Kathy Ireland Worldwide Partners with Omnia Leather

Los Angeles (October, 2006) /PRNewswire/ - Kathy Ireland Worldwide, the design and marketing company founded by CEO and chief designer, Kathy Ireland, is announcing a new partnership with Omnia Leather Furniture, expanding KIWW's already comprehensive presence in the design of fine furniture for the family market. In October, Omnia product will become Kathy Ireland Home by Omnia Leather.

Omnia was established in 1989 as Omnia Italian Design Inc. and quickly established its respected reputation of furniture of European styling and craftsmanship in Italian leather, achieving wide popularity among leather buyers. The new association will feature leather and micro fiber furnishings designed by Ireland in Omnia's Chino, California facility where the designs will be cut, sewn and upholstered over hardwood frames. The products will then be distributed as Kathy Ireland Home by Omnia Leather. Some products will be presented as Kathy Ireland Office.

"Having Kathy serve as our chief designer and bring her talents in design and marketing, is an exciting opportunity for Omnia Leather. We've been in discussions for over a year and Kathy Ireland Home is the only brand we have seriously considered. Kathy Ireland Home by Omnia Leather is a great way to approach our future. We are very pleased to announce this new partnership," says Peter Zolferino, Omnia's president.

"Peter and the team at Omnia Leather are truly great people, who bring wonderful products to retail floors. It is a great joy and honor to expand our offerings with this terrific team. Kathy Ireland Home by Omnia Leather offers new contributions to our Kathy Ireland Office brand extension. This gives all of our retail partners additional support in, 'finding solutions for families, especially busy moms' and Fashion, Quality, Value and Safety™. We are very excited about this new relationship. Our products with this great company will coordinate beautifully with all of our existing collections. We will now be able to celebrate our Style Guides™ in a much more powerful way," says Ireland.

Included in the initial offering from Kathy Ireland Home by Omnia Leather will be accent chairs, theatre seating, recliners, sleeper sofas, conversational sofas and sectionals. There are more than 150 SKUs in the Kathy Ireland Home by Omnia Leather launch.

About Omnia Leather

Peter Zolferino is the president of Omnia Leather Furniture. Omnia Leather Furniture is designed to offer the finest detail, comfort and style for the leather buyer.

Leather is the fastest growing upholstery material used in the United States today. Its strength, supple feel and wearability set it apart from ordinary fabric coverings. Because leather has an average lifespan four times that of fabric coverings, its no wonder Americans are increasingly discovering the tremendous value it represents.In 1993, in the interest of serving customers better, Omnia started cutting and sewing in the Chino facility. This opened the gateway to faster delivery, larger selection of styles and a much broader selection of leathers.

Eighty-five percent of Omnia's line accommodates full or queen sleepers, L-shape sectionals, two and three-piece curve sectionals, down seating and chaise lounges.

In 2004, Omnia implemented Lectra's automated leather cutting machines to improve leather yield, increase production and improve quality.

Omnia's dealer base looks for a broad style selection, multiple configuration choices, large selection of leathers and colors, as well Omnia's ability to handle special orders, all of which accommodates consumer flexibility.

Quality, comfort, quick delivery, and outstanding customer service have been the keys to Omnia's success. The success that Omnia has achieved is from the hard work of its 250+ employees; many of which have been with Omnia since its beginning.

For more information, visit www.omnialeather.com.

About Kathy Ireland Worldwide

Kathy Ireland Worldwide (KIWW) is the design and marketing firm founded in 1993 by CEO and chief designer, Kathy Ireland.

The mission of KIWW is "… finding solutions for families, especially busy moms."

Forbes Magazine reports that KIWW is a "design empire which grosses over one billion dollars annually in retail sales." This year Newsweek reported, "Annual sales run to $1.4 billion." KIWW products include flooring, rugs, home furniture, office and entertainment furniture, lighting, decorative accessories, window coverings, bedding, mattresses, candles, apparel, jewelry, blankets, hand painted porcelain, fire resistant products, top-of- bed fashions and leather.

In 2000, KIWW began expanding its mission and consumer needs with the addition of specialty brands, presenting "Design Ambassadors" A Café by Chef Andre for food and entertaining, Jardin du Jour cultivated by Nicholas Walker for outdoor living and garden inspirations, and The Quilts of Gee's Bend whose original works of art from rural Alabama are the Genesis of unique designs for home. The original Quilts of Gee's Bend gained international recognition through museum tours around the world.

KIWW teams with industry leaders in each category of business: Flooring—Shaw Industries (a Berkshire-Hathaway Company); Rugs—Shaw Living (a Berkshire Hathaway Company); Home Furniture—Kathy Ireland Home by Standard; Office and Entertainment Furniture—Kathy Ireland Home by Martin; Lighting—Pacific Coast Lighting; Decorative Accessories—Pacific Coast Accessories, Window Coverings—Kathy Ireland Home by Alta; Bedding—Kathy Ireland Home by Therapedic; Permanent Florals—Kathy Ireland Home by Labs; Candles—Kathy Ireland Home by Hanna's Candle Co.; Socks—Kathy Ireland by Moretz; Active Wear—Kathy Ireland by Orioxi; Blankets—Kathy Ireland Home by Faribault Mills; Top-of-Bed Fashions—Kathy Ireland Home by Hallmart Collectibles; Hand painted porcelain—Kathy Ireland Home by Franz; Fire resistant products—Kathy Ireland Home by Basofil; Jewelry—Kathy Ireland Exclusively for House of Taylor Jewelry (House of Taylor Jewelry is a publicly traded company); and Leather—Kathy Ireland Home by Omnia Leather.

For more information, visit www.kathyireland.com.

Source: Kathy Ireland Worldwide

For additional information, contact Dick Guttman of Guttman Associates, (310) 246-4600.