Bardwil to launch new Dansk line

By Cecile B. Corral -- Home Textiles Today, 9/19/2003 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

Three months after forging a tighter licensing partnership with tabletop company Lenox Inc., Bardwil Linens is set to launch a collection of table linens and kitchen textiles for Dansk — the casual alternative to its sister brand Lenox.

Bardwil has been the table linens licensee for Lenox since September 2001.

"Our Dansk collection is far more casual than our Lenox line," Nancy Kristoff, president, sales and marketing, told HTT. "It has a more contemporary edge to it. Therefore, we decided to focus on placemats and not tablecloths, like we do for Lenox."

The Dansk line includes coordinating placemats, napkins, napkin rings, runners, kitchen towels, oven mitts and aprons.

Initially, the Dansk collection will comprise four Dansk designs — two that are existing and two that are new and launching in October at the tabletop market here.

The two existing designs are solid-color Craft, available in five colorways, and red-and-white cherry-themed Bing, available in a stripe and two plaid patterns. The new designs are contemporary geometric Caribe, available in blue, yellow and aqua colorways, and solid-color Thoroughly Modern, available in styles in orange, blue and yellow colorways.

Some special packaging designs have been created for the launch. Craft is available as a three-piece set — one placemat, napkin and napkin ring — rolled into a package. And Bing is available as a 12-piece set — four placemats, napkins and napkin rings — rolled into a vinyl bag.

"We want to keep it simple and easy for the customer to shop," Kristoff said.

Even though it's more casual, the Dansk caters to the same customer base of department and specialty stores, Kristoff said.

The difference, she noted, is that Dansk is more flexible for placement into more in-store departments.

"Dansk can go either into the table linens or housewares departments," Kristoff explained. "Lenox is strictly for the upstairs china department."

Price points are set at $9.99 for a Craft three-piece set, $24.99 for a Bing 12-piece set and $7.99 for a set of four kitchen towels.

All of Bardwil's Dansk-branded products are made of 100 percent woven cotton and are imported from India.