Jaclyn Smith brand adds home accent options
Cinde W. Ingram -- Home Accents Today, 5/1/2006
Actress Jaclyn Smith, the former Charlie's Angel who pioneered the concept of celebrities developing their own clothing brands 20 years ago, expects licensing to continue to hold its own in the home furnishings industry.
She bases her opinion on knowing coordinated collections make buying decisions easier for retailers and busy homeowners, who don't have to devote time to shopping to pull together the looks they want.
The Jaclyn Smith Collection previewed rugs and wall art extensions at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point with a soft launch at Hickory Hill Furniture. Smith said to expect a full launch of her rugs by Dalyn and fine art reproductions by Prestige for the October High Point market.
"We're really completing the picture," Smith said. "The whole home resource idea that I had at the beginning is becoming a reality. It makes it possible for my customer to have paintings that would have cost thousands of dollars at an affordable price, which is important to me.
"I don't think you have to spend a fortune to live beautifully, it's more about style and comfort," she said.
Putting together a team that understands her vision has presented challenges over the past two decades, she said.
"With doing home and bringing in different partners, the key is finding people who have not only your vision but your values," Smith said. "I'm into quality more than quantity. I really want it to be right. And finding your team that can all work together, I've been successful in that. I pride myself on finding these incredible people.
"You can take a celebrity and lend your name but that's not what I wanted," she said. "I really wanted to be a part of the creation. I wanted to have my hand in it. But in that, there has to be some magic with all the people who come together, there has to be a meeting of the minds."
She meets at her home with prospective vendor partners so they can become familiar with her style and lifelong appreciation for antiques.
"I enjoy it because I'm at a place in life where if I don't (enjoy it), I'm going to stay home," Smith said of her growing number of licensed collections. "My kids are doing their things now so it's great to venture in new directions, challenge yourself and learn about a new field."
Her rug colors coordinate with her upholstery collection at Hickory Hill to make the shopping process less challenging. "This is bringing all the elements together, sort of working as a silent interior designer, but giving the customer options," she said.
Individual homes reflect the interests of the family living there, so a homeowner should feel free to keep her grandmother's rocker or a favorite artwork even in more modern settings. "In a room, your eye goes to the unexpected," Smith said. "We want to enlighten the customer that it's OK to take chances and place things where they want to because it helps move energy through a home. There should be no rules in decorating."
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