Each year, mainstream retailers are offering wider collections of Hanukkah merchandise, focused mostly on gifts, entertaining, and traditional items used during the holiday (and some other Jewish celebrations). Over the years, licensed or collaborative products have occasionally been found within these assortments, but the examples have been few and far between and the number of […]
Archive | Licensing
Putting It In Writing
This year has brought a mini-trend in the licensed publishing industry: actors writing books or comic books that take place in the universe in which they played a role, and more often than not feature the character they portrayed. These books enhance fan engagement, adding layers of interest and authenticity to the reading experience. Three […]
Tattoo Artists Ink Deals with Streetwear Labels and More
Tattoo artists continue to make their presence felt through fashion collaborations. Streetwear brands, especially those based in Japan, remain the leading players, but other partners are part of the landscape as well. Some examples from the past year give a sense of this sector: Sock brand Stance and tattoo artist Bert Krak paired in August […]
Trick or Treat?
By Karen Raugust on October 29, 2026 in Corporate brands, Food/Beverage, Holiday, Licensing, Seasonal
A growing — albeit still relatively small — sector within the Halloween costume industry consists of licensed garments based on food, beverage, and restaurant brands. These products allow kids and adults to trick-or-treat or attend holiday parties, this weekend and throughout the scary season, dressed as their favorite snack item, its package, or its brand […]
Let It Snow
With winter approaching, retailers in northern climates are in the midst of the ski and après-ski wear season. The number of licensing partnerships and collaborations in this space remains strong, especially on the luxury end of the spectrum, with many initiatives pairing fashion-forward, high-end apparel labels with technical winterwear specialists. Some examples of collaborative capsule […]
Entertainment Licensors Collect Trading Card Deals
Retail sales — and licensing deals — in the trading card category have been growing at a fast pace over the past year or two. While sports cards and entertainment-based trading card games dominate this sector and continue to contribute significantly to its growth, there has also been expansion in other niches of the industry. […]
Where There’s Smoke, There’s a Licensed Product
Barbecue restaurants, celebrity barbecue experts, and barbecue lifestyle brands have been particularly active in collaborations and brand extensions over the past couple of years, jointly creating new menu items, retail sauces and seasonings, and related products: This past August, Memphis barbeque restaurant Rendezvous, a favorite of Elvis Presley, paired with the singer’s estate for an […]
Stretching Out the Balletcore Trend
The current iteration of the “balletcore” trend, which sees the fashion industry creating ballet-inspired apparel, accessories, and footwear items for consumers in all walks of life, began in the early 2020s and hit its peak in 2023 and 2024. But the style is still hanging on, and in fact seems to be gaining new life […]
Looking to Cheese as an Ingredient for Brand Extension
Cheese brands have increasingly been featured in outbound licensing initiatives, extending for example into the realms of apparel, accessories, and beauty; food service menu items and co-packaged snack pairings; and promotional partnerships. In the realm of traditional food-to-food brand-extension programs, the cheese category is better known for its inbound licensing efforts, with flavor brands like […]
Fitness Inspiration through Cosplay
Fitness and cosplay intersect in a growing roster of licensing deals pairing characters with workout wear. Many of the pieces emulate superhero garb, which can be inspirational for someone pursuing better fitness, whether by weightlifting or doing yoga or aerobics, while others simply integrate cute, fan-favorite characters to add some fun to a trip to […]