Hartfordshire, England (UK) — Twenty years in the making, the Charismatic Brands Ltd.'s Ozark brand made its world debut in October, and early indications are that it will be successful. Airlines immediately expressed interest in the brand, said Leslie Creasey, Ozark's developer. Following its release in the U.K., the premium brand is set to begin distribution in Japan, Australia, America, and other European countries in 2000. Like its other labels, Charismatic extended Ozark's development stage in order to translate Ozark designs onto everything from ceramics and cookware to bedlinen and upholstery. By the time Charismatic put up the brand for sale, retailers had already signed on to carry the brand in their stores or catalogs. Creasey also had a hand in Ozark's wieldy marketing concept. "I put together marketing programs, which are carried by brand, which are carried by attitude, which are carried by design input." With Ozark in particular, Creasey said his goal was to sell "tasteful volume" and to bring "haute couture to the rails." The basis of the concept was Creasey's belief that the charm of regional cultures has become prevalent as "the world has gotten smaller." The particular regional culture which served as the inspiration for the collection was the Ozark mountain region of the American Midwest. By capturing the feeling of the culture, Creasey said that Ozark appeals to "the sophisticated charm of real people, real things and yesteryear. I'm told I have built-in antennae which pick up the mood and attitude relative to the middle market," Creasey said. Creasey took his ideas for the Ozark brand to Jane Mosse Design Studios and to his own company, Charismatic Brands, Ltd., in Hertfordshire. Charismatic then brought the brand slowly and deliberately to market with its signature marketing program. It singlehandedly controlled the process from the start of the design process to final delivery to the retailers, including getting the brand registered and trademarked, signing up manufacturers for the products and developing all the sales and marketing programs. The intricacies of the Ozark mountain region allowed Charismatic to execute a highly detailed, premium brand. Different details, inspired by the region, appear on each product in the line. "It's all too easy to make it a sausage machine with the same icon motif repeated on everything," explained Brand Manager Nick Hurd. "Rather, we've had our designer create a plethora of designs within three or four themes, then tailor those flat designs onto a grouping of products, with the entire brand being linked by color and texture." Charismatic has also developed generic Ozark sub-brands with separate identities and logos which reach the lower end of the market, and pre-clude copies from taking any chunk of Ozark's market. "At the end of the day Ozark is the premium brand we want to nurture," said Hurd. Because launching a global brand is a difficult, highly speculative process, the company can't afford to put all its eggs in one basket, said Hurd. Besides Ozark, Charismatic is bring-ing to market other brands. "Not every culture appeals to everyone," said Creasey. "Some Americans have a rather negative view of their own Midwest, and some Western motifs have no appeal in the Far East. So we're developing different brands to appeal to different groups." Other Charismatic brands include one based on the Provence region of France, a Chateau-inspired collection from Normandy, a Brazilian brand influenced by the Bahia region and a turn-of-the-century English garden program.