Designers and labels from the world of fashion have long been key players in licensed home textiles. A recent burst of licensing and collaboration deals have involved companies known for their expertise in specific sectors of the fashion industry, such as innerwear, headwear, and footwear. These niches may not, at first glance, seem to be […]
Archive | Fashion
Collections Score Points with Padel Players
Padel is following in the footsteps of pickleball as a fast-rising racket sport that is starting to make a mark in the licensing business. Originating in Spain, padel — which combines elements of tennis, squash, racketball, and tennis — counts 35 million players around the world as of the end of 2025, according to the […]
Change in the Innerwear Industry
The innerwear category has seen a lot of structural change in the past year, through mergers, acquisitions, and new or restructured licensing models: Wacoal International, a global innerwear company based in Japan, acquired Glamorise, a direct-to-consumer plus-size lingerie specialist, in a deal announced last week. Wacoal, which in the U.S. sells primarily to the department […]
No Horsing Around With Equestrian Fashion
Much has been made about the long-running cowboycore or western fashion trend. But a parallel and related trend — equestrian-inspired fashion, which takes its cues from British riding sports like dressage and show jumping — has also been on the rise, hitting a high in fall 2025 and continuing into 2026, which happens to be […]
High-End Designers Tap Into Smart Devices
By Karen Raugust on March 2, 2026 in Accessories, Electronics, Fashion, Licensing, Luxury, Technology
In the mid- to late 2010s, fashion designers’ collaborations with wearable technology companies were thought to be key to growing this then-nascent industry. Fashion labels’ design expertise would help turn wearables into sleeker, more attactive devices, and their names would bring new customers to the segment. While many deals were announced at the time, they […]
Cowboy Boot Collabs Are Riding High
Within the long-running western trend in fashion — sometimes called “cowboycore” — cowboy boots represent a niche that deserves a closer look. A steady stream of collaborations has come to light in this category of late, mostly limited editions, involving specialist cowboy boot marketers as well as broader footwear brands. Country singers have been particularly […]
Stylists Remain in Style
Stylists generally work behind the scenes to help celebrities look their best on the screen or the red carpet. But, backed by social media, TV appearances, books, and more, many stylists’ personal fame has grown. And as a result, they have been increasingly featured front and center in the world of fashion collaborations. Some examples […]
Purpose and Politics
Today is Martin Luther King Day in the U.S., and it takes place in a period of turmoil and divisiveness in the country regarding diversity, inclusion, and immigration, not to mention climate change, human rights, the first amendment, LGBTQ+ rights, mental health, homelessness, and other issues. This seems like a timely moment to take a […]
Clothing Labels Call on Cricket Players
In cricket-obsessed India, athletes known for their prowess on the pitch are increasingly pairing with fashion companies for capsule collections, brand ambassadorships (which can ultimately lead to capsules), or both. Examples of the growing number of partnerships arising in the last couple of years include the following: Skechers partnered with Mohammed Siraj in September 2025, […]
Westward Expansion
Western themes remain a key trend in fashion collaborations involving all sorts of properties, from entertainment IPs to celebrities to artists and beyond. As an example, food- and beverage-related brands, especially alcoholic beverages and restaurant chains, have been active in this space in 2025, with the collections being a way to highlight the corporate brands’ […]