Now that school’s out for the summer, home goods and other retailers are starting to debut their back-to-college collaborations in anticipation of the 2024-2025 academic year. Three such partnerships were announced in June:
- At Home launched its new home décor range with lifestyle expert and designer Joy Cho and her Oh Joy! brand in July with a back-to-college range. The textiles, room décor, lighting, and furniture, all designed for small spaces, feature bold colors and patterns and finishes such as colored acrylic and mirrored tiles. The back-to-school array will be followed by a Christmas assortment in November. At Home—the Home & Holiday Superstore—has been boosting its roster of collaborations recently, working with Laila Ali, Tracey Boyd, Elf on the Shelf, Ty Pennington, FAO Schwartz, Willow Crossley, and Grace Mitchell. The Oh Joy! licensing program hit the mainstream through several collections with Target.
- Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen paired with the fashion and lifestyle label Roller Rabbit for a home goods collection that includes a back-to-college component encompassing bedding in Twin XL sizes, “no-nail” headboards, shower caddies, laundry bags, and other dorm essentials. The broader collection consists of children’s, tween, and teen bedding, window curtains and shades, décor, backpacks, lunch bags, wallpaper, and more. Roller Rabbit is known for its colorful prints and patterns, inspired by heritage block printing techniques and featuring whimsical motifs such as monkeys and hearts.
- Sibling office-supply retail brands Office Depot and Office Max partnered with online home décor retailer Dormify for an expanded range of college dorm and school supplies. The collection consists of furniture, storage, and décor and is being sold in 200 physical Office Depot and Office Max stores, as well as on the Office Depot e-commerce site. Students can look at the merchandise in a physical store near their home, order in-store or online, and have their items ready for pick-up in the fall at a location near their college. Dormify paired with The Container Store for the back-to-college season last year.
Retailers’ dorm-goods collaborations with licensed properties for back-to-college season have been on the upswing over the past few years, and more announcements are likely to come to light later this summer as the start of the fall semester approaches.
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