The Next Phase In Expansions & Partnerships
by Wanda Jankowski

Surya is expanding its product categories beyond rugs to include pillows, wall art and in future table lamps and other home furnishings.

As the home textiles industry matures, manufacturers won’t just get larger, rather they will expand beyond their core product lines into other areas. The New York market in August saw at least two examples of companies that are broadening their scope.

Croscill, known for home soft goods as well as bath accessories, has expanded its reach yet again. Home Accents By Croscill includes accent furniture with specialty finishes and hand-painted embellishments, and lamps crafted from hand-painted porcelain, blown glass, mother of pearl, glazed ceramics and crackle metallic leaf.

Rug manufacturer Surya introduced pillows and wall art with plans to add accessories and lamps within the year. The wall art is not a repeat of rug patterns, but is comprised of limited editions designed by artists to complement Surya rugs. “We’ll keep evolving,” says Satya Tiwari, company president. “I have seen companies in other industries develop broadly. Our goal is to keep adding product types.”

The magazine publishing industry has matured to the point where publications not only carry brand marketing messages from advertisers, but are established as brands themselves. Consumer magazines provide an automatic publicity and promotion outlet for product and they are increasingly interested in partnering with home textiles manufacturers to license new product.

Dan River has developed the Loyalty, Dignity and Pride bedding ensemble for Ebony magazine, whose goal is to excite readers with designs that infuse patterns, colors and fabrics with the flavor of African-American culture and heritage.

Ebony and Dan River will collaborate on an advertising program in the magazine and on celebrity-studded promotional events. A free subscription to the publication is included in each comforter package.

Hearst Brand Development created the License to Inspire Studio displays at 7 West during the New York market. Room settings represented interests of Country Living, Seventeen and Cosmo Girl magazine average readers. The products populating the sets gave prospective licensing partners an idea of the opportunities best for each magazine brand.

It’s just the beginning of an era of creative expansions and new types of partnering arrangements as the mature home textiles industry begins to rejuvenate and reinvent itself.