One woman's patterns, with mass appeal - Ingleman Designs

Discount Store News, April 3, 1995 by Michele Hollow

Listen carefully to the soft-spoken even soothing voice of designer Julie Ingleman. It reflects the tone of Ingleman Designs, a company she founded in 1979.

It's a quiet voice, but one of authority that understands middle-American consumers.

"Her designs are unpretentious and easy to live with," said Bob Gehm, vice president of sales and marketing at WestPoint Stevens.

The word "unpretentious" and "easy to live with" are synonymous with Ingleman's style. From her eight-year relationship designing bedroom ensembles for WestPoint Steven's Lady Pepperell line, to her brand new collection of table linens and kitchen textiles for Leshner Mills, to the numerous wallpaper collections, housewares and accessories, Ingleman's middle-American roots speak to thousands of consumers.

Born and bred in Minnesota, Ingleman believes that her Midwest upbringing is a definite plus that allows her to perceive real market needs. Her first market triumph was in the gifts and accessories field, followed by several wallcovering designs for York. In 1987, she created a rotary screen book of wallcoverings called Prairie Prints.

The wallpaper designs proved to be a natural transition to the home textiles arena. WestPoint Pepperell hired Ingleman to design bedroom ensembles, window treatments and wallpaper borders. "Her ability to translate one design into multiple products have made her an asset to West-Point's Lady Pepperell division," said Gehm. "Her design focus transcends all classifications. She can easily design a traditional floral or an American Frontier print."

Most designers have signature looks. Ingleman's style takes many shapes. The one common thread is its down-to-earth manner.

"Style is now defined by lifestyle and personal taste rather than by historical periods, reflecting the way people now shop. Nobody's buying en masse anywhere," she noted. "Everyone wants an individual look. They want things that mix easily. Relaxed, comfortable style is fast becoming today's byword no matter what the category of merchandise. The look is casual, but also sophisticated."

At home among the mass merchant and specialty stores, Ingleman sees her designs appealing to all generations from Generation X to the over-50 group with the Baby Boomers in between.

Her home textile designs have sold at Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, Caldor, Sears and Ward. Her designs are in every major discount store across the country.

Her newest product category is with Crown Crafts, a leading bedroom ensemble and throw (blanket) supplier. "This past October market I designed three throws for Crown Crafts," Ingleman said.

"Tennis Anyone" is a contemporary arrangement of rackets and balls in rich jeweltone colors. Soccer is a bold graphic depicting children playing with soccer balls. And Nifty Fifties shows Ingleman's fun side. This retro pattern of cherry-topped sundaes and tailfinned autos makes a cozy triple woven throw.

Since 1991, Ingleman has designed both vinyl and fabric place mats and tablecloths, napkins, coasters, pot holders, oven mitts and kitchen towels for Best Brands. She recently left Best Brands to license her designs for Leshner Mills. At Leshner she will "create a fully expanded line of kitchen and table linen coordinates," said Trish Warner, design director at Leshner Mills.

"Ingelman's designs bring a well-defined fashion identity to Leshner Mills," said Warner. "We are really excited about working with Julie."

This market she continued her relationship with WestPoint by introducing three new patterns.

All three of her patterns introduced at the October Textiles Market were placed at discount and specialty stores. Woodland Floral, a 180-thread count cotton/polyester print in a washed color palette of antique rose with ivory and accents of green, and two all-cotton flannel sheet ensembles. Cardinal Plaid is a bold tartan and Evergreen offers a wintery concoction of pine branches and cones.

She has licensing agreements with Borden, FSC, York, Imperial, and Sunworthy wallcovering companies. Many of her home textile designs started out as wallpaper. Soccer was a wallpaper design first and then a throw for Crown Crafts.

For the future, Ingleman wants to continue to grow with her current clients as well as add new product categories.

Ingleman works out of a recently renovated studio built in 1914. Headquartered in Hutchinson, Minn., the firm has expanded consistently since its inception, averaging 10% annual growth over the past 10 years. Ingleman Designs boasts a full-time creative staff of 20 women, working with state-of-the-art computer technology and CAD systems.