Bianca expands bath mix

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 4/15/2002 12:00:00 AM

AT THE NEW YORK MARKET —

Along with its usual offering of Portuguese-produced towels, Bianca is expanding and exploring other bath categories as well this market.

The New Brunswick, NJ-based company, with its showroom on Fifth Avenue, wanted to offer "un-solid solid towels," or towels with something added to them, like chenille or a rayon floral spray, said designer Shannon Lucas.

This category has three new styles for market: a damask towel, which has damask at the bottom with some rayon; a grosgrain ribbon towel, with chenille placed along the border; and a Tuscany floral, with two rayon floral borders. Each towel has its own coordinates, which include sculptured rayon velour and double jacquard yarn-dyed towels. Available in wash, hand, bath and shower sizes, the towels are offered in white, natural, natural/linen, sage and amethyst.

The company has also expanded into the shower curtain category and will showcase two terry jacquard designs at market, though Lucas said that the company can produce the curtain in any of its towel patterns.

She added that the company will have a bigger push in tub mats, which it has manufactured before at the request of retailers. Three different samples will be shown.