Archive | Accessories

Is Now the Time for Smart Eyewear?

There was a period in the mid-2010s when many fashion and consumer electronics industry watchers thought smart glasses, especially paired with designer or other licenses to give them a stylish slant, would represent a growth category. But while some deals were done—Diane Von Furstenberg with Google Glass in 2014, for example—neither the category nor licensing […]

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Diamonds and Pearls

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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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