While doing research for my post about how much fabric designers earn I spoke with a fabric designer who has licensed fabric collections to both a fabric company and to the largest chain of brick-and-mortar fabric stores in the United States, JoAnn Fabrics. The financial arrangement that resulted from working with JoAnns was so different from those of the other designers I spoke with, I felt it warranted its own post.
The designer has chosen to remain anonymous, but this post is in her own words. I realize that the list of designers in JoAnns “premier quilting cotton” line is a short one, but I’m asking that the comments and social shares of this post don’t devolve into a guessing game. For all of us, knowing who it is is not nearly as important as understanding why she does it and how it works.
This post is about the why and the how. Why would a designer work with a chain store? What does it do for her brand? How does she weight the risks and what are the rewards, exactly? Reading the details of this financial arrangement gives us insight into how the business of fabric operates.
Here’s the designer’s story:
The designs I do for JoAnn Fabrics are exclusive to them and completely different from any previous or current design I’ve done for the indie fabric industry. The collections I do for JoAnns are sold under their premium quilting cottons section, which means they are the exact same quality as the fabrics you will find at your local quilt shop. As a matter of fact, because they are using the same greige goods (fabric base), thread count and inks as the independent fabric lines, the hand and feel are exactly the same.
JoAnns has over 800 stores nationwide, plus their website, so the distribution is huge and the sales volume is much higher than anything I’ve ever experienced before. Is it more lucrative for the same time investment? That’s a resounding yes!
Is it frowned upon by other designers or fabric companies? I have heard mixed opinions, but most have been positive. When I first announced my collaboration with JoAnns, I received countless messages and emails from industry folks, mostly congratulating me on my news.
I even had a couple of large independent retailers ask if I would be willing to produce those same designs for them, or if they could buy them somewhere. Of course, the answer is no. My collections for JoAnns are exclusive to them, just like Joanns is not allowed to carry my existing designs that are sold exclusively at indie fabric stores. From the very beginning, I wanted to make that distinction clear, so that no one would feel like this was a threat to their business or a conflict of interest in any way.
Another advantage of working with JoAnns, is the amount of marketing and publicity they do at no cost to the designer. When my first fabric collection launched, they arranged for me to do a special appearance at my local store. They even flew in a PR representative from corporate and gave away gift baskets valued at the hundreds. In addition, they purchased a large quantity of my books for me to sell and sign at the store appearance. This was completely arranged and publicized by them. All I had to do was show up.
In addition to that, every time they release a new line of mine they send out hundreds of thousands of printed mailers promoting my line and they also do email blasts and ads. This is a far greater exposure than I had ever received while designing for the indie fabric companies, and I am pretty sure it’s what’s helped in my newly found notoriety in the industry.
In case any designers out there think that you have to choose a side, that is not true. I have recently signed a fabric licensing contract with another fabric company that serves independent shops. We are only doing knits and canvas, two substrates that don’t conflict with my JoAnns work, since I only do quilting cottons for them.
I will also have a new sewing book coming out in 2016, which will be sold at both indie shops and big box stores. My relationship with JoAnn Fabrics is what helped seal the deal with my publisher. They wanted a designer who had lines at JoAnns, so that they would be more inclined to sell the books at their stores and possibly even teach classes with it.
I know that Joann’s will be adding a few more designers from the indie world in the near future. It is an attractive alternative for all of us, because in addition to the larger royalty checks, there is little to no marketing effort on our parts. They handle all the promotion, but also, since they don’t exhibit at Quilt Market or at any other textile show, there is no expectation of the designers to shell out money and time creating these super expensive displays. Every penny earned in royalties from JoAnns goes right into my pocket, so that is very attractive to me.
Fabric design is my job, not my hobby. I support my family with the royalties I receive from my various licensing deals plus my sewing pattern sales. So, I always have to look out for the best interest of my business. Having my fabric at JoAnns has not only brought us extra income but also strengthened my brand. Since starting with JoAnns, I have signed several new licensing deals which I am convinced would not have come about if it weren’t for my new exposure.
When you go into a fabric shop, even a chain fabric shop, there are people behind every product you see. In this case, the nicest quality quilting cottons at the chain store begin with a designer who is creating multiple collections each year, for more than one company, as a way to build a sustainable art business.
The opportunity to work with a chain store like JoAnns is a scarce one, and is certainly not something that would appeal to everyone. For the designers who do it, though, it’s a licensing deal that forms a big piece of the puzzle of profitability.
Thank you Abby for this post. I am the first one to buy the premium quilting cottons at JoAnn’s. We don’t have a independent local quilt shop in our town and I love it that JoAnn’s has finally started producing quality quilting cottons. It all makes so much sense for the designer. I applaud you for exposing the undervaluing of work done in this industry. We all need to value our work and stand up for ourselves. I appreciate all you do for the indie crafters and sewists. You are awesome!
