Frette to Launch Helena as Limited Edition

By Carole Sloan -- Home Textiles Today, 7/30/2007 12:00:00 AM

New York —

Luxury Italian bedding producer Frette is making an aggressive move to create a lifestyle brand with a revitalization of its bedding collections. The company is relaunching its bath line, expanding its Frette-to-wear and broadening its gift offerings.

The moves, said Paul Raffin, president of Frette USA, will eventually lead to expanding the brand into the living room and entertainment categories.

For the upcoming holiday season, the company will again offer a limited edition bed, Helena, that is inspired by Helen of Troy. The duvet set fashioned from silk shantung woven to create a hand-embroidered look, is embellished with decoupe gold lame threads.

The linings are quality Egyptian cotton sateen.

The duvet set includes two square shams and two boudoir pillows, and is packaged in specially designed boxes in dark metallic brown with a booklet explaining the details of the ensemble. Retail for the set is $6,000.

As part of the expanded holiday offering, decorative pillows; throws, including a logo cashmere style and a python trimmed cashmere style; monogrammed towels; a travel pillow with a throw inside; boxed placemats and napkin sets; and cocktail napkins are featured. A special collection of Frette vases has been created by noted Murano glassmaker Seguso Viro in nine designs of one-of-a-kind hand blown glass. The vases range from $500 to $1,200.

The company, Raffin explained, "is focusing on its company-owned stores in the U.S. as well as adding highly selective points of distribution. Our wholesale business in the U.S. is virtually non-existent." In addition, it is doubling the size of its hospitality efforts.

Frette will open a store at the Americana Mall in Manhasset, N.Y., will renovate its flagship on Madison Avenue here next year and plans to open in Boston. Existing stores are in San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Palo Alto and South Coast Plaza, Calif.; Aspen, Colo.; and Chicago; as well as an outlet in Woodbury Commons in New Jersey and a store-in-a-store at ABC Carpet & Home here.