The Salt Lake City Quilt Market had a feeling of excitement. It wasn’t just the new location or the scent of rain in the clean mountain air. It was all about the design, as designers and fabric companies teamed up to present their
very best.

Licensed design in fabric is not a new concept. But fabric companies seem to be focusing more on their individual designers. Celebrity designers are playing a larger part in the fabric design as well, as names like Anna Griffin and Marie Osmond floated around the Salt Palace.

Many designers had booths separate from the fabric companies who have licensed their designs. This individual space allowed each designer to present her own collection as a complete and separate story, rather than sharing space in a giant company booth.

Why are fabric companies promoting individual designers? And how can retailers use this marketing shift to carry the Quilt Market excitement to
their customers?

Advances to licensed images on fabric

Many licensed images are so familiar as to be part of the American way of life. Think Disney princesses, Barbie, or Snoopy. These images convey a feeling, not just an image. “Customers have an emotional tie to these characters or celebrities,” says Wayne Thornley, director of marketing for Springs Creative. “When a customer is shopping in a store and sees a generic piece of fleece versus a Disney princess, it moves from being a necessity purchase to an emotional purchase. That raises the value for the retailers as well as the customer.”

Companies have a vested interest in the recognizability of their licensed properties. Both the artist and the licensing company will do all they can to promote that “look,” whether it be a cartoon character or an artistic style. Consider Aunt Grace Fabrics, the 1930s-style line designed by Judie Rothermel and sold by Marcus Brother Textile. This line has been well-promoted by the manufacturer and is easily recognized and often requested by retail customers. When retailers carry the Aunt Grace line, they receive added value from that recognition.

The recognition factor is a prime reason to carry licensed fabrics, says Candice Hoffman, creative director for Clothworks. “The advantage to having a licensed designer name is they have a brand-name presence.”
Hoffman says.

Licensed art also brings new ideas to the marketplace – especially when the designers come form outside the fabric industry. Edelen Wille, an artistic team of sisters-in-law, put their vintage images on calendars, journals, date books, and children’s items before licensing their art to Marcus Brothers. “When you have a licensed company from outside the fabric industry it brings a fresh perspective,” says Lisa Shepard Stewart, marketing manager for Marcus Brothers. “They have an expertise in the vintage look. They have a built-in audience for that look. It’s kind of a whole package deal.”
“We’ve found licensed properties have a different appeal than a fabric line that doesn’t have a name around it,” says Sarah Bancroft, marketing coordinator for Quilting Treasures. “There’s a whole story to tell around it.”

Choosing a designer

How do fabric manufactures find designers? Many meet up at Surtex, an annual New York Licensing convention. “It’s not just quilting people – it’s big [companies] like Marvel Comics, and TV Shows that might be appealing. It’s that recognizable name,” says Debby Sissman, design director for Henry Glass & Co.

Often companies are searching for a particular look to add to their line. Perhaps they see a market for ephemera prints or bright juvenile patterns. “We do a lot of marketing research [to learn] what’s hot at the time,”
Bancroft says.

Designer Phyllis Dobbs took her portfolio to Houston Quilt Market last fall in search of a license arrangement. She signed with Quilting Treasures. “They liked my art. I sent some samples. They picked the one they wanted to start with, the Sweetheart Ballerina,” she says.

Windham Fabrics licensed Anna Griffin’s designs after company president Mickey Kreuger saw her paper at a scrapbooking show. “A lot of her designs are actually inspired by 19th century European designs. Because we do a lot of reproduction work and her inspiration came from the same sort of background, we felt it was a good match,” says Leslie Sonkin, director of marketing and advertising for Windham Fabrics. “She’s so popular in the scrapbooking line. A lot of our quilters recognized her immediately. It’s very interesting and creates a lot of crossover projects.”

Henry Glass & Co. licensed Buggy Barn designs after seeing the Buggy barn booth at Quilt Market. “Janet Nesbitt and Pam Soliday are known under the Buggy Barn name. Their store used to be a buggy barn out in the hinterlands of Washington,” Sissman says. “There’s a whimsy to what they’re doing. If you love the patterns that Buggy Barn does, then you know you’re going to like what they’ve done in fabric.”

Retail Strategies

The challenge for retailers is to help their customers catch the excitement of licensed design. Fabric manufactures have some suggestions.

• Display the line as a set. “If you want to promote a particular designer you would want to have separate end caps for that designer,” Sissman says.

• Restock. If one or two bolts of a line sell out, be sure to re-order. Often the pattern your customers want to make will require the very fabric you run out
of first.

• Display crossover products. If you’re selling Warren Kimble fabric, stock some Warren Kimble prints, calendars, or stationery. Display Barb Tourtillotte’s cookie jars and coffee mugs beside her Spill the Beans Fabric. If you stock Edelen Wille fabric, show it with their cards and journals.

• Develop seasonal promotions. Plan a seasonal promotion around a designer line. A February event might center around Valentine’s Day, Heart Awareness Month, and Karen Neuberger’s lines of pink ribbon fabric line, or offer a discount on Pink Ribbon purchases. “Have a Saturday with free blood pressure checks and a healthy snack,” Bancroft suggests. “Put a story around it to make it appealing to the customer to buy.”

• Play on celebrity strengths. Celebrity designers come to the fabric world with an established public persona. Use that as you plan sales and classes. Marie Osmond, for example, is known for the emphasis on family; the tribute quilt she displayed at Quilt Market was as much a scrapbook as it was a quilt. “We came up with an in-store event idea called family Heirloom Days,” Bancroft says. “We’re promoting family and tradition which [Osmond] heavily believes in.”

• Use manufacture marketing tools. Manufacturers have put a lot of thought into how you can sell their product. Use their expertise. “We offer a promotional brochure or a press release. They can take that information and generate mailings. That can create excitement,” Sonkin says.

• Create class kits. “We have free patterns you can download for most of our design lines,” Sissman says.

• Promote crossover crafting. Quilters are also crafters. Fabric designer Meg Hawkey of Crabapple Hill Also designs stitchery and embroidery kits – and she has a large and loyal following. Add the kits to your product line and display them together.