The men’s jewelry category has been a fast-growing one for the last several years. As a result, designers of both fine and costume jewelry have been entering the men’s sector or expanding their men’s businesses. This year, for example, Tiffany’s added to its men’s assortment by creating its first engagement rings for men, while fine […]
Archive | Accessories
Seeing Eye to Eye
Eyewear remains relatively unimpacted by the pandemic when it comes to the pace of deal making. (Industry players say sales declined dramatically at the beginning of the crisis before rebounding to pre-pandemic or better levels in the fall of last year, according to a report in WWD.) Several key fashion, footwear, and luxury labels have […]
Face Time
Face stickers are a form of social expression and a niche category that offers opportunities for licensing. Many products from the leading marketers in this space have a particular purpose, as these examples indicate: Face Lace creates fashion-forward stickers for dramatic looks that go beyond what can be done with color cosmetics, mascara, and eye […]
Accessorizing with Tech
Properties of all types have extended their names and designs into mobile phone cases and other accessories for personal electronics. With the ubiquity of smartphones in daily life, such licensed products have become important means of social expression for consumers. Tech accessories have also taken their place as a fashion statement, and that fact was […]
About Face
When we last wrote about face masks as a licensing opportunity, about a month ago, licensors’ and licensees’ activities in this space were almost purely charitable, with the products donated directly to healthcare workers. But manufacturers and IP owners have pivoted quickly to creating masks for consumers to purchase. There is still a charitable component—with […]
Cover Your Mouth
After first saying cloth facemasks were not effective in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now encouraging Americans to wear masks whenever they are in the presence of other people, outside of those with whom they are self-isolating. Governments in Europe and other parts […]
Data Protection
With today’s ever-present worries about credit card fraud and identity theft comes a relatively new product category: Protective RFID-blocking wallets, bags, and contactless protector cards. These items are positioned as creating a barrier against RFID skimming, which is when criminals steal information from the increasing number of credit cards, drivers’ licenses, passports, and so on […]
Vision Quest
In these days of collaborations, limited editions, and other in-and-out programs, it is sometimes easy to forget that long-term, traditional licensing deals are still going strong, especially in certain sectors. A case-in-point: eyewear. Collaborations and limited programs exist in this category as well, of course. But properties such as fashion, lifestyle, and luxury brands, among […]
Head First
The head seems to be the new center of social expression when it comes to showing one’s love for an entertainment property, as all manner of headwear features eye-catching, sculptural representations of favorite characters: Plush hoods and hats. Companies such as Elope feature plush headwear with representations of characters including Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ The Grinch […]
Checking the Time
The fashion watch category has been experiencing some significant challenges, thanks in large part to the fact that smartphones have replaced wristwatches as many consumers’ primary tool for keeping track of time. In one illustration of the issues facing the industry, exports of watches from Switzerland—the source of many higher-end, fashion-driven watches—declined 10% in February […]