The introduction of Calvin Klein furniture this week at the High Point Market reinforces the commitment the company has to both the home furnishings category and department stores as a channel of distribution.
“We very definitely believe in home as part of the overall strategy for Calvin Klein,” Tom Murry, president and chief executive officer of Calvin Klein, told HFN. “And we think department stores will be in home for a long time.”
The new furniture line, which is being done in partnership with two Chinese manufacturers in what is somewhat of a non-traditional licensing arrangement, has been a longtime goal for the brand, which broke into home nearly a dozen years ago with bed and bath textiles. The brand has subsequently expanded into tabletop, table linens and floor coverings.
And there’s more to come, said Bentley Hardwick, vice president and managing director for Calvin Klein Home. “We’re looking at outdoor furniture, paint, lighting, and decorative pillows and accessories,” she said. A decorative pillow program will be part of the furniture collection, and she said the company also expects to launch a freestanding decorative pillow line to be shown in textiles departments. All of these products should be up and running within the next two years, she said.
The furniture launch is a two-tiered line, with one slated exclusively for Macy’s and the other, under the Curator name, aimed at traditional furniture stores. The former will launch in January, the latter the following month.
Murry said the connection with Macy’s is critical and helped make furniture happen this time. “We had been looking for an opportunity to get into the furniture business for a long time. And with Macy’s as our largest customer, we worked with them step-by-step to make sure we were all on the same page so it would be successful.
“We anticipate that Macy’s will be a partner of ours in home for a long time to come.”
That’s one of the reasons Murry says the focus for the brand will remain on department stores. “We have no plans to go beyond the department store channel in the future with Calvin Klein. Phillips-Van Heusen (Calvin Klein’s parent company) has lots of other brands for those other channels.”
The home line is not likely to turn up in any of the company’s own stores, either, which because of their size are basically restricted to Calvin Klein fashion and accessories. The exception is the flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York, which has always shown home merchandise on its lower level.
Hardwick said promoting the entire Calvin Klein line and image will be a key part of the launch at furniture stores.
Dealers will be encouraged to show other merchandise, such as bed linens and tableware, in conjunction with the furniture displays and will have an opportunity to sell those products through a distribution arrangement with the furniture suppliers. “It will be a whole lifestyle presentation.” — Warren Shoulberg