Dwell launches modern baby line

By Michele SanFilippo -- Home Textiles Today, 5/17/2004 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

Upscale bedding manufacturer Dwell recently launched a modern geometric line of crib bedding called Dwell Baby in three colors designed to appeal to newborns.

The new line will be available in boutiques, such as New York's Auto and San Francisco's Giggle, by mid-June.

"For the last two years, we've gotten requests from retailers for modern baby prints," said Jennifer Chused, a Dwell partner. "Our baby line consists of some of our adult prints shrunk down to baby sizes in richer, more saturated colors than the traditional baby pastels."

The line's two pattern styles are Dots/Thin Stripe and Cubes available in robin, blossom and pear.

Items are 100 percent cotton percale and will be sold in crib sets that include a reversible quilt, fitted sheet, double-layered skirt and crib bumper for $280 retail. Baby boudoir pillows, solid-color brushed-cotton blankets and extra fitted sheets will also be sold separately for $32 on blankets and pillows, and $36 for fitted sheets. Crib bumpers feature 24 extra-long ties in the shape of a bow, while skirts come pleated and tailored.

"I think that there is a huge hole in the baby-bedding world from lower-end chain stores to high-end, made-to-order lines that retail for $800 to $1,000 for custom-made crib sets," Chused added. She explained that Dwell wants to offer ready-made sets with good design and quality at reasonable prices in the $300 to $400 range.