A handful of womenswear designers known for very feminine styles have been bringing their sensibilities into the menswear space of late. The move makes sense as the lines between womenswear and menswear are increasingly blurring, as illustrated by the rise of gender-neutral collections and gender-neutral pieces within womenswear and menswear lines. Some recent examples: Laura […]
Archive | Licensing
Casting Children’s Characters In Podcasts
The market for podcasts featuring children’s favorite characters in original audio storytelling continues to grow. Just this year, IP owners in the children’s entertainment space—including some of the biggest names—have launched new productions: Disney jumped into the original children’s podcast market for the first time with Forces of Nature, a 12-episode Frozen podcast released during […]
Brands Bolster Bed and Bath
Licensing remains a force in home goods, especially in the home textiles sector, even as the industry as a whole faces some post-pandemic challenges. Here is a roundup of some of the many properties—across several property types but with a focus on fashion and lifestyle—that have entered the category in 2023. All take the form […]
Oodles of Noodle Shop Tie-ins
Asian food and culture, from anime to K-Pop, continues to gain strength internationally, and it follows that players in this sector are active in licensing, collaborations, and promotional deals. A case in point: Ramen restaurants, which have slowly been raising their profile as participants in tie-ins with licensed entertainment properties. A few examples of ramen […]
Stepping Into Pickleball
Collaborations centered on pickleball are still on the rise as the sport continues to grow in popularity with mainstream consumers, both as a spectator and especially as a participant sport. Examples range from designer- and celebrity-driven apparel collections to paddles and other gear tied to all kinds of properties, from Vlasic pickles to the musical […]
Making News with Consumer Products
Legacy newspaper and magazine brands have been struggling financially for years, in part because of increased competition from digital news and information sites. More recently, however, the latter have been facing equally steep challenges, as consumers rely less on—and often mistrust—official news organizations and turn instead to independent, often opinion-driven sources they follow on social […]
Making Room for ‘Shrooms
Over the past couple of years, mushrooms have been at the center of a growing list of collaborations focused on sustainable accessories and footwear, functional drinks, and plant-based proteins, as well as gaining popularity as a design element. Psychedelic mushroom-based products containing psilocybin or other hallucinogenic compounds have been at the center of collaborations as […]
M&A À La Mode
This year has seen significant numbers of mergers and acquisitions in the global fashion industry, with much of the action centered in the luxury and/or direct-to-consumer spaces. Some of the reasons given for the high level of activity include consolidation in the digital-first DTC space; the need to strengthen omnichannel distribution capabilities; a wish to […]
Studying the NIL Collective Space
Just over two years ago, in July 2021, the NIL era began in the collegiate licensing sector, enabling students to generate revenue from licensing deals and other commercial activities tied to their names, images, and likenesses. Immediately after that, the first NIL collectives were formed. These are organizations that are independent from but affiliated with […]
Toddler IP Spurs TikTok Trends
By Karen Raugust on August 31, 2023 in Character/Entertainment, Demographic groups, Digital, Licensing
Until recently, owners of preschool properties have been a bit leery of having a presence on TikTok, even if their IP appeals to a nostalgic young adult audience as well as their core market of young children. And that continues to be the stance of many licensors even today. But now that the platform accounts […]