Donna Karan Adds Essentials to Home
By Carole Sloan -- Home Textiles Today, 2/26/2007 12:00:00 AM
NEW YORK —
Donna Karan Essentials has been added to the mix at Donna Karan Home, along with a relaunch of DKNY Pure, and soon to come, a repositioning of DKNY with a new label — DKNY Black Label.
The Donna Karan Essentials program takes its inspiration from the designer's original concept of seven easy pieces that were the basis of her apparel collection. In apparel, it was based on how people dress themselves — a foundation plus accent pieces. Translated into home, the seven easy pieces are sheets, duvet cover, quilt, decorative pillows, throw blanket, towels, and bath rug.
The Essentials collection, scheduled to launch this month at Bloomingdale's New York, uses Egyptian cotton and silk habutai as the bed coverings fabrics, with 410 count Egyptian cotton percale sheeting enhanced by saddle stitch detailing on the hems; duvet covers in the silk habutai with cotton voile accents; cotton fill for the quilt and shams in an organic textured design; and a chunky seed knit for the throw blanket and Euro shams.
Decorative pillows are hand crafted ribbon textures and silk satin accented with mohair, sequins, and embroidery.
In bath, the two-ply long fiber combed cotton towels measure 30-by-58 and 725 grams, are chemically free and environmentally friendly, according to Patsy Pollack, president of Donna Karan Home. Bath rugs also are long staple cotton.
Throughout, Essentials has four colors: stone, opal, ivory, and white.
Essentials queen sheets are $79.99, bath towels are $24.99, and the bath rug is $59.99.
Donna Karan Collection beds feature an array of fashion fabrics like silk crepe, georgette, crinkle weaves, silk velvets, and embellishments like pleating, glass beads, metallics, and piecing.
DKNY, Pollack explained, "has been repositioned to be a more accessible brand, and its more feminine look now is targeted to attract a more masculine and value-responsive customer."
The price range, she said, "has been broadened, and prints and yarn dyes are important." And the program is moving away from open stock, with duvet sets, comforter sets, and sheet sets as the put-ups.
The new DKNY Black Label will be a little higher price and be more sophisticated in design approach, Pollack related.
