Hoppen On Stage At Bergdorf Goodman

New York—The Kelly Hoppen collection of luxury home furnishings made its American debut at Bergdorf Goodman here.

The British lifestyle interior designer, who has branched out into product design and a London retail store, is noted for her mixing of luxury in an informal manner. She is launching home textiles, rugs and furniture under license to Sferra, Trans Ocean and Century Furniture, respectively.

Bergdorf Goodman, and its corporate sibling, Dallas-based Neiman Marcus, are launching the program with Neiman's debut scheduled for later this year.

The shop at Bergdorf takes 570 square feet on the store's home furnishings floor which is dedicated to luxury bedding, dinnerware and furniture.

In the Kelly Hoppen shop, while small in size, the impact underscores what Allan Wagenheim, chairman of Trans Ocean calls, “her conservative contemporary viewpoint. She has a definite point of view — not way out Italian, but very sophisticated.”

In a similar vein, Bob Maricich, president of Century, sees the Kelly Hoppen collection as bringing “an international European point of view to contemporary furnishings. We see her as someone who can articulate how we're going to live versus how we have lived.”

And in the Bergdorf setting, Hoppen mixes classic, luxurious traditional furnishings with understated contemporary.

The American collections were introduced here last week at Sferra and Trans Ocean during the New York Home Textiles Market. The furniture from Century will be launched at the April 2005 market in a major collection. The furniture at Bergdorf and Neiman is a special 12-piece Kelly Hoppen Collection by Century exclusive to these stores. Accessories in the Bergdorf Goodman shop are from Hoppen's European collections.

Future plans call for licenses in dinnerware, lighting, paint and window treatments, said Carl Levine, president of Carl Levine, Consulting & Licensing, who is handling the American licensing program for Hoppen.

Last week Sferra launched three groups under the Hoppen label, said Paul Hooker, president. The first collection of 406-count Egyptian cotton percale uses a 9-inch couture pleat to highlight the sheets, duvet covers, pillow cases and shams.

A second collection, also made in Italy on the 406-count Egyptian cotton percale, features an applique in a box form. The third is a cotton jacquard swirl design made in India.

In the Trans Ocean rug collection, “There is a lot of hand-knot and hand-tufted constructions, Wagenheim explained, “creating a really good plus to the furniture. The coordination of the rugs and furniture will be a good fit.”