Abboud looks to clean up with towel deal

AT THE NEW YORK MARKET — Less than a month after announcing its licensing deal for top-of-bed, Joseph Abboud Environments last week announced another deal for bath towels, decorative towels and beach towels, this time with Canning Vale Weaving Mills Ltd.

Canning Vale, a Perth, Australia-based manufacturer, will be previewing the line during April market 2003. The company is responsible for all aspects of production, sales and distribution.

"We are extremely pleased to announce this new collaboration," said Maria Vicari, vp of licensing for Abboud. "The technological and logistical capabilities of the Canning Vale organization coupled with the synergistic design direction from the Joseph Abboud organization are a perfect match. Together, we have the resources to create product the marketplace will be talking about."

Canning Vale joins current home textiles licensees Divatex Home Fashions and Creative Home Furnishings, which supply fashion bedding and decorative pillows, respectively, as well as United Feather & Down for down and down alternative basic bedding.

"We are very excited about our new collaboration," said David Crowley, general manager of sales and marketing for Canning Vale. "The focus of lifestyle, color and design of the Joseph Abboud Environments towel collection will bring an exciting and fresh new collection to the better-to-luxury segment of the towel market. We look forward to a long and successful partnership together."

According to Bob Wichser, president and coo of Abboud, the company's goal is to translate its established menswear business into an equally established home textiles business. He also said Abboud is exploring targeting female consumers in the hopes of expanding the company's influence further. "This, in concert with our strategic licensing expansion and retail stores strategy, completes the elements required to achieve our goals," he said.