Wamsutta taking aim at stores' top shelves

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 3/31/2003 12:00:00 AM

AT THE NEW YORK MARKET —

Springs Industries is kicking its Wamsutta towel line up a notch — and in the process is taking dead aim at the hallowed spot at department stores long held by Pillowtex's top-of-the-line Charisma.

The new Wamsutta Supima towel is "hyper-spun," a process that results in plied yarn on the towel face and single yarn on the back. Domestically made, the 21-lb. towel is size 30" x 56" for the bath and retails at $15.99. Charisma's 30" x 56" towel generally retails at $25, although sale prices can range from $19.99 all the way down to $9.99.

"We feel we've really come up with something that can go after that Charisma slot," said Nancy Webster, senior vp, creative development.

The $14.99 Wamsutta Centennial towel, previously Springs' upper price-point offering, will remain in the line, Webster said.

Wamsutta Supima will launch with 12 colors: white, ivory, truffle, crème brulee, mist, mauve, olive, pistachio, marine, cordovan, russet, storm and harvest.

Elsewhere in bath, accessories in Springs' Regal line are being repositioned as a textural, solid color story driven primarily by the core solid color bath rug offerings, Webster said. The overall direction will be contemporary, and department store-oriented.

"We felt we really need to elevate the styling characteristics," she added.

A new core solid color towel, Dimensions, is diagonally ribbed in construction. Shower curtains feature pintucking, pleating and a variety of textural fabrics.