Leather resources geared up for action
By Joan Gunin -- Furniture Today, February 12, 2007
Las Vegas — Leather upholstery resources — some showing here for the first time, some with new names — are looking to lure buyers this week with a wide range of new programs and new products.
The newly christened Kathy Ireland Home by Omnia links Omnia, the 17-year-old Chino, Calif.-based, family-run domestic contemporary upholstery producer with Kathy Ireland Worldwide, the "mom-driven" dynamo's licensing empire.
The company, which is showing in the World Market Center's Building A, space 256, believes a major launch of some 150 SKUs will boost Ireland's presence with West Coast accounts, while positioning Omnia for future Asian production.
The licensed line launch includes conversational sofas, sectionals, accent chairs, home theater seating, recliners and sofa-sleepers dressed in leather or microfiber.
While sofas will continue to be cut, sewn and upholstered at Omnia's newly expanded, 175,000-square-foot facilities, the alliance with Ireland positions Omnia for Chinese production and international distribution.
"We will work together on a global strategy," said Kathy Ireland, CEO and chief designer of Kathy Ireland Worldwide.
The KIW alliance also gives Omnia access to Top 100 stores, other full-line dealers and East Coast accounts. "We've missed a lot of business with the Top 100 and the larger mom-and-pops," Omnia President Peter Zolferino said.
Omnia also expects to benefit from relationships with other Kathy Ireland licensing partners and their respective sales forces. "We have a lot of open territories," Zolferino said.
He said the company will continue to provide private-label merchandise to existing specialty accounts, and also will produce Kathy Ireland Office chairs to correlate with pieces from Kathy Ireland Home by Martin.
Meanwhile, returning to the upholstery category after some years is Chinese manufacturer Stylution International, which is offering about 30 leather, fabric and leather/fabric collage frames developed by David Wormald, vice president of design and marketing.
A veteran of Natuzzi, Lane and Palliser, Wormald joined the company in July.
The Stylution collection highlights European contemporary, American traditional and transitional, Art Deco, and exposed-wood treatments evoking Italian and French design influences, Wormald said.
Retail price points range from $799 to $1,599. The company is showing in the WMC's new Building B, space 1265.
Craftmaster, a longtime domestic upholstery producer, is showing its first imported leather line at its first showing at this market. The Chinese-made collection has four-piece married groups (sofa, loveseat, chair, ottoman) showcasing transitional and traditional designs, with sofa retails of $1,299.
In addition, Craftmaster, also in Building B, space 1420, has a selection of pushback leather recliners from China in seven styles, retailing at $799. Introduced previously in High Point in October, both the recliners and the sofa groups began shipping this month.
"Retailers don't have to order containers," said Craftmaster Marketing Director Trae Stokes. "The imported leather items can be mixed in with custom orders. We haven't had these categories before because we were unable to compete domestically on price."
Another first-timer in Vegas is McNeilly Champion, a North Carolina-based leather specialist angling to broaden its customer base.
"We are a young company seeking more West Coast exposure to our leather furniture line," said Mike Champion, vice president and co-owner of the five-year-old company.
McNeilly Champion, WMC B-250, also is introducing its Express 12 Program, which features 12 best-selling styles shipped in 12 business days.
Another North Carolina producer, Classic Leather, showing in the Pavilions with sister company Statesville Chair in space 13721, also is aiming to build on its growing West Coast presence.
"We're putting a big push on the West Coast, and we've brought our entire sales force (to Vegas)," said National Sales Manager Guy Holbrook. "We have expanded our business exponentially with our two previous showings here, and hope to continue that trend."
Classic Leather, which shows here only in January, is displaying a series of high-end frames and presenting Inspiration, a 30-color fashion leather story illustrated by ottoman cubes and leather swatches.
"With robin's-egg blue and trendy lighter greens, it's a fashion story from Europe, very transitional to contemporary, with great West Coast appeal," Holbrook said.
Classic also is adding a decorative leather collection featuring hand-tooled and other unique applications geared to upscale lodge and other high-end interiors.
Local Motion Only, showing in WMC B-960, is an importer of Chinese motion upholstery. At its first Las Vegas market, it's launching a stationary division, LeatherWorks, offering 20 designs at retails of $799 to $1,299, depending on choice of leather, said President Laurence Crink.
In a nod to 21st century technology, Aspenhome is introducing LIV 360, a line of leather upholstery, case goods and occasional pieces that aims to "move the home office out of the spare bedroom and bring it into the family room," said Jena Hall, vice president of marketing/merchandising, bedroom, dining room and occasional.
LIV 360, created by Andy Nielsen, head of design for Aspenhome's home office and home entertainment lines, features storage drawers, adjustable work surfaces, cord management and paper storage.
The line is part of a "concept room" that integrates technology, home office and home entertainment in the company's showroom here, WMC B-801.
Two leather seating introductions, Apollo and Interface, correlate with the technology, Hall said.
Meanwhile, leather upholstery makers Niroflex and Minuano are showing in the Cashman Center, space 4117, as part of ABIMAD, a Brazilian contemporary furniture consortium.
The offering is a preview of the ABIMAD 2007 Exhibition in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in February.
