Collaborations between classic characters and contemporary fashion labels are a global phenomenon. A recent case in point is Poland, where three high-profile examples involving global entertainment properties and local designers or fashion retailers have attracted attention this summer and fall:
- Two retail chains, Reserved and Sinsay, created clothing collections featuring the Pink Panther, in a deal arranged by the latter’s licensing agent, CPLG. Reserved’s arrays were for girls and women, while Sinsay focused on teens. In both cases, further ranges are set to follow.
- Handbag designer Sabrina Pilewicz partnered with Cartoon Network for a collection tied to the Powerpuff Girls. The initiative included bags in three styles, reflecting the individual superpowers of the three lead characters: wisdom for Blossom, energy for Bubbles, and power for Buttercup. The products were available in Pilewicz’s Warsaw boutique and on her ecommerce site.
- Sinsay and Mohito, another fashion retail chain, paired with Mattel on summer assortments of Barbie apparel, for teens and young women respectively. Accessories retailer Paso was also part of Barbie’s collaboration mix in the country, creating bags and backpacks.
It should be noted that while collaboration opportunities such as these exist in all territories, there may be few viable partners in a given region that understand and embrace the strategy. For example, Reserved, Sinsay, and Mohito are all part of the same corporate group, LPP, a leader in character collabs in Poland.
Two of the three initiatives above were intended to generate awareness for significant property anniversaries, Barbie’s 60th in 2019 and the Powerpuff Girls’ 20th this year. The Pink Panther turned 55 in 2018, but the collections built around that character were not specifically birthday-related.
Comments are closed.