Another week, another slate of great deals in our industry, as we lead our coverage today with expansion of an existing agreement with Warner Bros. and Spread Group.
Spread Group Expands Warner Bros. Collaboration Beyond Europe
Spread Group – formerly known as Spreadshirt – has worked with Warner Bros. in Europe since 2012, developing more than 1,700 designs for the entertainment giant’s many popular brands and characters, and distributing in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
The company has notched impressive sales in the Eurozone, and now Warner Bros. is expanding that relationship to allow Spread Group to bring 14 key brands like DC and Harry Potter to new markets in North America, the UK, and Australia. The company expects to release more than 1,000 SKUs for these brands.
“We are excited about the opportunity to use our know-how to launch into new markets and to strategically develop our partnership with Warner Bros.,” said Ann-Katrin Hager, head of licensing Europe of Spread Group. “In doing so, we will cover design, marketing and production, to the web presence on our Spreadshirt marketplace, as well as on Amazon and eBay – according to our 360-degree approach.”
Nununu to Create Gender Neutral Kids’ Apparel with Star Wars
Clothing company Nununu is working with Disney and its Lucasfilm division to create a line of clothes for kids that look great, tell a story, and break down barriers.
“Nununu has always been more than just clothes – we’re about breaking down barriers and always being up for the challenge, and we think the same goes for ‘Star Wars,’” says Iris Adler, co-founder and designer, Nununu, in an interview with Starwars.com. “The belief that even when life faces you with difficulties, there is this never-ending hope to continue the fight for the greater good and standing up for what you believe in.”
Nununu has been granted a license to produce a 40-piece collection of shirts, pants, and dresses with gender-neutral silhouettes, and branded with designs from the familiar Star Wars galaxy.
ABYstyle Enters the League of Legends As New Licensee
Riot Games has announced a new licensing deal for its epically popular League of Legends franchise with ABYstyle, who will produce a line of LoL-branded coffee mugs, mouse pads, posters and more.
The collection will include popular game characters Yasuo, Jinx, Tresh, Darius, Riven, Miss Fortune, Ash and Lux, among others. The line is also expected to expand in 2021 with additional products like glasses, notebooks, key rings and more.
The announcement followed quick on the heels of a major announcement for Riot Games, when they appointed Spin Master as the global master licensee for toys based on the League of Legends game and characters.
Emoji Announces New Deals in Food and Fashion
The Emoji Company announced two new deals over the past week in the food and fashion sectors.
Last week Emoji revealed a new collaboration with Wicked Fashions Inc. to create signature Streetwear collections under its Southpole, Lot29, and WT02 clothing lines.
The fashion collaboration combines the emoji® brands expressive icons with Southpole’s edgy athleisure styles — and will feature hoodies, jeans, shirts, and sweatpants. The first collection is set to launch Holiday 2020. The partnership was brokered by Retail Monster, LLC., the emoji company’s North American Licensing Agent.
Emoji followed up this week announcing an agreement with Brazilian fast-food chain Rei do Mate for an emoji-themed line of collectible Britto bread cups. Brokered by Lotus Global, the deal will see Rei do Mate creating 18 collectible cups for its popular Britto cheese bread nuggets, sold through 300 stores in Rio de Janeiro.
Rei do Mate is a uniquely Brazilian fast food experience, founded in 1978 in Sao Paulo and now selling Mate Tea, coffees and snacks across the country.