U.S. Gets Freckles

Fairfield, Calif. — Freckles is coming to the United States via 100% Pure/Custom Comfort.

Freckles — which specializes in home furnishings for kids from infants to early teens — is the brand name for Kids@home and the corporate name of the two-year old Australian business. The company was started by Victoria Lewis and Myron Mann, both managing directors, who were frustrated in their search for quality home products.

Each of the nine design themes has core products — hand-made quilts and matching cotton percale bed linens. The product mix includes rugs, blankets, lampshades, pillows, “humbugs” and bed castles. Other home product extensions are on the horizon, said Trevor Rabkin, co-principal of 100% Pure.

Lewis and Mann are both home textiles executives, she formerly general manager of Sheridan for Australia and the United Kingdom; he managing director and CEO of Sheridan until 2002. Dennis Clements, another Sheridan alumnus who was corporate visual merchandising manager, also is a managing director of the new company.

Rabkin considers this move an important expansion of his company's reach in both product and distribution, since it will bring both Freckles and 100% Pure into new markets and new retail channels — notably specialty stores.

By year-end, there will be five new design themes introduced including some for older kids, he said. The Freckles collection pricing will be in the upper moderate level of the market, similar to the 100% Pure/Custom Comfort decorative bedding collection.