By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Fashion designer Ariella Maizner has partnered with IMG to expand her popular THEME brand into new products and categories.
IMG will accomplish this brand expansion through selective licensing partnerships and retail collaborations. The multi-year agreement will see IMG work with Ariella to extend the THEME brand with partnerships in categories such as apparel, shoes, accessories, home decor, and beauty.
“Ariella’s designs have quickly won over not only tweens, teens and their parents but also the attention of the media and many celebrity personalities,” said Bruno Maglione, President of Licensing at IMG.
“Her designs strike a balance between trendy and age appropriate. Our focus will therefore be on products and retail collaborations that highlight and embody that youthful and fun-loving approach that has organically got Ariella notice from multiple parts of the industry.”
In 2018, 13-year-old Ariella Maizner started tie-dying clothes on the roof of her apartment. She soon began to get dozens, then hundreds and then thousands of requests for custom pieces.
These unique tie-dye creations became extremely popular and contributed to setting the tie-dye trend in motion. This led to Ariella becoming the youngest designer to show at New York Fashion Week in 2019. Ariella’s THEME brand has now developed a loyal consumer base and attracted celebrity clientele.
In 2021, Walmart worked with Ariella to create her first full THEME collection, establishing Ariella as one of the youngest entrepreneurs to collaborate with a leading national retailer. THEME has grown to include consumer products such as dresses, swimwear, loungewear and accessories.
“I am so excited to partner with IMG who are at the heart of the fashion and licensing worlds and part of the incredible Endeavor network,” said Ariella Maizner, Founder of THEME.
“It’s been such a dream to make beautiful pieces that inspire girls to be ‘The Me’ they want to be. I believe that fashion can be accessible, inclusive, and stylish. Everyone should be able to feel the confidence that great style can bring. I love designing collections that celebrate every part of a girl’s life and am looking forward to expanding my brand with IMG.”
IMG is an independent licensing specialist that is known for its strategic development, contract negotiation, marketing, merchandising and promotion services.