Designer Riviera Teams with Portico

New York — San Francisco-based designer Jodi Riviera has joined the Portico Home & Spa team as chief creative director.

Riviera, who counts Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma among her clients for home design, is currently pursuing a "Green MBA" from Dominican University in California — a program that studies the philosophy of business values as they relate to environmental sustainability.

"Over the years, we've seen Jodi's wealth of talents and abilities that are in line with the Portico design and product vision," said Charles Schlang, who owns the brand with Gregg Haft.

Portico is being positioned as an environmentally committed and socially responsible home furnishings brand. The brand was acquired last year by Haft, who is also the owner of Fayette, and Schlang, owner of Renaissance America. Fayette and Renaissance share offices and frequently contract work to one another.

Haft said, "The mission of Portico is to inspire and deliver more than expected through creative innovation, consumer education and an uncompromising environmental awareness and business foundation."

Portico Home textiles products, targeted for a late spring '09 launch, will be made of 100% certified organic cotton, using certified low-impact, fiber-reactive dyes in processes that have a 70% absorption rate to minimize waste. Processing will be certified for each stage of manufacturing, according to Haft.