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 handsomely on their “fur babies.”
A number of designer and lifestyle properties have joined in the fun in recent months. These are not novelty or short-term collections but full, long-term lifestyle licensing programs. Most focus on offering merchandise for pets that has the same level of quality and style enjoyed by the humans in the household. This is in keeping with millennial (and other) pet parents’ tendency to pamper their dogs and cats.
Here are some examples announced since the beginning of the year:
- Tommy Bahama entered the category through an exclusive license with PetSmart, for a line of pet products including clothing, beds, and toys. Five percent of the retail price is donated to PetSmart Charities to rescue homeless pets in the U.S. and Canada. Items range from Hawaiian-style shirts, hibiscus flower–patterned ruffled dresses, and straw hats, to beds and plush toys in floral-patterned fabrics. Many of the products mimic the human styles for which the brand is known.
- Cosmopolitan paired with Ethical Products for a line of pet items under the Cosmo Furbabies brand. The assortment includes 17 dog and six cat toys, two styles of dishes, three collections of beds, carriers, waste-management supplies, and a range of apparel and accessories (t-shirts, jackets, raincoats, sweaters, hoodies), with a look that is described as cute and Instagram-worthy. The merchandise is sold through independent pet stores and online retailers. Cosmo, owned by Hearst, is represented for licensing by IMG.
- Hugo Boss licensed Kanine Pets World Limited, in a five-year, global deal, to produce Boss-branded dog apparel, accessories, home goods, and toys. The partners expect to create two collections a year, starting with fall/winter 2022; designs will align with the brand’s main collections each season. Products are available in both companies’ e-commerce sites and in select bricks-and-mortar Boss shops, department stores, and pet retailers.
- Rachael Ray, who has long been known for her pet-food line under the Rachael Ray Nutrish brand (with Ainsworth Pet Nutrition), paired with G Mason Group, which markets goods tied to a number of licensed properties, for a line of Rachael Ray pet products. Some of the items included in the deal are toys, food bowls, apparel, leashes and collars, travel accessories, and feeding solutions and treat dispensers. Ray’s commercial endeavors are overseen by her company Watch Entertainment.
While most of the recent partnerships in this space focus on complete, human-quality product lines tied to lifestyle and designer IP, there is still space for programs that reside on the novelty end of the spectrum as well. A case in point: PetSmart’s new dog-centric Stranger Things collection of toys, accessories, and apparel—including Eleven and Hopper plush toys, a plush spiked bat patterned after a prop in the show, a logo t-shirt, a bandana, and other items—under license from Netflix. The launch was in conjunction with the debut of the fourth season of the TV series.
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