The Licensing Letter

Accessories

Lady Gaga and Elton John Become the Latest to Launch a Macy’s Exclusive

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. Limited-edition celebrity lines are an old hat for Macy's. But the upcoming Love Bravery line set to debut at 150 stores next week is a bit different. The exclusive apparel and accessories collection comes from not one, but two, slightly offbeat celebs who don't normally do many of these deals—Lady Gaga and Sir Elton John. Love Bravery is also a … [Read more...] about Lady Gaga and Elton John Become the Latest to Launch a Macy’s Exclusive

St. Patrick’s Spending to Reach $4.8 Billion

A robust 55% of Americans, or 133 million people are planning to indulge in the Irish spirit on Thursday according to the National Retail Federation’s St. Patrick’s Day consumer survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics. On average, they’ll spend $35 in grocery stores, restaurants and stores selling green merchandise. Although not as high-profile as other holidays, … [Read more...] about St. Patrick’s Spending to Reach $4.8 Billion

Toys/Games, Food/Beverage & Apparel Lead Growth on Products Side

For the second straight year, toys/games was the fastest growing product category, posting an 8.1% increase. Growth in toy and game merchandise has mirrored (and fed off of) the success of the entertainment/character property type over the past three years. As in 2013 and 2014, connection to “A-list” entertainment properties like Frozen, Star Wars and Minions drove growth in … [Read more...] about Toys/Games, Food/Beverage & Apparel Lead Growth on Products Side

Big Fashion Licensors Taking Back Control of their Brands

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. The licensing model is one fashion trend that's unlikely to ever go out of style. But a growing number of fashion licensors—especially the bigger houses—are bucking the trend and taking back direct control of their brands. The most recent example is Puig, the Barcelona-based beauty company and owner of Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances, which earlier this … [Read more...] about Big Fashion Licensors Taking Back Control of their Brands

Pantones Colors Fashion, Décor Pink and Blue

If a color—or two—can reflect the mood of a people, it could be that we're all just lightening up. Color house Pantone has for the first time named a blending of two shades, Rose Quartz (Pantone 13-1520) and Serenity (Pantone 15-3919), as its Color of the Year for 2016. The positively pastel pink-blue combo stands in stark contrast to the hue of 2015: Marsala, a dark, earthy … [Read more...] about Pantones Colors Fashion, Décor Pink and Blue

Licensee Accusation: Asics Deliberately Tried to Drive Us Out of Business

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. What Happened: Asics gave Windsor Financial Group, LLC, financing and exclusive rights to open and operate 13 Asics stores, including flagships in Boston and New York. The deal was supposed to run for 20 years but a couple of years in, Asics terminated the agreement. As a result, Windsor had to close the stores and eat the millions of dollars it had … [Read more...] about Licensee Accusation: Asics Deliberately Tried to Drive Us Out of Business

Lucky Brand Joins Bands

With its recent deal to develop a national apparel and accessories program around classic rock bands KISS, Journey, Def Leppard and others, apparel company Lucky Brand is plugging into a harmonious spot in the more generally discordant market for music licensed products. Lucky's deal with licensing agency Epic Rights will put music brands KISS, Journey, Def Leppard, Billy … [Read more...] about Lucky Brand Joins Bands

Hermès & Apple Team Up for Next Gen of Apple Watch

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. The Apple Watch is getting a makeover for its one-year anniversary in the form of new fashion accessories the most spectacular of which will be designed by Hermès. The Apple Watch Hermès, which goes on sale in October, will have the same body and dimensions as before. But the ugly duckling face will be replaced by a fashion swan, namely three signature … [Read more...] about Hermès & Apple Team Up for Next Gen of Apple Watch

Saban Gives Paul Frank Fashion Revamp

By Marcy Magiera Saban Brands Lifestyle Group is repositioning its Paul Frank Kids label as fashion rather than an entertainment character brand and taking in-house control of design, marketing and manufacturing. "Retailers get the cost savings by buying direct because we are doing our own sourcing and designing from our creative base in Sydney, Australia," Daniel Castle, … [Read more...] about Saban Gives Paul Frank Fashion Revamp