My complaint with the JoAnns exclusive lines is that they are completely unavailable outside of the US. I have paid ridiculously marked up prices (at least double retail) for JoAnns-exclusive fabrics on Etsy and the designer got none of my money. What worries me from the above description is that it sounds like this designer will not be designing quilting cottons for stores apart from JoAnns which means that I, as a Canadian, will no longer be able to buy this designer’s quilting cottons. It’s disappointing.
I would be curious to know if the JoAnns deal prevents the designer from selling the same designs in a similar fashion to stores that aren’t in the US (Fabricland in Canada would be one example and is sort of our version of JoAnns.) If it doesn’t, I would also be curious to know if designers have thought about pursuing selling the JoAnns exclusive lines outside the US.
Thank-you for this post and the last one about how much fabric designers earn — I think making this information publicly available is the first step to reforming how designers are treated.
I know that Jennifer Paganelli tried hard to help those outside of USA get her line that was recently at Joann’s. If you were on Facebook, she posted often about the group set up for international fans of hers to buy the fabric. It was quite successful, I heard. So, don’t be afraid to ask that designer to help you get their product in your country. Someone can buy it for you and ship it to you and you can pay them for it!
I know that Denyse Schmidt has done something similar – she has sold lines only available at Spotlight , Australia’s equivalent of Joann’s. I believe they were different from the Joann ranges.
Abby, you hit the nail on the head with the final line – fabric designing can only be a part of a designer’s business pie to make an actual living from design work. Whether it’s pure design licensing, or as a quilter with patterns and books too.
I have enjoyed both posts on fabric designing. the first post shocked me in how little the designer earns and how much of the promotional work is up to them. with todays post I was think that is how it should be the designer does what they do best that is design and the large corporation handles the promotional side. but like you said working with a company like joanns is a scarce opportunity and it does not suit everyone.
thank you for writing both posts they have been very insightful
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One thing that becomes clear from both articles, as a designer – you need many avenues to fill out a successful remunerative business. I’m one of those who will buy fabric anywhere, I never turned my nose down at Joann’s ‘cheaper’ fabrics, since some of the cottons I’ve bought from jobbers in downtown LA are even sleazier . Btw, sleazy is a garment industry term for very loose knit or woven fabric that isn’t of the highest quality.
I applaud Joann’s for introducing the designer lines. Of course they have an exclusive on those designs, but it becomes very clear from this post that it opens doors for the designer to expand to new venues. The job of the designer is to aways innovate and come out with new designs – not to repeat he or she has done before.
Having lived in Israel for many years, when there was no quilting cotton at all – you make do with what you have, and lo and behold you quilts would look completely different from everyone else’s because of your base material – the fabric.
I don’t understand how someone would think negatively about a designers decision to partner with Joanns. They aren’t sacrificing quality, just getting the opportunity to reach a much larger audience. I love Denyse Schmidt but I haven’t seen her fabric carried at any local quilt shops, only Joanns.
One question I have is if the sales and coupons affect the royalties that the designers receive. I just purchased a bunch of the premium quilting fabrics at 40% off, does the designer still get full royalties for that?
I’m getting a little confused. How many contracts does the designer (who I’m assuming is Denyse Schmidt) have? It seems like 3: 1) With a manufacturer that produces fabric for independent shops (Free Spirit) 2) Jo-Ann’s 3) Another company that produces canvas and knits? Or are #1 & #3 the same company?
If that’s the case, it seems pretty unusual. I thought most contracts had non-compete clauses that prevented designers from licensing their work for fabric to anyone else, regardless of substrate. If the designer in question is Denyse, it would make more sense because she’s such a big name. She has more leverage when negotiating contracts. I don’t think it would be possible for just any designer to have a contract with a manufacturer AND a line at Jo-Ann’s that is independent of their manufacturer.
Also, I wonder how much control Jo-Ann’s exerts over the designer. Do they say what themes and colors they want or do they let the designer be in control?
Hi Felice,
This designer has two contracts. At first those two were with a fabric company and with JoAnns. Then, when the workload was too large, she chose to just stick with JoAnns because it was more lucrative. Now she’s working with another fabric company on a new line that is smaller and will only include substrates other than quilting cottons. I hope that helps! Sorry if it was confusing.
I have no idea who the designer is, but I do know that there are a number of designers that have exclusive JoAnn’s line.
As long as the designs being produced are very different (which they are) it is very hard for Company A to deny the designer the right to work with company B. Most surface designers have to have many accounts, usually something like home goods or paper goods aren’t in any competition with Fabric manufactures. I don’t think a designer can work with both Kaufman and Free Spirit at the same time, but JoAnn’s is very different from the smaller manufactures. Also, once a designer has a good reputation, I think they have more leeway in their contracts with the smaller companies about how much exclusivity they get.
