With the 2016 Summer Olympic Games ongoing in Rio de Janeiro, it seems like a good time to take a look at the Brazilian footwear business, an active participant in licensing. Shoe companies frequently enter into short-term collaborations (and some longer-term deals) with Brazilian and global properties, both for products sold in Brazil and those destined for export.
Probably the best-known example is Havaianas. The flip-flop and sandal brand’s recent limited-edition partnerships have included Charlotte Olympia and Liberty of London. It has long collaborated with a wide range of fashion labels, such as Missoni and Céline, and character properties, including Disney and Popeye. Havaianas is also an official partner of the Rio games.
The Ipanema brand, also known for its flip-flops, jelly sandals, and other plastic styles, partnered with model Gisele Bundchen in 2002 on the long-running Ipanema Gisele Bundchen line, which sold as many as 25 million pairs per year. More recently, its collaborations have included Brazilian fashion designers A. Brand and Lenny Neimeyer and French interior designer Philippe Starck.
Ipanema’s sister brand Melissa (both are within the Grendene corporate family) also has allied with a variety of properties, ranging from fashion designers Jeremy Scott and Vivienne Westwood to furniture designers the Campana Brothers and architect Zaha Hadid.
While all of these deals involve Brazilian licensees working with Brazilian or global properties, U.S.-based marketer Converse also recently hooked into the Brazilian fashion scene. It secured a license with the Brazilian designer Patricia Bonaldi, who works under the name PatBo, for a capsule collection involving five classic Converse styles.
The Raugust Communications’ e-newsletter for August comes out next Tuesday, featuring a look at back-to-school trends at retail. If you do not already subscribe to this free monthly publication, you can do so here.
Comments are closed.