Bardwil expands Tommy Bahama to the Island Road and beyond

HTT Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 9/9/2010 12:59:01 PM

New York - Proving that the island lifestyle can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere, Bardwil Linens is expanding its Tommy Bahama licensed program of table linens with several new non-seasonal looks for both indoor and outdoor living.

Nancy Kristoff, president, sales and marketing, and Amy Zemser, vp, sales and marketing, explained to HTT the thought process behind the new additions to the program.

"We did not want to be season specific," they said. "We wanted it to be more about the Tommy Bahama lifestyle."

That lifestyle for the spring 2011 season calls for a new indoor solid-color tablecloth program called Island Road. Playing on Bardwil's longtime strength as a solid-color table linens house, this new collection is made of a 100% cotton textured fabrication, and its palette marries back to the program's other patterned collections - old and new.

Speaking of new collections within Tommy Bahama, for market there are two new indoor/outdoor groupings which include tablecloths, placemats, napkins, runners and napkin rings.

Banana Leaves is a green, aqua and coral story featuring large-scale banana leaves. It coordinates with free-standing placemats in raffia, embroidered line and others.

And the Woodrift collection is anchored by Woodrift floral, a chocolate-colored batik, which matches with freestanding placemats in raffia.

Both collections tie back to the Island Road tablecloths, which also coordinate in palette to Bardwil's original three Tommy Bahama collections, which launched in fall 2009 - African orchid, a tropical leaf pattern accented with pink and coral colors and printed on cotton linen base cloth; Pineapple Jacquard - a large-scale pineapple motif on a jacquard fabric; and Cayo Vista, a paisley print.

Bardwil is also developing outdoor aprons and oven mitts for BBQ grilling purposes. They feature a heat-transfer print from a Tommy Bahama signature design.

Also new from Bardwil for market are additions to its growing table linens and bath ensemble and shower curtain Vera line, which employs the designs of the late designer Vera Neumann.

And to its own Bardwil line, the company is presenting a new solid-colored tablecloth collection made of striated polyester, "but you would never know it. It really has a cotton feel to it," Kristoff said.