British fashion trends are Caldeira's cup of tea for new dec pillows, throw program

Home Textiles Today Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 3/16/2011 4:36:06 PM

At the New York Market - London is calling, and Caldeira US is answering.

The decorative pillow/throw/soft window treatment arm of London-based parent Caldeira is avidly - and appropriately enough - making a strong fashion statement this market with a hearty serving of decorative pillows and throws donning iconic British themes, from The Beatles to the Union Jack and everything in between.

"The whole British theme seems to be very hot at the moment, with the Royal wedding, the Olympic games, and so on, and fortunately, we're at the right place at the right time," Tony Caldeira, president, told HTT.

Back home, across the pond, Caldeira's Union Jack pillow - which comes in various square and novelty sizes and colorways - "is our number one selling pillow right now, and we're selling it in more than 12 countries around the world."

The new assortment in anchored by black-and-white photographic looks that depict The Beatles, the flag, city scenes, the queen's crown and other distinctively British images and icons.

Some feature pop colors, such as a red double-decker bus driving through a black-and-white city scene. The company is also including in this new program some similarly recognizable themes in the U.S. and elsewhere, including New York City and Paris icons in black-and-white and pop-color looks.

A special extra in the line, Tony Calderia pointed out, are some of the Beatles images used. The company was given access to some rare, never-before seen images taken of The Fab Four in their early years when a Liverpool resident inherited some old photographs that had never been published or publicized. The man contacted Tony Caldeira to offer them for use on his textiles collections.

"It's very exciting," he said. "We were given the license for these original and rare photographs of The Beatles."