Joseph Abboud Continues to Develop Lifestyle Brand with Luxury Hotel Collection
June 8, 2006
NEW YORK, New York – The Joseph Abboud Brand is growing up and out in a big way. This men's apparel company who began building themselves into a lifestyle brand five years ago has now extended themselves into the hospitality arena with the JA Luxury Hotel Collection.
According to Kenton Selvey, senior vice president of licensing, Joseph Abboud was developed in 1987 and for the past 20 years has been the pre-eminent supplier of men's clothing to high-end department stores such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdales.
Their home brand represents 20 percent of their licensing business overall and is growing at 50 percent a year. The company also has a children's line set to come out this year, along with a developing jeans license and a woman's line, coming in the fall of 2007.
"Our guy – soon to be woman – is the business traveler," Selvey said. The JA lifestyle is about sophistication and refined living, he said. And so, the company decided to have their business traveler travel with them the "entire time," making sure the brand can work for him in all aspects of life.
They asked themselves what value they could add to hotel chains and realized there are lots of different ways to reach out and touch business travelers.
"Our thought process is that Joseph Abboud represents a sense of traditional American style, but in a more modern organic sense," said John Fowler, vice president, creative director. They hope to pull together a very modern interpretation of some very classic materials – silk, wool, linen, stone, marble and naturally finished wood – by taking them into different areas.
"The core competency is comfort and versatility," Fowler said.
Yet another aim was to build the bedroom from the mattress up, just as they did with the home collection.
They sought after the appropriate partner for all products, seeking only the best in licensees: Mattresses -- Simmons Bedding Company; Decorative Fabric – Kravet; Bath Accessories – Creative Bath Products; Decorative Down – United Feather & Down; Tabletop – Lifetime Brands; Bath Amenities – Essential Amenities.
Three initial concepts were developed for the hotel collection, which premiered at HD Expo in Las Vegas: "Lodge", "Library" and "Manor." Each allows for bed, working and dining spaces, incorporating living, working and sleeping into the luxury aspect.
Lodge allows for a strong sense of natural materials, such as wood and leathers, while Library evokes an Anglo heritage, with very strong classical dimensions and a Chinese motif, Fowler said. Manor portrays a more classic Joseph Abboud style with very rich golden tones and silks and wools.
All three are expository concepts that the company hopes they can work with designers and hoteliers to tweak and develop.
Selvey said that JA will also brand the bathroom amenities, allowing for catalog sales in partnership with the hotels, as the retail segment of the hotel business continues to grow in popularity due to the guest's increased interest in purchasing any and all elements of the hotel room.
Joseph Abboud partnered with architects Mancini Duffy on the hotel collection.
According to Kenton Selvey, senior vice president of licensing, Joseph Abboud was developed in 1987 and for the past 20 years has been the pre-eminent supplier of men's clothing to high-end department stores such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdales.
Their home brand represents 20 percent of their licensing business overall and is growing at 50 percent a year. The company also has a children's line set to come out this year, along with a developing jeans license and a woman's line, coming in the fall of 2007.
"Our guy – soon to be woman – is the business traveler," Selvey said. The JA lifestyle is about sophistication and refined living, he said. And so, the company decided to have their business traveler travel with them the "entire time," making sure the brand can work for him in all aspects of life.
They asked themselves what value they could add to hotel chains and realized there are lots of different ways to reach out and touch business travelers.
"Our thought process is that Joseph Abboud represents a sense of traditional American style, but in a more modern organic sense," said John Fowler, vice president, creative director. They hope to pull together a very modern interpretation of some very classic materials – silk, wool, linen, stone, marble and naturally finished wood – by taking them into different areas.
"The core competency is comfort and versatility," Fowler said.
Yet another aim was to build the bedroom from the mattress up, just as they did with the home collection.
They sought after the appropriate partner for all products, seeking only the best in licensees: Mattresses -- Simmons Bedding Company; Decorative Fabric – Kravet; Bath Accessories – Creative Bath Products; Decorative Down – United Feather & Down; Tabletop – Lifetime Brands; Bath Amenities – Essential Amenities.
Three initial concepts were developed for the hotel collection, which premiered at HD Expo in Las Vegas: "Lodge", "Library" and "Manor." Each allows for bed, working and dining spaces, incorporating living, working and sleeping into the luxury aspect.
Lodge allows for a strong sense of natural materials, such as wood and leathers, while Library evokes an Anglo heritage, with very strong classical dimensions and a Chinese motif, Fowler said. Manor portrays a more classic Joseph Abboud style with very rich golden tones and silks and wools.
All three are expository concepts that the company hopes they can work with designers and hoteliers to tweak and develop.
Selvey said that JA will also brand the bathroom amenities, allowing for catalog sales in partnership with the hotels, as the retail segment of the hotel business continues to grow in popularity due to the guest's increased interest in purchasing any and all elements of the hotel room.
Joseph Abboud partnered with architects Mancini Duffy on the hotel collection.
