Jeep Signs With Whisper Soft

By Cecile B. Corral & Michele SanFilippo -- Home Textiles Today, 8/15/2005 12:00:00 AM

New York — —

New York — Jeep Consumer Products has signed a licensing agreement with Whisper Soft Mills for a line of active lifestyle-themed bedding and room décor for young boys.

The new bedding line for Jeep, a registered trademark of DaimlerChrysler Corporation, caters to boys ages 9 to 14 and will feature outdoor-adventure, extreme sports and lifestyle basics with an emphasis on a rugged “4-x-4” appeal, the company said.

It will comprise printed as well as cut-and-sew comforters, quilts, throws, 200-count all-cotton print sheets, novelty accent pillows, window, accent rugs, blankets and slumber bags. Room décor has been designed to coordinate with the bedding line, including lamps, wall shelves, nested bins and other personal storage pieces.

Four new bedding patterns will debut at the October New York Home Textiles Market in Whisper Soft's showroom at 261 Fifth Ave. They are Jeep Everyday, Jeep Adventure, Jeep Extreme and Jeep No Limits.

Jeep Everyday features a solid double-stitched washed canvas top-of-bed with large Jeep patch along the side; shams have a removable outdoor camping pocket. The design comes in khaki, midnight, charcoal and moss and is paired with a plaid or striped sheeting option. Jeep Adventure is a pieced look using outdoor tent and camping fabrics such as nylon and netting in midnight/silver or khaki/moss color combos that is paired with a GPS mountain trekking sheet print.

Jeep Extreme is a light-weight cotton duck in khaki with a printed tire track across the top that is piped in orange and paired with an extreme sports printed sheet. Jeep No Limits offers a dark clay ground with patches in the middle paired with an engineered Jeep logo hem and a textural print on the body. This pattern might also be offered in midnight and neutral by the time it launches this fall, according to the company.

“We feel that there's very little out there for the older boy and this new license will open a whole new channel of distribution for us,” said Susan Opalewski, vice president of design and marketing at Whisper Soft Mills, who described the collection's looks as earth toned designs that cater to an active lifestyle. “It's a niche that no one is paying enough attention to, and this is a brand that resonates with moms as well as the active boys in her life,” added Vincent DeRosa, Whisper Soft president.