In 20-plus years of teaching, the field of journalism has fundamentally and irreparably changed. The death of newspapers. The rise of social media. The cyanobacteria bloom-like spread of misinformation and disinformation.
One fundamental is still firmly in place, where it is likely to remain: The power of good storytelling. The persuasive power of good stories, which is to say stories with a point and a purpose and vivid characters, is one of the very few things communicators can continue to count on and for which to strive.
Beyond price point and payment plans, it’s compelling narratives that are creating excitement for consumers and, not unimportantly, for the journalists and writers who cover the trade. If we think about what most stories are supposed to do, which is help an audience make sense of something in a memorable, relatable, timeless way, it’s no surprise that resonant storytelling remains at the core of communication, whether it be mass mediated, socially mediated or told over the picket fence to a neighbor.
As a journalist covering the High Point market all those many seasons, I found the most satisfaction writing about the whole home licensed collections and then getting to see their full expressions come market time. Ernest Hemingway at Thomasville, Bob Timberlake at Lexington and Barbara Barry at Baker come to mind. These stories rose above the market clutter, they inspired and they often brought a measure of prestige to an event populated mostly with “furniture by the pound,” fads and gimmicks.
I looked forward to checking in with Kerry Glasser at Concept Marketing, who always had some good stories to tell, so I could begin doing the research. These manufacturer-led initiatives still pop up from time to time, but since my tenure covering case goods in the decade of the 1990s, much of the celebrity star power has shifted to the retailers. One of the first inklings of this fundamental shift was the partnership Rooms To Go forged with Cindy Crawford in 2004. Then RTG CEO Jeff Seaman said at the time that Crawford represented “good taste and practicality” in ways with which most women could relate.
As was typical for Seaman and, before him, his father, Morty, Seaman’s timing was impeccable. Already galactically popular as a supermodel, Crawford was just getting started in licensing and in curating her brand, probably taking cues from the gold standard at this in Kathy Ireland. Crawford, like Ireland before (and after) her, didn’t want to be simply the “name.” She agreed to the partnership provided she could join RTG in the proverbial kitchen to help cook up RTG’s living room, bedroom and dining room furniture collections.
On store floors and online for exactly a month is another licensed furniture collection, this one collaborated on by a genuine master chef, Marcus Samuelsson, who is making his big splash in home furnishings with West Elm. The ebullient restaurateur with roots in Ethiopia, Sweden and most recently Harlem, New York, has brought his electric smile and unique patois to that successful purveyor of neutral tones and midcentury modern.
This is another benefit of collaborations and the stories they can generate, which is the ability to appeal to new audiences by adding fresh, even surprising design without the risk of brand confusion in the marketplace.
Scan design meets Ethiopian craft culture
Calling the 32-piece collection of furniture, lighting, textiles and wall art a “capsule,” West Elm is showcasing Samuelsson’s unique coupling of a Scandinavian design aesthetic with influences from his Ethiopian heritage. Samuelsson grew up on Smögen, a town on the west coast of Sweden with approximately 2,000 residents in winter and 30,000 during the summer.
While the collection is somewhat of a departure for West Elm, at least in terms of colorways, it makes sense. The photography done in Smögen in the bright summer sun and the moody videography are persuasive, telling the Samuelsson story but also the Swedish coastal story, as well. This marketing emphasizes the use of light, sustainable woods and materials; clean, minimalist design; and a colorway not typically associated with West Elm, including maroon, mustard, turmeric and a luminous blue.
“Marcus embodies style as a way of living,” Day Kornbluth, president of West Elm, said in a press release. “He brings taste and a point of view to everything he touches and brings people together along the way.”
For his part, Samuelsson said the collection is “personal,” one designed to “help people come together at home” by celebrating “the joy, artistry and ingenuity of food shared with friends.” It’s a good story, one predicated on Samuelsson’s credibility and personality. The collection’s marketing video has Samuelsson on the docks of Smögen showing us the brightly colored pieces and natural wood tones before a panoramic shot of the archipelago’s placid waters, all of it sun-splashed and devoid of any reminders of the existential threats to human life.
Another aspect of this story and of Samuelsson, the story’s protagonist, is his track record in philanthropy.
He co-chairs Careers through Culinary Arts Program, which gives underserved youth educational opportunities in the culinary arts. He co-produces the annual weeklong Harlem EatUp! festival started in 2016 (and that later became the TV series EatUp!). And during the pandemic, he converted his restaurants Red Rooster Harlem, Marcus B&P in Newark and Red Rooster Overtown in Miami into community kitchens in partnership with World Central Kitchen. Together they served more than 280,000 meals. Respect!
A cast of characters
The Samuelsson venture isn’t West Elm’s first “name” collaboration. In February, the Williams-Sonoma division introduced a 25-piece “capsule” with Brooklyn-based interior designer Billy Cotton. Combining furniture, flooring, tabletop and decorative accessories, the Cotton collection emphasizes neutral colors, functionality and looks Cotton calls American modernism, an aesthetic that is a natural adjunct to West Elm’s clean looks.
And exactly a year ago, West Elm pulled the curtain back on a youth collection, National Geographic for West Elm Kids, an assortment of furniture, bedding, rugs, storage and decorative accessories. The motifs include dinosaurs and space travel for a collection that aims to “cultivate curiosity and discovery from kids’ own bedrooms,” Kornbluth said at the time. The storytelling can be done even in kids’ bedrooms and playrooms.
At another Williams-Sonoma division, Pottery Barn, it is Michael Graves Design that has collaborated on a home furnishings collection just hitting stores this month. With emphases in bedroom and upholstery, the Michael Graves Design for Pottery Barn Collection was developed with aging adults and people with disabilities especially in mind, according to the company. Research led to updates of some of Pottery Barn’s bestselling collections to achieve better accessibility, as well to wholly new designs, as well.
The result “harmoniously blends aesthetic appeal and functionality,” according to Pottery Barn’s president, Monica Bhargava. “Collaborating with Michael Graves Design has deepened our commitment to accessible designs with the goal of enhancing the lives of consumers living with disabilities, injuries or aging in place at home without sacrificing quality or style.”
The new collection features upholstered armchairs as well as pieces from Pottery Barn’s bestselling bedroom collections Sausalito, Cayman and Farmhouse.
And over at Williams-Sonoma competitor Crate & Barrel, owned by the Otto Group, a 110-piece collection designed with Laura Kim, a creative director at Oscar de la Renta and purveyor of her and Fernando Garcia’s own fashion brand, Monse, made its debut this summer. Kim’s collection, which promises “a whimsical yet modern edge,” covers dining room furniture, kitchen, décor and entertaining.
So, to channel the ubiquitous Capital One TV ad campaign, “What’s in your wallet?”, this parade of compelling stories compels me to ask, “Who’s in your story?” What story are you telling the marketplace, and what sorts of characters are you relying upon to tell that story? Name collections aren’t for everyone, but they are a potentially powerful method to “write” your brand’s narrative for a consumer base hungry for a good story. And inspiration can come from anywhere.