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BROWN JORDAN LICENSES RUGS WITH G.A. GERTMENIAN WITH TWO-TIER STRATEGY FOR N.Y. AND HIGH POINT BUYERS
At New York Home Fashions Market, G.A. Gertmenian's showroom is decked out for summer with Brown Jordan furniture and its rugs from a licensing program announced in March.
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NEW YORK -- Brown Jordan's inaugural indoor-outdoor rug collection with licensee G.A. Gertmenian debuted at the fourth-generation rug maker's Textile Building showroom at New York Home Fashions Market with six designs in multiple colorways and sizes. The collection will officially launch to Brown Jordan retail customers at the upcoming High Point Market, at Brown Jordan's showroom, M111 - IHFC.
RugNews.com spoke with Scott J. Letts, vice president of national accounts for G.A. Gertmenian & Sons at the New York show about the designs and the two-tiered distribution strategy for the new Brown Jordan rug licensing program.
"Essentially, we have two collections: one will be done through Brown Jordan's distribution, through the Brown Jordan stores, their trade showrooms and their dealer network. For the second piece of the program we'll manufacture rugs for Studio by Brown Jordan, which is basically a sub-brand which will go into different levels of distribution, channels that Gertmenian specializes in. Studio could go into mid-tier and up, it could go on dot coms, and Lowes, Depot, Costco, Sam's. That type of market," Letts explained.
Another vignette at G.A. Gertmenian for New York market featured rugs created for Studio by Brown Jordan, which will be sold through Gertmenian's distribution channels.
The design objectives are distinctly different as well, with rugs for the Brown Jordan program more subtle and sophisticated in design. "We're trying to keep it separate by both construction and by pattern. The patterns you'll see for Brown Jordan are complements to the furniture, to the cushions and so forth; they are not going to overtake the room.
"You'll see that Studio has a little bit more color and pattern to it. We're working with Brown Jordan in developing patterns and colors for both collections: for Brown Jordan's and G. A. Gertmenian's distribution channels," Letts said.
Launching at the Brown Jordan showroom at April 2016 High Point Market is the company's Belgian-made textured Megalo rug in sophisticated but subtle neutral colorways, shown below in detail.
The Brown Jordan branded all-weather performance rugs are constructed in Belgium on precision looms using a specialized cabled yarn system to achieve enhanced texture and depth of color. The 100% polypropylene yarns feature UV stabilization to resist fading and are also resistant to, stains, mildew and shedding. Also machine made in Belgium, Studio designs are polypropylene flatweaves.
Two collections, Saratoga and Rivington, will be on display at Brown Jordan's High Point showroom at the April market. On display in New York, Saratoga's Megalo design is a dense, hefty rug that gives a high style designer look. Letts explains that a cabled yarn is used throughout the rug, even on the contrasting border. "I think they [Brown Jordan] nailed it, the look they were trying to achieve. The goal is to have rugs that don't dominate. They need to coordinate. It needs more of a sophisticated eye to see the difference in construction," he says.
The second Brown Jordan collection, Rivington, will be shown in three neutral colorways. In both color and weave, it gives the look of sisal, but an easy-care version. "Feel how soft, the yarn is. The point of this is to have the look of a sisal rug, but without the shedding; without the mold. Rivington has all the attributes of sisal, but it is softer under foot. You couldn't go barefoot on a sisal rug; it would tear your feet up."
The new Brown Jordan Rivington collection gives the designer look of sisal, but with a soft polypropylene yarn that is comfortable, mildew and mold resistant and does not shed.
