Actress, cookbook author, and perfume designer Eva Longoria is now adding bedding designer to her growing resume. Longoria, best known for her role as Gabrielle Solis on “Desperate Housewives,” has teamed up with department store JC Penney to create a new collection of bedding.
The partnership is expected to help JC Penney’s declining sales, which took a hit in the Home section when the retailer redesigned that section of their stores — which customers hated. After returning to the former design, JC Penney’s hopes to recover some sales from their Hispanic customer base.
Longoria is a ninth-generation Texan, who says she’s been preparing to design a bedding collection her whole life. She told the Dallas Morning News that she spent her childhood in Corpus Christi sewing her own curtains, pillows, and duvet covers.
“Decorative pillows were my specialty,” Longoria explained. “I used to make them for friends, too.”
Decorative pillows are an easy way to add a pop of color, print, or pattern to a room’s overall design, and the designs of Longoria’s collection draw from her experiences traveling the world.
Liz Sweney, JC Penney’s chief merchant says that though the store generally avoids working with celebrities and prefers to work with designers, the actress is a draw for the Hispanic customer base.
“Once in a while there are people who are style influencers that we want to work with,” Sweney said. “Longoria is smart and accomplished. She has a broad customer appeal and she sews.”
JC Penney has identified the Hispanic community, which is projected to have a $1.5 trillion in buying power this year, as the company’s “brand muse.”
NBC Today reports that the comforters range from $129.99 to $169.99 and throw pillows are $34.99 to $39.99. Both are available for sale now.
