Facing challenging times, players in the soft home sector have been turning their attention even more toward licensing, looking for brands that will resonate with consumers while setting them apart within the category. Their pro-licensing outlook offers opportunities for IP owners, including those that are taking advantage of the trend by entering the home textiles category for the first time. Some examples from this year illustrate the active landscape for new entrants; the five deals described in the first four bullets all came to light this month, timed to the New York Home Fashions Market:
- Sunwin Global Industry acquired the rights to Marquee Brands’ slipper and glove label Isotoner for the latter’s first home textiles collection. The assortment will initially include decorative pillows, throws, heated blankets, and comforter covers and will roll out across the U.S. and Canada starting in holiday 2025. Isotoner is expanding its licensing activity in general after its acquisition by Marquee in 2024.
- Natco revealed that it had licensed Erin & Ben Co., the vintage-inspired brand of Erin and Ben Napier, stars of the top-rated HGTV series Home Town, for a collection of area rugs and runners to debut this fall. The products, all made or assembled in the U.S., are meant to capture the small-town feeling associated with the Napiers’ content and brand.
- Allied Home paired with two IPs that are new to the category. With the meditation app Calm, it will create a sleep collection focused on comfort, wellness, and better rest. Cooling pillows and linen sprays will debut at retail in December (timed to the new Calm Sleep app), with sheets and other products to follow in 2026. Also this month, Allied announced a license with 75-year-old moccasin maker Minnetonka for a collection of blankets, comforters, throws, sheets, and pillows. The products will reflect Minnetonka attributes including its color palette, stitching, and materials such as suedes, corduroys, knits, chambrays, and sherpas.
- Vietnam-based, women-owned Sun-Yin debuted a new license with Coldwater Creek, an apparel brand known for its comfort, artisanal craftsmanship, and nature-inspired sensibility. The products translate Coldwater Creek designs into the home space, with examples including a quilt inspired by a printed shirt or a throw based on a knit sweater.
- Earlier this year, in March, J Queen New York announced it had secured a license with Salt Life, the Iconix-owned coastal lifestyle brand, which already has a furniture license in place but is entering soft home for the first time through licensing. The collection consists of sheets, comforters, quilts, utility bedding, bathroom rugs, bath and beach towels, shower curtains, and bath accessories.
- Joon Looloi, a direct-to-consumer marketer of furniture, lighting, décor, and art, as well as soft home products, partnered with interior designer Heidi Caillier in January for a limited collection of 22 rugs and 20 pillows reflecting her Pacific Northwest heritage vibe. The products are designed to be mixed and matched.
Note that some of these agreements represent not only the first forays into home textiles by the IP owner but also the initial entry into licensing by the manufacturer. The Salt Life deal marks the inaugural license acquired by J Queen New York since it formed its new JQ Company division to expand into licensed brands, along with proprietary and private-label development, last fall. And Heidi Caillier represents the first-ever license for Joon Loloi, which launched at the end of 2024.
Comments are closed.