A number of deals came to light in October that underscore the licensing community’s continued focus on health and wellness. The announcements involve healthy-living initiatives both traditional and non-traditional: Buzzfeed partnered with Macy’s for an exclusive line of 100 millennial-targeted home goods that promote well-being, tied to its Goodful health and wellness brand. Among the […]
Data Protection
With today’s ever-present worries about credit card fraud and identity theft comes a relatively new product category: Protective RFID-blocking wallets, bags, and contactless protector cards. These items are positioned as creating a barrier against RFID skimming, which is when criminals steal information from the increasing number of credit cards, drivers’ licenses, passports, and so on […]
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 […]
Expanding The Indie Comics Universe
Three independent comic book companies have recently announced new brand-extension ventures for their proprietary properties: Dynamite Entertainment said it was launching a high-end giclée art print program to debut in January. The first collectible prints will be based on Dynamite’s Vampirella, with other characters to follow. Dynamite ranks as the seventh largest vendor to comic […]
Credit RuPaul For This Trend
Marketers in the cosmetics industry have recently been forging deals with high-profile drag queens, a celebrity niche that up to now has not had much of a presence in licensing, collaborations, or promotions. Among the examples that have come to light in 2018: Singer and drag artist Trixie Mattel partnered with Sugarpill Cosmetics for exclusive, […]
Unboxing New Kids’ Initiatives
The subscription box and meal kit sectors have undergone a number of challenges in 2018. But boxes for children represent one area that seems to be thriving. Many players in this sector are expanding their product arrays, maintaining strong and growing subscriber bases, and/or attracting continued influxes of investment funding. Meanwhile, new competitors—some formidable—are entering […]
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 […]
Child’s Play in China
By Karen Raugust on October 8, 2018 in Character/Entertainment, International, Licensing, Toys/Games
The escalating trade war with China is creating uncertainty for the global toy industry, with tariffs on toys, if they are implemented, potentially affecting the profitability of manufactured-in-China playthings in the U.S. market. But that isn’t stopping Western entertainment and toy companies from continuing to make inroads into the Chinese market by forging distribution, co-production, […]
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 […]