Fashion watchers keeping an eye on what’s happening on the runways have highlighted workwear as a notable trend in this year’s fall and winter collections. The segment long ago expanded beyond traditional workwear purchasers. Starting in the late 1980s, workwear became associated with rap, street, and skate culture. Celebrities began wearing workwear and posting the […]
Archive | Lifestyle
New Cooks in the Kitchen
As more actors and actresses dip their toes into the foodie space with cookbooks, food-based TV series, and other related content, they are increasingly lending their names, or their proprietary brands, to products for the kitchen, namely cookware and appliances. At least four such partnerships have launched or expanded in the last year: Stanley Tucci […]
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 […]
Tour de Collaboration
The pairing of cycling gear with fashion, art, and lifestyle labels—a trend that fashion industry watchers trace back to Rapha’s first collaboration with designer Paul Smith in 2007—continues to flourish in 2023, with a number of high-end cycling apparel brands announcing capsules with notable names in the fashion and lifestyle segments. Here is a look […]
Joint Ventures
As more states legalize marijuana and THC for recreational use, following the federal legalization of hemp (and effectively CBD) in 2018, licensed properties continue to enter the cannabis space at a healthy pace. Collaborative products range from accessories and lifestyle goods to consumables such as beverages, snacks, and joints, with some containing the psychotropic (high-producing) […]
Tiles With Style
For many years, global and local brands, particularly on the luxury end of the spectrum, have been releasing high-end mahjong sets as a means of generating sales and engagement among their customer base in greater China and parts of Southeast Asia. The category has seen its profile grow over the past couple of years, especially […]
A Higher Profile for Hanukkah at Retail
As Hanukkah began last evening (December 18, 2022), it seems like a logical time to look at the increased focus on Hanukkah products at retail this year, with expanded merchandise arrays at retailers from Target to Michaels. The trend includes a number of collaborations—although these remain relatively rare overall—often involving designers: Judaica Standard Time, a […]
More Merch for Furry Family Members
Based on the continuous stream of new deals announced over the past several years, the pet industry would appear to be bursting at the seams with licensed products. But there always seems to be room for more properties in this category, driven by a vast landscape of consumer pet owners who are willing to spend […]
Kings of the Road
Licensing has had a presence in the RV and camper industry for decades, with new deals announced relatively infrequently, but consistently, over the years. Brands involved have tended to be those with a very close fit to the category, mainly outdoors- and vehicle-related properties, with some lifestyle examples thrown in as well. In the last […]
Fashion Labels Go Fishing
Fishing and fashion may seem to be an odd-couple pairing, but collaborations involving streetwear or other apparel labels and functional fishing gear come up more than you might think, including at least two examples this season. All involve companies that are rooted in Japan, where fishing is a popular pastime, or that have strong ties […]