Schnadig's Caracole Adds Custom Upholstery

March 29, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on March 30, 2012

Schnadig International Corp. is expanding its design-oriented Caracole portfolio with the addition of a custom upholstery program.

The Caracole Custom Upholstery program, with 218 fabrics planned for 2012, will be introduced during the April High Point Furniture Market.

"We€™re excited about the program and what it means for our company's continued growth," said Kristine Capra, director of upholstery merchandising. "Since the introduction of the Caracole portfolio our dealers have been requesting us to fill this obvious void. We will be featuring five beautifully upholstered silhouettes built by our domestic manufacturing upholstery plant, Key City, to display the company's reputation for superb quality and tailoring and seating capabilities. All five frames will be covered in the new Caracole custom fabrics."

This collection will offer 218 initial covers inspired by the Caracole existing range of popular fabric marriages. New upholstery fabrics will include an array of solids in linen blends, cotton velvets, textured wovens and leathers. Accent fabrics will touch on all of the latest trends including retro and modern. For traditional offerings, the program will emphasize geometric patterns, embroidery, flower motifs, and ikats, as well as traditional damasks.

As is normal for Schnadig, an inventory of these fabrics will be maintainted for a timely delivery of four to six weeks.

Jeff Young, Schnadig chairman and CEO, considers their upholstery partner, Key City Furniture, to be a vital part of the custom formula.

"We're seeing excellent volume in our Lauren Ralph Lauren custom line that we launched last October," said Young. "And while any new custom program takes a while to gain momentum, demand for additional Caracole fabrics is already high. We expect an enthusiastic kick-off followed by rapid growth in the summer and fall seasons ahead."

"With a domestic manufacturing resource, we can now go season-to-season and stay fresh," Capra said. "We can give our customers trending looks with a wide selection of quality fabrics at a great value."

The Caracole Custom Upholstery program is designed to be easy to work with at a retail level.

"We will be refining the fabric mix as we go, adding and editing," said Capra. "The total selection will always remain manageable and up-to-date. The assortment will cap out at a solid three hundred fabrics with all bases and current fashion trends covered."

For Capra, offering a custom upholstery collection allows Caracole to live up to its true potential.

"It's challenging for an upholstery designer to be locked into one fabric per frame, knowing there is so much more creativity that could be unlocked and expressed with trend-setting fabrics to accompany our trend-setting frames," she said. "Caracole Custom Upholstery will open up beautiful new worlds for our dealers, designers, and customers."

The program features a straightforward pricing structure, strategically edited fabric selection, and quick delivery. Those dealers with Caracole already on their floors can be up and running with Caracole custom upholstery quickly with no additional investment. Once a dealer is signed up, fabric swatches will arrive for them within weeks.

An online component also supports the programs simplicity. In the store, designers can click on the Caracole Web site, select a frame and fabric and see the fabric wrap onto the sofa, chair or pillow, adding speed to the process and confidence to the customer's decision.