By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
The apparel and accessories brand Afro Unicorn has secured Magical Beauty, LLC as a new global licensing partner.
Afro Unicorn is a fully-licensed character brand created by CEO and entrepreneur April Showers with the mission to increase representation and self-esteem for women and children of color.
“I am extremely proud of what Afro Unicorn has achieved in less than four years, and I am incredibly grateful for the tremendous amount of support we have received from our licensing and retailer partners, the media, and a whole host of influencers that have shared our story,” said Afro Unicorn CEO April Showers.
“We are thrilled to add Magical Beauty, our first black-owned global licensing partner, as our newest licensee to offer our fans a whimsical experience in hair care.”
Since the initial release of Afro Unicorn apparel and accessories in 2019, the brand has secured more than 45 global licensing partners.
Magical Beauty is a multicultural brand incubator focused on building personal care brands through products and merchandise. For the licensing partnership, Magical Beauty is creating a new line of hair care and styling products for kids called Afro Unicorn Magical Tresses. The hair care product line is intended for all hair textures.
“We’re thrilled to team up with April and the Afro Unicorn franchise to bring Magical Unicorn’s devotees an exciting, new way to care and style their hair furthering the brand’s position as a part of their ‘get-up-and-go’ daily routine,” said Magical Beauty’s executive team.
This year, Afro Unicorn’s retail presence expanded to seven international retail stores including Walmart, Target, HomeGoods, Kohls, JCPenney, Amazon, and NovaKids.
A new line of original Afro Unicorn books is scheduled for release in fall 2023 under the Random House Books for Young Readers imprint, and a collection of toys from Just Play is expected to launch in 2024. In addition, the entertainment studio Pure Imagination has partnered with the Afro Unicorn brand to develop and produce licensed entertainment content for broadcast, digital, theatre, and games.
The first Afro Unicorn entertainment property from Pure Imagination will be an animated children’s series centered around three Afro Unicorns characters called Unique, Divine, and Magical.
The co-branded Afro Unicorn Magical Tresses products will debut in the U.S. at Walmart and CVS stores in fall 2023. The products will hit shelves internationally in early 2024.
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