Three bloggers specializing in fashion and lifestyle guidance for plus-size women announced in the past month that they are launching new ventures in the apparel category: Gabi Gregg, who blogs under the name Gabifresh, licensed Playful Promises for a range of plus-size lingerie that debuts this month at retailers including Forever 21, Nordstrom, and Simply […]
Archive | Fashion
Characters on the Runway
One indication of the ongoing importance of pairings between high-fashion labels and licensed properties from outside the world of fashion is the strong presence of such collaborations at the spring and fall Fashion Weeks and Design Weeks in the world’s capitals of high fashion. These have become key moments to debut joint collections on the […]
Quick-Service Clothing
In the last few months, several quick-service and coffee shop brands have announced promotional initiatives involving limited-edition apparel and accessories, typically handled through their advertising agency or marketing department rather than through a licensing rep: Taco Bell partnered with Forever 21 to design an apparel collection including hoodies, bodysuits, tops, and anoraks that feature the […]
A Pattern of Outbound Licensing
A smattering of sweater brands have been expanding their outbound licensing programs, taking their distinctive patterns and graphics into adjacent categories and into new territories. Marius, known for its classic Norwegian sweaters featuring horizontal geometric stripes incorporating snowflakes and reindeer, has more than 25 licensees on board in Norway, covering everything from watches to postcards […]
From Dresses To Drapes
For fashion labels, the home goods category is a natural—albeit sometimes challenging—area of interest for brand extension. Recent deals involve a range of demographics and price points, as well as a mix of retailers and manufacturers serving as licensees: Lululemon teamed with PBTeen for an exclusive capsule collection of home goods tied to Lululemon’s athletic […]
Surf Style
Over the past few years, there has been an infusion of fashion into the wetsuit category. That has led to a number of collaborations pairing designers, fashion labels, and stylish and athletic celebrities with makers of wetsuits for men and women: Japanese ready-to-wear and accessories label Julien David worked with Quiksilver on a capsule that […]
Soaking Up Festival Culture
Music festivals—from Bonnaroo, Coachella, and the Electric Daisy Carnival to Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Firefly—have not only proliferated throughout the years but have become highly visible among consumers at large, especially in the summer. They attract attention on celebrities’, attendees’, and marketers’ social platforms, in mainstream news and fashion publications, and through mass advertising and promotional […]
Fast Fashion Slows Down
The specialty fashion tier focusing on teenage girls and young women has been one of the segments hit hardest by the financial woes plaguing all of retail. In the face of this difficult environment—as well as millennials’ increasing resistance to disposable fashion for economic and especially environmental reasons—two of the leading fast fashion chains playing […]
Checking the Time
The fashion watch category has been experiencing some significant challenges, thanks in large part to the fact that smartphones have replaced wristwatches as many consumers’ primary tool for keeping track of time. In one illustration of the issues facing the industry, exports of watches from Switzerland—the source of many higher-end, fashion-driven watches—declined 10% in February […]
Trendy Threads
Of the more than 1,600 labels exhibiting at eight women’s fashion shows at the Javits Center last week—the largest being Coterie, focusing on contemporary apparel, accessories, and footwear—roughly 10% are involved in licensing as a licensor, licensee, or both, as estimated by RaugustReports. Labels with a presence across the co-located events included well-established examples such […]