Fashion Runway an On-Ramp to Upholstery
August 2, 2000
Briarcliff Manor, NY (USA) - In April, Kravet officially launched the Joseph Abboud Luxe range, part of its kravetcouture collection. The high-end line ($70-$80 retail), which was designed by fashion designer Joseph Abboud, consists of patterns largely characterized by earthy tones and a plush pile.
Although Kravet invited the public to view the line in April, it had been hanging quietly in Kravet's Third Avenue, New York City showroom for months. Despite the lack of fanfare, the product apparently sold well, even before its official launch. Kravet spokesperson Robin Gordon wouldn't disclose a figure, but she called initial sales "excellent."
"It's a warm pallete of earth tones and spices, but it's not overly femine," said Gordon. "It's very classic, very elegant so it appeals to the masculine and the feminine, which is hard to do well."
Gordon said that Kravet will launch a second Abboud line, but she said the company hadn't yet planned a date.
Abboud, meanwhile, isn't the only fashion designer for whom the fashion-show runway isn't long enough. Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren have also launched home collections. And these forays by apparel designers into upholstery (or bedding) are indicative of a broader reality: the gap between apparel and upholstery trends is narrowing at an accerlating pace.
"The fabrics you see on these chairs is the same fabric that was hot on the runways in the fall," said Gordon, referring to the plush smoking chairs decked out in Abboud Luxe fabric. "[The Abboud Luxe collection] is really bridging the gap between fashion and home."
"Years ago," said Kravet vice president, Scott Kravet, "we followed mens' and ladies' by 6-8 months. Now, it's literally within 3-4 months. That's why you see people going over to Europe for the runway shows."
Burlington House Upholstery director of trend and style forecasting Susan Beiser said she tries to incorporate the latest apparel trends into her work. "When I go up to do trend forecasting, I don't just look at upholstery. I also look at apparel, as well as what shows are in the museums and current events," she said. "A lot of what we look at is apparel, though. We go to New York often and take pictures of retail windows."
There are a variety of reasons for the accelerated crossover. The most significant one, according to Kravet is technology. "We have access to cable, the Internet, interactive fashion and previews of people's spring/fall lines. You can get anything at any time."
Lisa Herbert, senior vice president of Pantone Home and Fashion, agrees and also believes that the fashion designer has taken a spot on America's pop-culture pedestal. "There are TV shows that focus on fashion designer who has become a celebrity," she said. "They've infiltrated Oscars. Because of all this, the consumer is much more aware of these trends as they happen.
"Also travel has increased and we're not going to the typical spots anymore. We're going to exotic places like Morocco, India, Patagonia or Iceland. The range of travel destinations has expanded and opened our eyes to new things we weren't exposed to. And as you see them more, an acceptance comes more quickly. It doesn't seem as foreign."
Pantone is a sponsor of the 7th on 6th Fashion show, so Herbert is in a position to find the crossover.
"Everything from detail to open-weave knits, and laced-up dresses you're seeing those types of treatments being converted to the home," she said.
"Also the whole resurgence of animal prints and animal skins, which we see in the runway, you're seeing in the home. Not just in traditional neutral animal skin colors like greys, beiges, blacks. Now you're seeing them punched up, whether it's fur or animal skin like a snake, it's punched up with colors. You're seeing green and reds and pinks infused into the patterns."
Herbert said that color-sharing also plays a role in the crossover equation. "Pantone [the industry standard for color, used by designers and mills] is sold to fashion retailers and to upholstery makers," she said. "Thus, they're pulling from the same color palette.
"So many big brands like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Nautica are crossing over from apparel to home. They're going to look for the inspiration that they have in apparel and transcend it into home collections."
Although Kravet invited the public to view the line in April, it had been hanging quietly in Kravet's Third Avenue, New York City showroom for months. Despite the lack of fanfare, the product apparently sold well, even before its official launch. Kravet spokesperson Robin Gordon wouldn't disclose a figure, but she called initial sales "excellent."
"It's a warm pallete of earth tones and spices, but it's not overly femine," said Gordon. "It's very classic, very elegant so it appeals to the masculine and the feminine, which is hard to do well."
Gordon said that Kravet will launch a second Abboud line, but she said the company hadn't yet planned a date.
Abboud, meanwhile, isn't the only fashion designer for whom the fashion-show runway isn't long enough. Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren have also launched home collections. And these forays by apparel designers into upholstery (or bedding) are indicative of a broader reality: the gap between apparel and upholstery trends is narrowing at an accerlating pace.
"The fabrics you see on these chairs is the same fabric that was hot on the runways in the fall," said Gordon, referring to the plush smoking chairs decked out in Abboud Luxe fabric. "[The Abboud Luxe collection] is really bridging the gap between fashion and home."
"Years ago," said Kravet vice president, Scott Kravet, "we followed mens' and ladies' by 6-8 months. Now, it's literally within 3-4 months. That's why you see people going over to Europe for the runway shows."
Burlington House Upholstery director of trend and style forecasting Susan Beiser said she tries to incorporate the latest apparel trends into her work. "When I go up to do trend forecasting, I don't just look at upholstery. I also look at apparel, as well as what shows are in the museums and current events," she said. "A lot of what we look at is apparel, though. We go to New York often and take pictures of retail windows."
There are a variety of reasons for the accelerated crossover. The most significant one, according to Kravet is technology. "We have access to cable, the Internet, interactive fashion and previews of people's spring/fall lines. You can get anything at any time."
Lisa Herbert, senior vice president of Pantone Home and Fashion, agrees and also believes that the fashion designer has taken a spot on America's pop-culture pedestal. "There are TV shows that focus on fashion designer who has become a celebrity," she said. "They've infiltrated Oscars. Because of all this, the consumer is much more aware of these trends as they happen.
"Also travel has increased and we're not going to the typical spots anymore. We're going to exotic places like Morocco, India, Patagonia or Iceland. The range of travel destinations has expanded and opened our eyes to new things we weren't exposed to. And as you see them more, an acceptance comes more quickly. It doesn't seem as foreign."
Pantone is a sponsor of the 7th on 6th Fashion show, so Herbert is in a position to find the crossover.
"Everything from detail to open-weave knits, and laced-up dresses you're seeing those types of treatments being converted to the home," she said.
"Also the whole resurgence of animal prints and animal skins, which we see in the runway, you're seeing in the home. Not just in traditional neutral animal skin colors like greys, beiges, blacks. Now you're seeing them punched up, whether it's fur or animal skin like a snake, it's punched up with colors. You're seeing green and reds and pinks infused into the patterns."
Herbert said that color-sharing also plays a role in the crossover equation. "Pantone [the industry standard for color, used by designers and mills] is sold to fashion retailers and to upholstery makers," she said. "Thus, they're pulling from the same color palette.
"So many big brands like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Nautica are crossing over from apparel to home. They're going to look for the inspiration that they have in apparel and transcend it into home collections."
