Second quarter financial results, released in July and August, of five of the major publicly traded toy and collectibles companies—Mattel, Hasbro, Spin Master, Jakks Pacific, and Funko—all showed declines (of varying degrees) in topline revenues and net sales during the period, compared to the same timeframe in 2023. The lone exception was Funko, which saw […]
A Pas De Deux of Fashion and Dance
Fashion designers and labels have long worked with major ballet and modern dance companies to create custom costumes for specific dance performances. Over the past few years, the two groups have increasingly been getting together to bring the dance organizations’ brand names to consumers through apparel, accessories, and/or footwear collections. These pairings fit snugly into […]
Solidifying the Future Through Licensing
Transitioning to an all-licensing model has become a go-to option for fashion (and other) labels facing financial hardship. Most often this move comes after the challenged brand is purchased by one of the leading management groups, whose business model is to buy up struggling IPs and turn them around through a licensing-only approach. But it […]
A Powerful Pairing of Pop-Culture Genres
Rap and anime are two genres that are dominant in pop culture and have a high profile in the collaborative fashion space. And they are increasingly coming together in streetwear collections that pair rap artists with existing anime properties or that integrate anime-style imagery of the rappers themselves. Most of the musicians involved have spoken […]
Considering ‘Condiment Couture’
The ongoing foodie fashion trend, in which luxury and other fashion designers integrate fast food, snack, and any number of food-related brands into capsule collections of apparel, accessories, and footwear, shows no signs of waning. One subset of this trend recently benefited from a spike in interest: namely, “condiment couture.” This mini-trend has typically taken […]
A Recipe for Success
Licensed cookbooks historically have been connected to a limited number of closely related properties, such as food brands, restaurants, and chefs, with other property types popping up very occasionally. Over the last few years, however, cookbooks have become a standard format to be considered as part of licensed publishing programs tied to entertainment and pop-culture […]
Asian Retailers Expand Reach
Retail chains from Japan and China that specialize in affordable, stylish merchandise, especially home goods, gifts, and stationery, are expanding quickly on a global scale. Known for their Asian design sensibility—which has become popular worldwide—they turn products over quickly to encourage return visits and give fans new surprises each time. They are often open to […]
Court Craze Continues
Summer is peak season for pickleball, and the newly popular sport—which was invented in 1965—continues to gain strength as the fastest-growing participation sport in the U.S. It follows that commercial partnerships centered on the activity remain top of mind as well, from sponsorships and promotions, to logoed paddles, to designer-driven pickleball collections featuring apparel, footwear, […]
Feeling Blue
A number of recent licensed and collaborative products have taken denim—or at least its look and feel—into categories where it has not traditionally had much of a presence: Lingerie. Last week, American Eagle said it was pairing with sibling lingerie and casual apparel brand Aerie for the first time to launch a limited collection of […]
Opening the Book on European Literary IP
Many literary properties with European roots rank among the top licensed character IPs globally, but they have historically had a difficult time gaining a footing in the U.S. market, remaining niche brands even after decades of attempts to broaden their publishing and licensing efforts. Recently, however, there are signs that a handful of these classic […]