Bed ceo James Bell noted that providing a healthy sleep zone is a priority for the company. HTT
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MSLO
MSLO FROM PAGE 26
an upturn in the paint category, which had been weak for some time, as we executed a repositioning of our paint products at The Home Depot,” he continued. “Although we’ve seen some declines in last three to four quarters and softness in soft flooring
Home Textiles Today
August 5, 2013
and paint, paint is starting a recovery. And The Home Depot is still a very import sign partner to us now and in the future.” Taltz also offered a brief update on MSLO’s relationship with Macy’s. “Closing arguments in the contractual dispute with Macy’s will be made Aug. 1 with a de-
cision expected shortly thereafter,” he said. “Given the timing, we will not be discussing the dispute on the call.” For the quarter, ended June 30, the company reported a 12% decline in revenue to $42.2 million from $47.9 million a year ago. The company said growth in merchandising revenue was offset
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by lower revenue from publishing and broadcasting, which reflect MSLO’s decision to discontinue two print titles and exit live television programming production. The company’s total operating loss for the second quarter of 2013 was $600,000 compared with a loss of $2.9 million in the prior-year period. HTT
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