Down Lite eyes gift/novelty market
By Michele SanFilippo -- Home Textiles Today, 4/12/2004
MASON, OHIO — Down Lite International unveiled a contemporary bedding program, called MoDo (Modern Domestics), aimed at the gift and novelty market.
MoDo caters to an urban singles lifestyle, with $99.99 duvet sets that include a duvet, comforter protector and two shams. Down Lite will also be making 50-by-60-inch down throws.
"We are trying to go after a market we have never looked at before," said Stefan Hunter, marketing manager at Down Lite, adding that there are several thousand trendy boutiques and gift stores the company can target.
The first pattern in the new MoDo brand, called Lucky, was rolled out at the recently held New York Home Textiles Market. Lucky features multi-colored playing card icons on a white 300-count cotton sateen background that reverses to solid white. Other patterns will follow later this year in time for the fall market.
Duvet sets will be rolled and packed into European cylinders for easy storage and efficiency.
In other news, Down Lite added color to its ClimaBalance comforters that retail for $249.99 all sizes and feature a coordinating pillow. In pillows, there is a new $79.99 Seacell spa pillow that incorporates silver and sea algae in the fabric for naturally antibacterial and exfoliating properties.
Another new technology being used for pillows that comes from Heimtextil is Triple Fresh, which is a finishing in the fabric that absorbs and neutralizes odors and chemicals. Pillows will retail for $79.99. "We see a good opportunity for this, especially on the hospitality side," added Hunter.
In addition, the company is offering a new collection of $29.99 faux suede down throws that reverse to microfiber and come in sage, brown, red, navy and stone. There are also five new down blanket colors (wheat, lilac, black, gold and navy) and two new comforters: velvet reversing to faux suede and faux suede reversing to a yarn-dyed plaid.
