Big names set to strut stuff in High Point
Susan M. Andrews, Fabric Editor -- Furniture Today, March 4, 2007
Several interesting new hook-ups at the spring High Point Market later this month will create excitement for upholstery buyers. They include a collection for Rowe's upscale Robin Bruce line created by Silvano Banfi and Frank Zambrelli, who have designed apparel for design houses like Calvin Klein, as well as their own couture shoe line. The company said the upholstery styles in the Banfi Zambrelli for Robin Bruce collection will be clean-lined designs with fabrics providing a counterpoint in a range from shimmering textures to rich brocades.
Another new name in upholstery spanning apparel and home furnishings is model and television host Barbara Smith. Better known as B. Smith, the celebrity has licensed a 40-piece collection of upholstery and occasional tables that will launch at Clayton Marcus during market.
Smith selected about 40 covers for the initial collection of upholstery, which will include an upscale cosmopolitan style, a coastal contemporary look and a global style inspired by her time abroad when she was a model.
Canadian source Décor-Rest is bringing to market a collection created with Canadian television's Designer Guys, Steve Sabados and Chris Hyndman. The S&C collection, which debuted in Toronto, features 70 fabric cover choices and 60 leathers.
Trump's in the house
Rosie O'Donnell and Barbara Walters probably won't admit any interest, but Lexington Home Brands will debut the Trump Home collection, a licensed full line of furniture bearing the well-known name of money man Donald Trump.
For the bulk of the furniture retail universe — located between the stratospheric upper end and the promotional end — the key to sales is obviously connecting with the consumer. Universal would seem to have a good shot at such a connection with its new Better Homes and Gardens collection debuting this spring. Four editors from the consumer magazine were involved in translating the wishes of its 8 million readers into the collection, which includes about 55 frames and 75 fabric SKUs sourced through Richloom.
A footnote: It's great when Hollywood bumps into home furnishings. The greenroom at the 79th annual Academy Awards wasn't — green, I mean. It was a rich chocolate brown — Pantone 19-0912, to be exact. Chocolate brown continues to be a favorite color for upholstered furniture — whether it's used as an accent or velvet or leather body cover — and buyers will see it later this month both alone and in combination with blue, green, blush and spice, as well as in crisp brown-and-white patterns.
Another footnote: Ask your suppliers about their fabric choices when you're shopping. It may not be top-of-mind for them, but there may be stories there — natural fibers, eco-friendly finishing, etc. — that will enhance the value of the upholstery for consumers. Remember that Al Gore's movie won an Oscar — and consumers care about green things.
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