Sferra Debuts 1891 Brand

By Jennifer Marks -- Home Textiles Today, 6/25/2007 12:00:00 AM

Edison, N.J. —

Luxury linen house Sferra has created a brand extension at slightly lower price points, intended to broaden its presence in better department and boutique stores. At the same time, the collection reaches out to a larger demographic than Sferra's highest-end goods: first-time households, summer and second homes and younger design enthusiasts.

The new brand — 1891 by Sferra — is slated to appear in fall 2007 in better department stores and specialty linens retailers (Sferra's shop-in-shops at H.D. Buttercup in Los Angeles, and ABC Home stores in New York and Boca Raton, Fla.), catalogs and online retailers of note.

For the trade, the line will debut in August at the New York International Gift Fair and in Sferra's 26th Street New York showroom by appointment.

"We've partnered with some of the best mills in the world to make this collection," said Paul Hooker, president. "The modern global economy enables us to manufacture in countries where cost savings can be passed on to the consumer without compromising quality."

The debut collection, Sweet Soleil, consists of three bed ensembles, including mix-and-match bedding accessory pieces. In a departure, Sferra will present 1891 as sets, with a queen duvet set retailing at $249, sheet sets at $199, and dec pillows from $60 to $110.

"It's a more mainstream price point," said Janet Benton, sales manager. "Ensembles are an enormous area of growth at department stores."

1891 offers 450-count Supima cotton solid sheeting in a sorbet palette of azalea, marine, ivory, and white to coordinate with any of the three beds in the collection. Printed sheeting and top-of-bed are constructed of 400-count cotton.

All sheeting and top-of-bed ensembles feature a light detail such as scalloped stitching, a ruffled or flanged edge or embroidery. "The little touches are sweet and carefully thought out," said Mary Shields, marketing manager.

The debut collection was inspired by the photographs of the late Slim Aarons, who chronicled "the good life" as it was lived by the upper crust from the 1950s through the 1970s — particularly his iconic images of Palm Beach, the Caribbean, and the Riviera.

"1891 by Sferra is all about pretty," said creative director Aaron Stewart. "There's something traditional and classical about it, but it's made lively and modern with our color twists."