Heirloom qualities have always been prized in the luxury bedding business, especially high-quality cotton, high thread counts and subdued white and ivory tones. But this summer, there’s a big change afoot, reflected in the distinct trend among vendors in this segment to experiment with bold colors and patterns.
“We don’t typically offer super trendy or fashion-forward looks for bedding, preferring to stay within a more traditional, elegant, luxury aesthetic,” said Sferra Marketing Director Mary Shields. “However, last market we responded to the growing interest in prints that appeal to the younger luxury audience. We did very well with bold Italian-woven and Italian-printed contemporary graphics, so we are continuing along this avenue. The color palette was less gray, fresher and brighter than the traditional Sferra customer's palette, which tends towards super neutral. We're continuing to respond to the needs of [the younger luxury customer] by introducing two new prints this August called Deagan and Connery. Again, the colors are brighter and cleaner: Tangerine, Aubergine and Cornflower Blue.”
At Peacock Alley, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, both color and pattern began appearing in the line for the spring and summer markets. The last time Peacock Alley had printed sheets was back in the 1970s.
“While Peacock Alley is truly known for beautiful white beds, we have been pushing for fun, energetic colors on the fashion portion,” said President Jason Needleman. “Going into summer, we have Emma, a little diamond print in coastal colors of coral, aqua and navy. We also have Eloise, an all-over floral in coral and aqua.”
Designer-oriented Legacy Home continues to work the bold color and pattern angle as it has for several seasons now. However, instead of bold geometric prints as the dominant pattern within a collection, they’re playing a supporting role for the summer introductions.
“In past markets, we’ve featured the bold geometric print as the main fabric in our collections, but they have now become the perfect companions to some of our new floral introductions,” explained Legacy Home designer Jim Vivacqua. “Current but classic, we like mixing these prints and combining them within a collection. It gives our buyers several different styling choices within the same collection.”
In terms of color, the company isn’t shying away from bold palettes. “This summer we continue to be excited about the saturated colors we have seen at recent fabric markets,” Vivacqua said. “Several collections that we will be featuring [at markets] in Atlanta and New York will showcase these rich, vibrant colors. Emerald and Kiwi are two greens that remain important—try mixing them with brilliant blues inspired by the sea.”
Meanwhile, designers at Eastern Accents are working a number of different trends. In addition to the bold patterns and saturated colors of Scalamandré archival prints and the ethnic chic trend, designers have put together new collections that riff on metallic, old Hollywood and Great Gatsby themes. A fine example is Abernathy, a central introduction for summer markets. With its classic black-and-cream color palette and stylized plaids and appliques, the bedding collection is reminiscent of the glamour of the Roaring Twenties.
