Spring’s Von Furstenberg launch: The Audacity of Scope

Springs Global unveiled its inaugural collection of DVF Home last week, the Diane Von Furstenberg collection targeting top-tier department stores in the U.S. and abroad. It is hands down the most ambitious debut collection I've ever seen.

I can't even begin to compute how much money Springs Global must have invested in developing DVF Home. The results are eye-popping.

Consider the scope:

• Some 115 skus in bedding alone, covering three lifestyle themes;
• Four tabletop collections, most with 14 skus - one with 19;
• Six Glassware collections;
• Bakeware;
• Stemware;
• Three bath towel offerings along with two accessories styles, shower curtains and bath rugs.

For the intro, Springs Global also created some stylish and certainly not cheap fixturing.

It's enough to fill a store - and in fact, Diane Von Furstenberg told HTT last week she hopes to open her first home store in New York in the coming year, to be followed by another in Brazil. Why Brazil? In April, she opened her first apparel store in the country (in Sao Paulo) and had, she told us, the biggest opening day sales volume ever in her franchise's history.

It's a big bet in a field jammed with recently debuted or soon-to-debut licensees. To recap, here's an updated list of introductions that either debuted this past spring or have been announced for later unveiling:

• Arm and Hammer (utility bedding) - London Luxury
• Alexander Julian (bedding) - AQ Textiles
• BeautyRest Black (utilty bedding) - Louisville Bedding
• Carribean Joe (bed, bath, kitchen) - WestPoint
• Collier Campbell (bedding) - Li & Fung
• Conde Nast Archives (beach) Home Source Intl
• Court of Versailles (utility bedding) - Hollander
• Dereon/House of Derwon (bedding) - Arrow Home Fashions
• Diane von Furstenburg (bed & bath, tabletop, giftware, bakeware) Springs
• Eddie Bauer (utility bedding) - Down Lite
• Elizabeth Arden (bed and bath) - London Luxury
• Good Housekeeping (utility bedding) - Down Lite
• HGTV (bedding and window) -Victorira Classics
• HGTV (bath accessories) - Ginsey
• Kate Spade (bed & bath - announced for later introduction) CHF
• N Natori (bedding and accessories) - JLA
• Lenox (bedding) - Suntex
• Mark Ecko (bed and bath) - CHF
• Portico (utility bedding) - United Feather & Down
• Sean Jean (bedding) - Revman International
• Teen Vogue (bedding) - Idea Nouva
• Vera (bath) - Bardwil
• Waterworks (bed & bath - announced for later introduction) Springs

For retailers, there's an embarrassment of riches on offer. For suppliers, it's the next round of survival of the fittest.