Standard aims high with Kathy Ireland
By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, December 3, 2001
BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Standard Furniture has agreed with designer and model Kathy Ireland to supply the Kathy Ireland Home brand of bedroom, dining and occasional furniture.
The licensed program will launch at the April High Point market and will include both domestic product and imports through Standard's IFM and Grand Designs divisions.
"Over time, we'd like the brand to be 50% of our line, within five years according to our plan," said Don Mecke, vice president of sales and marketing for Standard. "We've agreed to be the coordinator for their entire (Kathy Ireland) furniture division and will be bringing in partners in other categories like upholstery who are a good fit."
Ireland started her design company, Los Angeles-based Kathy Ireland World Wide, eight years ago with the mission of "finding solutions for families, especially busy moms." Since 1999, she has licensed a line of upholstery and children's furniture produced by Vanguard Furniture, but will part ways with the company at the end of this year.
"We've mutually agreed not to continue," said Ireland. "We at Kathy Ireland World Wide are focusing on broader distribution, and we would not be serving the Vanguard customer with the direction we're going. We're very happy that Vanguard continued supporting us as we made the change, and that we still have a good relationship with the people there."
Tiffany Mullis, brand communications manager for Vanguard, said the company will stop shipping the collection in March. She added that although Standard is "a great company," its promotional case goods line is incompatible with Vanguard's high-end upholstery line, with a different network of dealers.
The Ireland line has been profitable, Mullis said, but had gotten large enough over the licensing period that it was cutting into the regular Vanguard line.
Standard's first round of Kathy Ireland product will include four to six bedrooms, one or two youth groups, three to five dining rooms and three to seven occasional table groups.
The program will include starting and step-up product.
Standard's domestic plants will produce the Kathy's Kids and the Kathy Ireland Home Essentials programs, with youth items ranging from $99 to $499 retail and domestic bedrooms retailing from $499 to $999.
The Kathy Ireland Home Gallery program, sourced through Standard's Grand Designs and IFM import operations, will offer hardwood and veneered bedrooms at $1,499 to $4,999 retail.
Ireland's brand received the Good Housekeeping Seal this summer, and a survey by market research firm Kurt Salmon Associates named the brand as America's best in product innovation in its category.
Her business efforts began with a line of socks and now include furnishings, flooring, home accessories, lighting, sewing patterns, jewelry, apparel, television and publishing. Shaw Inds. produces floor coverings for the Kathy Ireland Home brand.
Ireland said that in Standard, she found a company whose goals and values match her own.
"I am delighted that Standard will serve as coordinator for all our furniture partners," she said. "It is important that we have Home partners who are compatible in product design, management philosophy, price points, and distribution."
Standard President Billy Hodgson echoed that sentiment.
"Kathy's strong personal values, dedication to family, unwavering humanitarian convictions, and entrepreneurial spirit mirror the values upheld by Standard Furniture's management and associates," Hodgson said. "The connection between Kathy's values and our values is so strong, we've made Kathy our one and only brand."
Ireland will work closely with Standard in product development.
"Kathy's hands-on approach to product development has given Standard's designers and merchandise teams a clear vision for the type of message her products need to communicate," said Mecke. "The synergy between our teams is truly incredible. Standard Furniture and Kathy Ireland World Wide complement each other at every level."
Product is on the drawing board for both the Home Essentials and Gallery lines. Mecke said some items might be ready in time for a sneak preview at the Tupelo market in February.
Ireland herself picked up some more ideas to pursue when she visited George Washington's home, Mount Vernon, during a trip to the White House for a screening of her Pax TV holiday movie, "Twice Upon a Christmas," with First Lady Laura Bush.
"There are some beautiful Early American inspirations there that we'd like to address in the future," Ireland said.
Senior Editor Gary Evans contributed to this story.
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