Behr Launches Queer as Folk and The L Word Lines

Jennifer Heebner -- JCK Online, 4/1/2006 2:00:00 AM

Following on the successful launch last year of the Love and Pride line targeting same-sex couples, Udi Behr has formed a partnership with Showtime to launch two new branded collections for the gay and lesbian market.

The L Word and Queer as Folk jewelry lines, which debuted in February during New York's Fashion Week, hit the market along with a new fragrance, L eau de parfum by Apothia for Fred Segal, and a new book, The L Word: Welcome to Our Planet, published by Simon and Schuster. The three licensing deals aim to capture a market that's largely ignored—especially in the jewelry industry—despite its affluent status.

Though unusual in jewelry, the idea of licensing a product for a popular television program has strong roots in American pop culture. “Remember The Brady Bunch? Everyone had their lunch boxes,” Behr says. “And this, this is such an iconic, important show.”

The line—like Behr's Love and Pride collection—features products that express gay pride subtly, without “all the rainbows,” Behr says.

The collection will be available on Behr's www.loveandpride.com site, and he hopes to bring it into retail stores across the country.