In a first of its kind agreement, Abhishek Industries Ltd (AIL), the flagship company of the Trdient Group has procured Direct License of Time Inc lifestyle publication, Southern Living and has obtained its brand rights for 3 years for its bath products comprision towel, mat and robe.
As part of the agreement, AIL will market its bath line products under the banner of Southern Living that will feature a palette of 16 colors that draw inspiration from iconic images of the South America. Each towel / product is named based on its vein of inspiration. A dark reddish hue is Barbecue; a soft green is Mint Julep. A brigh white is Gardenia. Other colors include Porch Ceiling, Gulf Tide, Magnolia, Peony, Peanut, Marsh Grass, Mississippi Mud, Spanish Moss, Smokey Mountains, Wisteria, Satsuma, Peach Pie and Honeysuckle.
"We enjoyed choosing the color names for the products. We pulled things out of the southern landscape, vernacular and packaged appropriately to suit the audience," said Mr Derick Belden, Executive Director, Southern Living magazine. "What I'm most excited about it is that these colors give a real southern feeling to the collection."
Building on the color names, AIL worked with Southern Living to include with each product a hang tag that features verbiage description of the color and in some cases recipes as well as decorating tips.
In order to make the program attractive to a broader customer base, AIL created three brackets of towel qualities comprising
- Morningside, a two-ply zero-twist Indian cotton towel
- Abington Hill, a 100% Supima cotton product that offers a higher level of absorbency and a loftier hand achieved through a special technique applied to the fiber.
- Highland Park, a Supima three-ply product that features the company's Silver Fresh technology which keeps the towel 100% anti-bacterial forever and includes anti cancer properties.
The company has kick started and launched this Direct License Agreement in the New York Home Fashions Market. The initial offering would comprise bath towels and coordinating bath mats and robes will be introduced in the coming months.
Southern Living began licensing home products three years ago to extend its brand. The current roster of products for home includes bedding with Pem America, utility bedding with Perfect Fit, area and accent rugs with Linon Home Decor and furniture with Chromcraft Revington. Other branded products include living plants and flowers.
In addition to the Southern Living, AIL has also launched several other collections in the New York Home Fashions market being held during September 14 to Septemebr 18, 2009. This includes Pro Line, which encompasses four collections: Health Pro, an anti-microbial towerl; Fresh Pro, which maintains a newly washed scent after multiple uses; Color Pro, which offers color fastness and is fade-resistant; and Bleach Pro, which claims to maintain its white color. |