For Seller

By: Robert Meier

Cocalo, Inc. is a leading designer and manufacturer of baby bedding and coordinating nursery décor accessories. Priding itself on creative and fashionable designs, Cocalo has had substantial success in the category with merchandise sold under the Baby Martex, OshKosh B’Gosh, and Kimberly Grant licensed brand names. Now, they are increasingly venturing into new patterns using their own Cocalo brand. Sugar Plum was just released in the middle of 2006 under the Cocalo brand, and early consumer reaction suggests that this will likely become one of Cocalo’s best-selling patterns.

Sugar Plum is sold as a six-piece set, consisting of a comforter, four-sided crib bumper, dust ruffle, fitted sheet, valance, and dust ruffle. Cocalo appears to be experimenting down the path taken by other popular brands with these six-piece sets; previous Cocalo offerings generally have been four-piece sets (excluding the diaper stacker and valance). I wish that Cocalo would stick with the four-piece approach. Many moms do not desire a diaper stacker or a valance (or need more than one valance), but do not now have the option of a less expensive Sugar Plum collection without the unwanted piece. Nor does Cocalo offer the major pieces of the collection for separate purchase, as is done by other manufacturers. However, given these limitations, Sugar Plum seems to represent an excellent value.

It appears that all of the patterned fabrics used in Sugar Plum are of the printed variety, as compared to the higher quality (and more expensive) woven fabrics. In woven fabrics, differently dyed threads are woven together in a manner to create the desired pattern. Contrast this with printed fabrics, where a pattern is imprinted on the surface of a solid colored fabric. Woven fabrics are superior to, and more expensive than, printed fabrics, being more vibrant, durable, and color-fast. However, without this compromise it is unlikely that Cocalo could have maintained a retail of under $200 for the set. And Cocalo has done an excellent job of creatively combining these patterned fabrics with textured corduroy and intricate embroidered appliqués using sherpa, felt, organza, and silky ribbon, resulting in a truly beautiful collection for a baby girl. All of the embroidery appears very well done, with smooth and thick stitching and no appliquéd fabric "bleed through."

Anticipating strong consumer demand for this collection, Cocalo is making available a wider than normal selection of Sugar Plum nursery decorating accessories, including: a musical mobile featuring butterflies; a nursery lamp base and lamp shade; pillow-like fabric wall hangings; wall border; nursery hamper; decorative pillows; sherpa blanket; rug; nightlight; and switch plate cover. All of the accessories coordinate perfectly with the Sugar Plum bedding set. Detailed images of the bedding set and accessories can be seen here: