Women aged 50 and over have long been an untapped market segment for licensing programs. But a growing number of direct-to-retail initiatives with etailers, retailers, and home shopping networks have focused on this demographic over the past few years, all involving celebrities who are in that age group themselves: Most recently, Jane Fonda paired with […]
Archive | Fashion
Creative Collaboration
The pairing of artists and fashion designers continues as a strong trend, with high-profile creators in all genres of fine and graphic arts teaming with design labels. Among the goals: to offer customers an unexpected new look and to encourage followers of both properties to become fans of the other. A handful of examples from […]
Affordable for Anyone
A number of celebrities have launched fashion collections over the past two years—especially in the latter half of 2018—that are firmly focused on affordability: Comedian Amy Schumer and stylist and costume designer Leesa Evans launched Le Cloud Collection with Saks Off Fifth in December. Some of the proceeds will go to Community Partners’ STYLEFUND project. […]
Holiday Dress Code
The popularity of “ugly Christmas sweaters” as a pop-culture trend began to emerge almost a decade ago, and licenses across a wide variety of property types—from Bob Ross and Betty White to Bob’s Burgers and the Buffalo Bills—have had a strong presence over the past five years or so. Not surprisingly in such a crowded […]
Getting a Kick Out of Fashion
Leading football clubs around the world, like other sports organizations, have been forging deals with design labels for fashion-forward apparel collections. Some of the examples in the second half of this year: Manchester United paired with True Religion for a line of premium denim for women and men, along with a future junior’s range, sold […]
Model Citizens
Fashion models have inspired licensing and merchandising programs going back at least to Twiggy in the 1960s. Since then, social media, reality television, and other modes of publicity have come to the fore. As a result, today’s consumers not only know more models’ names and faces, but are also familiar with their likes, dislikes, hobbies, […]
Characters and Clothing Meet in Poland
Collaborations between classic characters and contemporary fashion labels are a global phenomenon. A recent case in point is Poland, where three high-profile examples involving global entertainment properties and local designers or fashion retailers have attracted attention this summer and fall: Two retail chains, Reserved and Sinsay, created clothing collections featuring the Pink Panther, in a […]
Fashion x Fashion Collaboration
When it comes to lifestyle collaborations involving licensed properties, much of the attention is directed toward celebrity, character/entertainment, and sports brands that pair with fashion labels. But one of the most active areas of collaboration consists of partnerships between two different labels within the fashion industry. Among the examples introduced or announced in the last […]
Stretching Out
Several recent activewear collaborations have involved specialist brands noted for their expertise in yoga, dance, fitness, and bodywear pairing with celebrities and designers: Gaiam signed actress Jessica Biel for the latter’s first capsule collection. Products include leggings and tops, as well as capris and jackets, in neutral colors. Distribution is through retailers and etailers including […]
Extended-size Expansions
Activity in the historically underdeveloped “plus-size” sector of the fashion industry has been growing and evolving over the past five years. This fall, the interest is as intense as ever, with a number of retailers and brands enhancing their assortments of extended-size apparel. Many of the new initiatives represent add-ons to existing ranges rather than […]