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 […]
Tag Archives | Martha Stewart
Good Buys
The home goods industry struggled in 2022 after the robust sales of the lockdown era, and most observers expect that trend to continue into 2023. But licensing has been a bright spot lately, and new licensing deals continue to be forged at a regular pace. One notable current trend—not surprising given consumers’ concerns about inflation […]
Prime of Life
The presence of mature women in the licensing and collaboration landscape has been growing over the past several years. While they still account for just a sliver of celebrity licensing activity overall, women of a certain age, who historically were forgotten when it came to product partnerships, are increasingly accepted and embraced by marketers. These […]
Checking In On Celebrity Cannabis Projects
Now that well over 100 celebrity cannabis brands (comprising both THC/marijuana and CBD/hemp) have come on the market, a number of lifestyle, entertainment, cannabis-business, and other publications regularly publish lists of the top-selling and/or highest-quality celebrity brands available. A look at nearly two dozen of these lists that have been published recently yields a large […]
Meal Time
This spring and summer, a number of chefs and other celebrities have introduced home goods collections centering on mealtimes, featuring products including cookware, tabletop items, kitchen storage, kitchen textiles, table linens, and the like. The new ranges, some produced in-house but most accomplished through licensing or collaboration, join a very crowded landscape in this category, […]
Flower Power
The fresh cut flower category, while still a relatively niche opportunity, has seen an increase in licensing activity over the years, with fashion and lifestyle designers among the property types that are most active in the space. Logically, most of those doing deals are either known for integrating floral patterns into their apparel and home […]
Talking Turkey
The U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving is one of the few celebration days throughout the year with relatively little licensing activity tied to it. It is a holiday centered on gratitude, food, and family, and not on extensive gift giving, costumes, decorating, or other more commercial endeavors. That said, there are a few opportunities tied to […]
Animal Instincts
One of the pet-industry trends highlighted at last week’s virtual Global Pet Expo (see our newly posted coverage here) is consumers’ desire to treat their pets like family, purchasing them human-grade food, enrolling them in grooming and wellness services, buying them Christmas and birthday gifts, and the like. This tendency extends to clothing, pet beds, […]
There’s No Place Like Home
As most of us are currently self-isolating at home, it seems like a good time to take a look at licensing and brand extension opportunities in the housing space. Occasionally over the years, licensors have focused not just on the traditional home goods categories, such as furniture, dishes, and décor, but have also lent their […]
Hooked on Knitting and Crochet
The knitting and crocheting space represents one of the niche opportunities whose rise can be attributed to the Maker and Urban Craft movements over the past 15 years. Interest in knitting and crocheting has grown among all age groups, particularly millennials and Gen Zs. As a result, a number of properties—from pop culture icons to […]