Miles Talbott to make Ruggiero upholstery
New line will debut in October
Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, August 7, 2008
HIGH POINT — Designer and television host Joe Ruggiero has signed on with upper-end manufacturer Miles Talbott Furniture to produce his line of upholstery, with the first introduction set for the High Point Market.
George Jordan, president of Miles Talbott, said that in October the company will concentrate on seven or eight of the most popular designs in the Ruggiero portfolio with a few new pieces scattered in.
In all, the line will have 38 SKUs, including those in the best-selling Tribeca collection, according to Jordan. The pieces will have the same price structure as they did at Norwalk, where Ruggiero licensed his collection.
Ruggiero said he terminated his partnership with Norwalk after nine years because “it was a point in my career and my time where I felt the mission for our brand was such it needed to take a more creative, energized route. … I’ve really enjoyed working at Norwalk and there are no hard feelings as far as I’m concerned.”
Jordan said the pieces at Miles Talbott will include eight-way hand-tied construction whenever possible.
“We are thrilled with this new association and have long respected Ruggiero’s upholstery designs and fabric collection for Sunbrella,” Jordan said. “We see many opportunities with our two companies working together now and in the future. Miles Talbott and our parent company, Michael Thomas, have used Ruggiero’s fabrics for many years and have been very pleased with their performance and design.”
The Ruggiero Collection includes indoor and outdoor furniture, lighting and textiles, and has won several design awards.
He also is designing a complementary collection of Sunbrella brand performance fabrics and Phoenix trims for residential interiors, both of which will be shown at the October market in Showrooms on English here. Ruggiero’s “Made in America” wood furniture designs are manufactured by Caperton FurnitureWorks in West Virginia. He also designs a collection of casual furniture for Terra Furniture of California, and an all-weather wicker collection for Woodard and Viro.