I have found these posts so interesting! My daughter is tapping into the world of book publishing and finding that the traditional route requires the author to do a lot of his/her own marketing–similar to the fabric designer world. I am glad that the designer was willing to share her story with you, and I hope that she will have many more good years with JoAnn’s.
I used to stay as far as I could from JoAnn’s, and then a much larger store was built on our end of town to replace the old, tiny, crowded and cramped one. What a night and day difference. I shop there all. the. time. They have some quality things there–and the poor quality is not always their fault (I also have access to a wonderful independently owned fabric store chain and so I can compare items and costs). Some of THAT goes back further than the stores themselves.
Interesting post! I wish you had named the designer. That is always interesting and it kinda makes no sense to not name her.
Anyway, I have never been a big fan of quilting cottons at Joanns but the Doodles line of apparel fabrics and cottons and Jennifer Paganelli’s Jenny Eliza line have been wonderful. Otherwise, fabric quality at Joanns is poor. I hope they continue to make better quality items like these.
These posts fascinate me! I love the designer quilting cottons at JoAnn for many reasons, particularly the fact that they are readily available if I just venture to JoAnn, since I do not have any local quilt shops that carry modern fabric. I think it is great that this is a lucrative option for designers too.
I recently saw a post by a hugely popular sewing blogger that was strongly discouraging quilters from shopping at big box retailers in favor of indie shops, both online and LQS, because those are the shops that need our money. Yet, here we see that JoAnn is so beneficial to designers that some are working exclusively with JoAnn. I guess I’m really wondering, if the quilting industry is so large, why isn’t there enough money to go around and what can we do about it?
Seems to me that the quilting industry, while large, has so many people in it and wanting to get in it, that the pie is sliced ever smaller, so less per person. That is why there isn’t enough money to go around.
JoAnn’s has always been my place to shop; it is close to other stores. It is necessary to shop carefully. There are a few local quilt shops, but I have only been in one of them. They aren’t near other retail stores.
Not releasing the designer’s name is so that there can’t be repercussions from her sharing. We have to remember that this sharing of information is a new occurrence in the design field. Anyone could read this post. I think these posts on designing have been well done. Abby has done a great job of writing the posts carefully as to be respectful of designers and fabric companies.
In the first article, I think she said that designers get royalties on the wholesale price, so what stores sell it for wouldn’t matter.
Sounds to me that JoAnn’s is really a leader when it comes to how they treat designers. But they are bigger and have a different marketing plan, since they are selling so many different items in their stores. Designers could pursue other licensing opportunities with them or the companies they buy from, such as scrap booking supplies. The smaller companies probably don’t have the money for so much marketing.
Unfortunately the designer cottons area of the store at JoAnn is not maintained. They do not have the staff to maintain these stores and a customer really has to work to find these fabrics and put same designer fabrics together. These designers need to force improvements with JoAnn in maintaining displays. The staff is clearly not as knowledgeable as indie stores. I owned an indie store for several years and customers often came with questions about projects they started at JoAnn because there was no staff support where the purchases were made. The big picture is not so great. I am not buying from designers that crossover.
Wow – how insightful. I have always poo-poo’d JoAnns but I will refrain from doing so from now on based on this article! How wonderful that they truly respect and support their designers and that it really is the same quality of cotton from a LYS. I will feel good supporting my quilt shop AND JoAnns from now on, knowing they each contribute to the creative process of designers in their own way.
Now I would love for you to dig into the fiber and yarn industry and do the same type of secret undercover spy work!
I’m afraid I don’t know much about fiber and yarn, Peggy. I’m sure there’s someone out there writing about that industry!
I like to think I played a small part in Joann’s decision to upgrade their premium cottons. For years I would answer their phone surveys they had printed on their receipts. When it came to the part for comments I always suggested I’d like to see designer coots and just a better grade of quilting cottons. I would email corporate on occasion with the same suggestions. I was thrilled when they finally took my advice (and I am sure others!) and offered better quality fabric. I also like the fact that most of it is printed in Korea or Japan. I won’t buy Chinese made! Sorry Cloud 9!
Marianne, Cloud 9 prints their cottons in China because that is where the GOTS certified mills are. It is NOT because they are going for cheaper fabric. There are no GOTS certified mills in Korea or Japan. So they have to go to China and (I believe) Pakistan or it would not be organic. Hope that helps clear up a little about Cloud 9. Their fabric is beautiful.
Thanks for clarifying this, Beth.
