Creative Home enters new categories

By Marvin Lazaro -- Home Textiles Today, 5/20/2002 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

Creative Home Fashions believes it has differentiated itself from its competitors with unique product from India. In expanding on that strategy, the manufacturer has added two categories to its mix.

At the recent April market, the company unveiled its top-of-bed and basic lines of bedding, in addition to a complete line of soft tabletop items and towels.

"We have a very fresh and new point of view," said Mukesh Kapoor, president. "Our items are quite unlike what you usually see coming out of India as a sourcing country. There's absolutely nothing here that you'll see someplace else."

For its top-of-bed line, Creative's offerings include looks ranging from the country-inspired Alpine and Rooster to the entirely handcrafted and labor-intensive Chanduwa to the flowers of Poppy. All of the company's ensembles are also offered with coordinating 200-count sheets.

The company's independent sheeting line includes a wide range of constructions and thread counts from as "low" as a 300-count jacquard to as high as a 600-count sateen. Also part of the sheet offering is a super-combed jersey sheet available in melange, pique knit and jacquard constructions.

Even with the new bedding and tabletop lines, the company is emphasizing its quilts and coverlets. Included in its quilt line is a super combed, hand-worked jersey quilt available in three patterns and all sizes. The quilts, Kapoor said, have a soft hand and will range in wholesale price, depending on their size, from $60 to $70. Coordinating shams, Euro shams and decorative pillows are also part of the line.

The coverlets, starting from roughly $39 wholesale, encompass both juvenile and adult designs. The all-cotton coverlets include a variety of hand-cutting, stitching and applique work such as the work found on Aari, which features a variety of colors.

Creative also offers a coordinating line of towels and bath mats and embroidered shower curtains.

Kapoor said the line is geared toward the department and specialty store retail channels and would begin shipping in roughly four to five months.

"This has taken us a lot of time and patience, research and development," Kapoor said. "We've consciously tried to keep our prices down so we could be even more attractive to retailers.

"We've really focused and have really channeled our efforts."