Sticking to the Knitting

British Olympic diving gold-medalist Tom Daley, who is known for his passion for knitting, signed a deal with Woolmark in October to become a brand ambassador for merino wool, with a line of signature knitting kits planned as part of the agreement. He becomes the latest of a handful of celebrities who have lent their […]

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Read All About It

Read-alouds of licensed books have become key components of the YouTube channels operated by owners of kids’ character and entertainment properties. The read-aloud genre, which consists of video productions depicting children, celebrities, or other narrators reading published books, one per episode, saw a boost during the pandemic lockdowns and has continued to thrive. The experience […]

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Growth is a Piece of Cake for These Bakeries

Bakery chains from Asia—especially South Korea and Taiwan—are quickly expanding on a global scale, including in the U.S. Their combination of Asian and western (typically French) baked delicacies, made on-site daily, along with a range of hand-crafted beverages, appeals to the global Asian diaspora as well as a wide spectrum of western consumers.  These shops […]

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Music by Candlelight

Celebrities have been active participants in collaborating on signature candles, especially since the pandemic lockdowns in 2020. One sub-sector of this space consists of musicians who have partnered to create candles, often trying to capture the essence of their most recent album or song titles in the form of scent. Here are some examples from […]

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Happy Returns For Former Retail Brands

Several formerly defunct retailers have announced relaunches, or expanded on recent relaunches, this year. Through a variety of strategies, their well-known IPs are coming back, both online and as shop-in-shops and/or standalone retail locations:  Bed Bath & Beyond returned to bricks-and-mortar retail through partnerships with The Container Store and Kirkland’s, both announced in October. The […]

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A Warm and Fuzzy Feeling

Luxury outerwear collaborations have been multiplying for several years now. Some of the examples, mostly limited editions, that were introduced this fall for the winter 2024 season have included:  Skate brand Palace pairing with outdoors label Berghaus for an outerwear and casual apparel capsule influenced by 1990s fashion. The marriage between the two British companies […]

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Opportunities in Africa Accelerate

Brands Licensing Africa 2024, billed as the first-ever licensing trade show on the continent, recently took place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The event reflects an interest in Africa—as both a licensing market and a source of intellectual property—that has been building slowly for many years. While the North African region and the country of South […]

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Clothing Confections

Candy brands have long been participants in fashion collaborations, but they seem to be experiencing a particularly active period in this space these days. Designs tend to go all-in on prominently featuring the shapes, colors, mascots, and packaging associated with the IP, and the focus is largely—but not entirely—on accessories categories, in part because consumers […]

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These Kitchen Appliances Are *Chef’s Kiss*

Celebrity chefs regularly lend their names to licensed cookware, bakeware, tableware, cutlery, gadgets, and other categories closely related to cooking and entertaining. One area that makes good sense, but where chefs have been infrequent players to date, is in small kitchen appliances. Typically, these sorts of collaborations, when they happen, are positioned as offering professional […]

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