As retail shelves in China and the rest of Asia are becoming saturated with character properties, both local and global, retailers and manufacturers are starting to look for other types of brands and properties. “There’s a feeling that China is really into fashion,” says Marilu Corpus of Philippines-based Click! Licensing, which represents properties such as Paul Frank and Romero Britto, positioned as fashion/lifestyle brands, as well as many entertainment/character properties. “Every licensee we talk to wants a fashion brand.”
While character and entertainment properties dominated this week’s Hong Kong Licensing Show, the exhibition floor is becoming more diverse. Examples include art properties (such as Tokidoki and Van Gogh), fashion labels (Maui & Sons), colleges (Yale and Oxford), sports (the FIFA World Cup and several UK and European football clubs), and corporate brands (Everlast, Dupont, Crayola). In part this increased diversity is due to the efforts of the Hong Kong Trade Development Corporation in expanding these sectors, but it also reflects the changing marketplace.