Abboud Gains Creative Control, Adds Prints

By Michele SanFilippo -- Home Textiles Today, 10/25/2004 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

After a long hard battle, Joseph Abboud has become directly involved in the fashion side of his home business from a design and color standpoint.

This shift in creative control reflects changes he has made for this season, including a lowering of price points and the addition of sophisticated prints stemming from his apparel line.

“From the very beginning, I was always textile driven and all about the fabric even before we got into home,” Abboud told HTT. “Being hands-on is always a big plus. I think that overall, it will help our company and the products we present. I wanted to be inclusionary in the designs we created for home and have built on the price-value relationship.”

The spring bedding collection by Divatex Home Fashions features a transitional feel with three new beds — Ravenna, Zanzibar and Alba — plus four fashion prints on 400-count sateen in comforters, shams and sheeting that have been layered into existing bed patterns. The new fashion prints include Amalfi, Majorca, Capri and Angara.

Ravenna is a printed look featuring branches of leaves on a tonal charcoal ground with touches of white, mustard and orange. The bed features an all-over mini scroll jacquard sheet of olive on bronze.

Zanzibar is a casual sportswear-inspired look with a younger, simpler feel in tones of charcoal and neutral reversing to a shirting stripe. A queen duvet will retail for $149.99.

Alba is a solid color look mixing silky and matte fabrics with woven ribbon trim on both sides of the comforter.

According to Abboud, the new generation of prints is much more ethereal and sophisticated with dream-like tone-on-tone motifs.

Amalfi is a neutral paisley on brushed canvas with ties at the top and bottom and double-stitched stripes paired with a yarn-dye plaid sheet. Majorca is a watercolor-inspired print in greens paired with a yarn-dyed stripe that has a soft, casual earthy feel. Capri is a non-traditional paisley with architectural motifs in deep blues or ivory. Angara is a middle season look with a sophisticated paisley print in a pine colorway.

This is also the first time fashion bedding is offering Joseph Abboud signature quilt stitching on comforters. Currently, comforters have herringbone, diamond or box stitching with more patterns available this spring.