I disagree that JoAnn’s has poorer quality fabrics overall. I have noticed over the years that the quality of their 100% quilters cottons is improving, as this anonymous designer has affirmed. I will buy fabrics from anywhere as long as I like the design, quality and **smell** of the fabrics, and that includes (gasp) Wal-Mart. Since I always launder any fabric before I use it, the quality usually emerges after all the sizing/chemicals have been removed. Kudos to AD (anonymous designer) for putting her family first and bringing high quality fabrics to JoAnn’s customers. She is probably having a strong influence on this big box (big fabric?) store with her input and success. It will make JoAnn’s more of a contender and give them some of the shine they need. Now if only they would treat their employees better…but that’s for another blog and another time.
I applaud any artist in any medium who is able to earn a living from their art. Very creative of this artist to design exclusives for JoAnn’s as well as well as other companies. I buy what I like where I like and rarely pay attention to the designer of the fabric I buy. I can’t imagine trying to punish an artist for trying to earn a living by not purchasing something they created just because the company that sells it doesn’t display the art in a way that I want.
Amen Susan, punishing the artists or the manufactures or the stores is just hurting the customer. I too buy fabrics because I like them, not the politics behind them.
Thank you for this post and the other post about the fabric surface designers. Great information. I shop at JoAnn and sometimes our local quilt shop, and I do get some supplies at Walmart too. Walmart fabric has been great for quick little projects, more along the line of crafting, I haven’t made any quilts with it. I am very impressed with how you described the process of the person designing for JoAnn’s being able to concentrate on designs and not so much time on promotion like other places. It is great they don’t have to go to the show with all those expenses either. It is wonderful to read about people that make a living designing.
well geez, now i feel like the buzz kill but i have to disagree. i was with the groupies that first bought denyse schmidts first line at joanns. i was pleased with it. but it seemed each following collection was of poorer quality. i believe joanns fabrics are of a better quality than they were 10 years ago, but overall, i dont believe they are good quality. they generally feel terrible and do not wash up well.
i work in a local quilt store and we struggle to stay afloat. i dont begrudge someone wanting to make a living off selling their fabric designs but when you leave the independants for the big box, you are contributing to the problem in america. joanns can afford to pay designers better because they get a lot of their products from cheaply sourced manufacturers, and a lot of times its china made. in the long run joanns is helping themselves. they can pay more because they sell on such a grand scale.
how does this support america?
and please dont say this isnt about america, its about one designer, because it will just be a matter of time before the designers start heading to joanns, and then what will our choices be???
I think you hit the nail on the head.
Does anyone know how you get started with this process. Would you approach JoAnn (or any other large store) direct with your ideas or work via a third party. I see that Gertie’s new line at JoAnn is in conjunction with Fabric Traditions although I couldn’t find a site for them.
I did not know that JoAnn’s was now selling a better grade of quilting cotton. Do they label them in any way? Or do you have to discern them by eye?
It’s pretty easy to discern high-end quilting fabric. All you have to do is touch it. And the price: higher than all the other cottons, but you can still get bargains with coupons, etc. However, very few Alex Henrys and no Kaffe Fassetts at J Ann.
I am a very democratic fabric shopper: after 45 years of feeling and smelling fabrics, I can pretty well discern which ones will be okay after being washed. And I don’t care if it is from W**M**t or the highest end quilt store. If I like it, I buy it. Preferably on sale.
And a final thought — although it has not shown up on this particular thread of comments, I have seen it on other threads (particularly the one about Jenny Doan’s use of the word “elite”) — I am getting a bit concerned about negative comments, bashing and blaming quilters vs. garment makers, getting into arguments about which is better, quilt shops or big box stores, and who is responsible for the lack of the kind of fabrics available. Quilting has changed over the years due to where and how fabrics are being manufactured and the world economy, and quilters have changed as well. No longer do we cut up old clothes and snip off the buttons as I was taught by my mother. The very idea of going into a quilt specialty shop to purchase special fabric for a quilt was not even on her radar. That isn’t being done any more. Let us not drop this very, very important aspect of quiltmaking, and that is, supporting one another, loving and caring for one another, and making room for all the varied aspects of this amazing art form.
Abby, thanks for these very interesting posts. I am always intrigued to learn about the inner workings of the business. Thanks for taking the time to research and write about this topic!
Very interesting post, thanks Abby and ‘anonymous designer’. As part-owner of a small, independent fabric shop in Australia, I feel it’s a pity when designers ‘cross over’ to the chain stores. I completely understand and respect this designer’s decisions, but for our shop this kind of move means their lines won’t sell anymore, and we won’t continue ordering them in. (I’m looking right at you Cloud 9/Spotlight!) There are plenty of other designers and fabric companies so it’s not the end of the world, but that’s the other side of the coin to be aware of. Also, from a branding point of view for the designer or company, there’s no coming back after they start to go down-market. It’s like when a clothing brand ends up at Target. Probably makes great business sense but the brand is permanently devalued.
Great article Abby , By the way do you know who I could get in touch with at Joann Fabrics for a product submission ?
No, I don’t.