Dan River signs licensing deal

Pact with Country Living to translate mag into home

By Michele SanFilippo -- Home Textiles Today, 3/15/2004 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

Dan River has signed with Country Living magazine to develop moderately priced soft home products with a casual country lifestyle that cater to department and specialty stores.

Country Living also has a licensing agreement with Lane Home Furnishings.

Country Living and Dan River will translate the magazine's targeted lifestyle into four potential design groups for the home, sometime after the New York Home Textiles Market. They include Rustic Adirondack; Cottage/Country; Traditional, with its more formal approach; and Urban, which will have an updated modern appeal.

Cotton will be very prominent in the collection's sheeting, while top-of-bed items will feature mixed constructions.

"One of the things we were assessing was their ability to provide information on their customers, how they're decorating their homes and how they're living their lives," said Geri Wetmore, vice president of lifestyle brand marketing and new business development at Dan River.

She said promotional activity at Hearst is also very strong with tie-ins for new product launches. The publication is considered the top home magazine based on circulation, with a readership of 2.1 million.

In addition, Dan River holds the license for Seventeen, another Hearst publication. "We have a significant relationship with Hearst already because of Seventeen, so we know what they can do," Wetmore added.

Glen Ellen Brown, vice president of brand development at Hearst, added, "We really now need to execute products designed for comfort because it is the natural extension to the furniture pieces our customers already have in their homes."

Because consumers are so home-centric these days, she said, it has become important for Country Living to cater to their total home furnishings needs.

"Country is really a collected look that marries inspiration from authentic American design and style," said Brown. "We show people how they can mix their own personality with a country aesthetic, which can be as broad as our nation's geography."