The return of a notable textiles brand and an intriguing newcomer will spark the bed-ensemble portion of the New York Home Fashions Market.
Next week will bring Springs’ Global’s relaunch of the venerable Springmaid brand, which celebrates its 80th birthday next year. Details of the introduction were not available at press time, but in an interview earlier this year with HFN, Edward Cardimona, Springs’ chief global creative officer, said the intent is to establish Springmaid as “a complete home decor brand,” with broad retail-channel distribution throughout the nation.
The rookie in the bedding lineup is S. Lichtenberg & Co., the window-treatment source, which will conduct its first formal bed-ensemble introduction next week. The debut includes a variety of print ensembles at moderate price points, along with outline-quilted products in both ensembles and freestanding top-of-the-bed merchandise.
Springs will also launch a new Court of Versailles collection next week, which will differ from the Court of Versailles product debuts during the February Home Fashions Market in that the designs will be less opulent. Ensembles such as Wild Rose, Plume, Chemise de Nuit, Ondine and Cherie feature florals, toiles and plumes on understated colorations and fabrics.
“The bedding market is looking for a lighter touch in colors and details,” said Hermine Mariaux, president of Hermine Mariaux Inc. and director of the Court of Versailles licensing program for the Versailles Foundation. “We were aiming for a fresher and less opulent approach with these ensembles. We are also addressing several trends such as the fact that we see blue and white combinations coming back, along with watercolor prints.”
The Lichtenberg groupings are focused on the fact that prints in general are on the upswing, according to Bob Flynn, the company’s director of bedding. “For a while, the only thing that was selling were wovens,” Flynn said. “Prints had become a promotional business, especially in bed in a bag. Now we’re seeing a resurgence in prints, and we’re not getting any resistance from retailers when we talk about higher-end prints.”
Two of Lichtenberg’s most dramatic designs in bedding are Redoute, a floral; and Westgate, featuring a floral print on a stripe. The line will also include embroidered details on some of the higher-end introductions.
Agreeing with Flynn, Diane Piemonte, vice president of creative services at Revman, said, “Prints are definitely back in the limelight this season, from the runway to the home.” Piemonte said bold, graphic geometrics, organic graphics and larger-scale florals top the list of print looks that are back in vogue. Also, “brighter colors in general are coming through on all fronts, influencing even the quieter shades to take on a fresher cast,” she said.
Along with adding new looks to its stalwart designer-licensed programs, part of the emphasis at Revman will be on new licensed collections. The Antiques Roadshow licensed collection of quilts and coordinated shams will make its bow next week, with quilts designed from classic original quilts dating from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. In addition, Plenty by Tracy Reese collection, which had been launched exclusively at Anthropologie in spring of this year, will be presented for all retailers next week. The designs in this line will reflect the bright colors, prints and intricate patterns seen on Tracy Reese’s apparel collections.
WestPoint Home has titled its market story Bold Expressions, which Albert Sardelli, senior vice president of design, described as “simple and graphic … uncluttered and uncomplicated design” that “looks fresh and crisp.”
Details of WestPoint’s specific ensembles were not available at press time, but Sardelli said the colors and details of the new ensembles will underscore the “simple” message. “It is important to note that a color does not have to be bright to be bold,” he said. “All of the product that we will be showing will feature some form of fabrication detail, which will add value, as opposed to arbitrary fabrications that add complication.”