Julian Colors American Silk

A decorative fabric collection — Alexander Julian for American Silk — will be introduced at Showtime, January 2005.

"The whole concept is color — we're known for color and Alex is known for color," said John Sullivan, president of American Silk.

"We're both redheads and our favorite color is purple. Red hair with purple looks great."

The designer, noted for his menswear and women's wear collections under the Alexander Julian Colours label, also designs rugs for Miresco, upholstered furniture for Decor-Rest, case goods for Universal and bedding for Dan River.

"Before this, I've dabbled in fabrics, but this is my first major decorative fabrics collection," Julian said. "It's decorator driven, and I have the all-over freedom to express myself in colors. And I will work with silk itself as I have for years in ready-to-wear."

The collection will enable Julian "to stretch and be very expressive and exuberant in terms of colors — even in neutrals," he related.

Julian is one of the few designers to have won the coveted Coty Award in the apparel industry for textiles.

The collection will utilize silk, wool, cotton, polyester and rayon fibers, said Sullivan, and will be yarn dyed predominantly with novelty weaves using fine menswear weights, he added.

"We'll be dyeing special colors for the collection," Sullivan explained.

The initial collection will feature between eight to 18 designs. Sullivan said that 18 is "the maximum that would make sense in any one season." Price points will be a bit higher than the typical American Silk line which ranges from $8 to $30 a yard, "probably with an opening price point of $12 and then above $20."

All channels of distribution will be targeted, Sullivan said — jobbers, furniture manufacturers, home furnishings manufacturers and retailers.