• by Tanya Gazdik , July 27, 2021

Airstream and Williams-Sonoma’s Pottery Barn brand are partnering to offer a stylish recreational vehicle that might put many first homes to shame with its high-end decor.

The 28-foot Pottery Barn Special Edition Travel Trailer, with an MSRP of $145,500, can be financed with a 15-year loan just like a primary home, Airstream President and CEO Bob Wheeler said during an online press conference with reporters. 

The product will hit Airstream dealerships in August and advertising will include traditional media, social media and digital platforms, Wheeler said.

The launch includes a sweepstakes to win a four-night stay for two in a Pottery Barn Special Edition Travel Trailer at Caravan Outpost in Ojai, California. U.S. consumers can enter online through Aug. 31. 

The companies are targeting primarily “sophisticated, early retirees or approaching retirement” couples without young children, Wheeler says.

“It will be the product that pushes people over the edge and gets them to pull the trigger,” Wheeler tells "Marketing Daily."

In addition to the standard amenities found in all Airstreams -- a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping and relaxing areas -- the new trailer is finished with hardware, soft goods, fixtures, and touches inspired by Pottery Barn’s best-selling collections. 

Pottery Barn worked with Airstream’s interior design and engineering teams to incorporate innovation through thoughtful features, both in and out of the trailer, Wheeler saids The trailer has been in the works for two years.

“These kind of collaboration are really important for us as a brand,” Wheeler said. “We tend to get a little insular or stale if we don’t partner with outsiders. To partner with a brand like Pottery Barn takes us to a better place, and pulls back into the center between transportation and residential design, where we really thrive.”

In another design first for Airstream, an outdoor hanging table attaches to the trailer’s exterior, creating an additional place for entertaining. Pottery Barn also put its signature touch on the exterior awning and the accessory kit which comes with each trailer, including a 16-piece Mason Stoneware Dinnerware Set, an Indio Outdoor Folding Table and Armchair Set and a doormat.

The two iconic American brands have more than 160 years combined of design and engineering experience, said Marta Benson, Pottery Barn president.

“Both companies have a similar vibe in design ethos,” Benson said during the call with reporters. “At Pottery Barn we are dedicated to a lifestyle that is easy, carefree, and has an approach that is very all-encompassing. We kept that vibe as we designed and worked with the Airstream team. It was really a match made in heaven.”