Natori & JLA Home Sign Licensing Agreement

New York — The Natori Company, a designer lingerie firm, and JLA Home, a home textiles and lingerie sourcing organization, have signed a licensing agreement for bedding and coordinated bath products.

The launch of Natori Home is scheduled for fall 2006 and will be distributed to better department stores, luxury linen catalogues and designer home textiles specialty stores.

JLA Home will produce a collection for Natori Home that includes sheets, comforters, duvets, decorative pillows, window treatments, quilts, towels and bath accessories aimed at the better and designer distribution channels.

Josie Natori, founder and CEO of the Natori Company, added, “We have wanted to be back in the home textile market for some time but have been seeking the right company and sourcing organization to be able to execute the signature details and embellishments that are Natori's trademark. We have found that organization at JLA Home led by Edmund Jin, a consummate entrepreneur.”

JLA Home is based in Fremont, Calif., with manufacturing facilities in China. This licensing agreement with Natori will be the focal point of the designer area of business at JLA Home. A New York showroom is planned to open later this year.

In addition, JLA Home recently hired David Jackson as vice president of merchandising for its newly established youth home fashions division. He will be based at the company's new corporate offices opening in Roswell, Ga., on May 2.

Jackson was most recently at Dan River, where he was involved in creating and launching the Seventeen program and the Joe Boxer line. He has experience in licensed products from having worked with Mattel, NFL Licensing, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, Warner Brothers and several film properties.

“This is an exciting period of growth for our company and now we bring to JLA the most experienced merchandise manager in kid's home fashions,” said Edmund Jin, principal of the $150 million textiles company. Jackson, he said, brings seasoned skills in merchandising along with product development, global sourcing and line structure to launch the new group.

“We have built a very formidable and experienced design team to create a product line that will strengthen retail sales,” continued Jin. Jackson will also provide leadership in product launches having developed a line of licensed children's bedroom accessories and introduced slumber bags, tents, laundry bags, quilts, plush and bedtime pillow pals.