NEW YORK–Portico Home’s licenses with Home Source International and United Feather & Down have started momentum for the brand at retail.

Acquired three years ago by textiles industry veterans Gregg Haft and Charles Schlang, the brand has been positioned as a provider of eco-friendly products in a variety of categories. Both collections are made with environmentally friendly materials, such as 100 percent organic cotton certified by the Global Organic Textiles Standard.

The Home Source license, involving decorative bedding and bath, was debuted last year and the products began to reach retail this spring, said Haft, who is the brand’s president. The United Feather & Down license for basic bedding, which covers both retail and hospitality, was announced during the March New York Home Fashions Market. This collection is slated to reach retail this summer. 

Haft said the eco-friendly positioning has gained traction. “Those (retailers) that have taken an interest in Portico realize and appreciate that our approach is the winning approach,” he said. “There is a high demand for true environmental product, and consumers aren’t expecting to find it positioned as promotional. They are responding to the fact that it’s an aspirational product that’s fairly priced.”

For the past two years, model and environmental activist Summer Rayne Oakes has been Portico’s spokeswoman, and this has added to the brand’s eco-friendly credentials, said Bob Hickman, senior vice president of sales and marketing for United Feather. “You build brand recognition one step at a time,” Hickman said. “We believe in the brand, and we believe that Summer will lead customers to the brand.”

Haft has also projected Portico’s future in terms of pursuing licenses with other products, including furniture, mattresses and baby products. “These products will reflect the DNA of our brand,” he said. “That means the furniture will have to be made from sustainable resources, and we will focus on mattresses that are free from harmful ingredients.”