Ruth McCarthy Manton, a pioneer in the business of fashion licensing, passed away at her home on Christmas Eve. Manton was also among the first female fashion journalists in the industry, but it was her innovative work after founding Aries Design Management that made her a force to be reckoned with in the licensing business. Manton’s idea was to link up top designers directly with manufacturers to create wide ranges of products, and to use media and aggressive marketing to get those products in front of the public’s eye. Early in her new career Manton concluded that reaching the mass market in America would require partnerships with celebrities, particularly those from TV shows and movies. Her close friend, the film producer David Gil, suggested Manton start by partnering with Jaclyn… . . . read more
Fanatics & Lids Reach Long-Term Deal With BNED
The sports merchandise company Fanatics has added to its long list of critical deals in 2020 with a long-term merchandising partnership with Barnes & Noble Education Inc. (BNED), the campus store division of the Barnes & Noble parent company. Fanatics will offer BNED campus stores an expanded product selection and a direct-to-consumer platform. Fanatics’ partly-owned Lids will also provide BNED trend and sales performance data on licensees, product styles and design treatments from more than 1,200 Lids stores. As well, Fanatics and Lids will jointly make a $15 million strategic equity investment in BNED and receive 2.3 million shares of BNED in exchange, representing a share price of $6.50 per share. BNED expects to use these proceeds for its strategic growth initiatives. BNED is a college retailer that was spun off from bookseller… . . . read more
Bad Boys Ride Together, Die Together, and License Merch Together
Is it really possible that it’s only now, 25 years after the first Bad Boys movie dropped, that one can actually buy Bad Boys’ merch? Apparently so, and shoppers have only the week before Christmas to get their hands on the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence-themed clothing line at an online pop-up shop, the badboysmoviestore.com. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the first Bad Boys flick, the action-comedy franchise released a clothing capsule just in time for the holidays. The nine-piece collection includes T-shirts, pullover hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, and a couple of accessories, most of which are presented in monochromatic colors. The imagery in the collection reflects the original 1995 film as well as the 2003 and 2020 sequels. You’ll see screen-printed quotes and photos of the film’s two main protagonists—Mike Lowrey and Marcus… . . . read more
Bruce Lee and Me: Apparel that Honors the Past While Making a Better Future
Guest Column by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Aristotle said that a friend is a single soul dwelling in two bodies. Bruce Lee and I were friends like that but, man, our two bodies couldn’t have been more different. Bruce was a 5’8” Chinese-American martial artist and I was a 7’2” African-American basketball player. There were other differences: he was raised in Hong Kong, I was raised in New York City. He was outgoing, charismatic, a born performer. I was shy, quiet, bookish. Our contact point was a shared love of martial arts, but we soon found more common ground in our mutual interest in music, books, movies, history, and philosophy. Our many late-night discussions revealed another, more fundamental similarity: we both came from marginalized people and shared a passion to do everything… . . . read more
Konami’s Bomberman and Contra Sign New Merch Deals
Two iconic … if not historic … Konami video game franchises will be getting some new merch, thanks to a pair of new licensing agreements signed by Konami Cross Media NY. Bomberman and Contra will soon have more product to offer fans with the conclusion of the new licensing agreements, said Jennifer Coleman, Vice President of Licensing and Marketing, Konami Cross Media NY, Inc. Bomberman debuted in 1985 in Japan as a look-down battle game featuring a cute but ferocious protagonist who has since appeared in more than 70 video game titles, and is still going strong. Contra is a ‘run-and-gun’ style video game originally released in 1987 as a coin operated arcade game, and was adapted to the Nintendo platform the following year. A recent licensing agreement with Neamedia morphs… . . . read more
Discount, Value Channels Drive Fashion Brand-based Growth in 2018
Retail sales of licensed fashion brand-based goods jumped 1.6%, with most of the growth emerging from discount and value retailers. Despite the loss of thousands of retail storefronts over 2018, sales through brick-and-mortal locations grew…
Fashion Brand-based Growth Led by Accessories; Bags, Headwear Big Winners of 2018
Retail sales of licensed fashion brand-based merchandise grew 1.6% in 2018 in the U.S. and Canada to reach $22.1 billion, according to The Licensing Letter’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. Of that growth, 41% came from licensed accessories…
Celebrating the Beauty in Diversity
Wrapping up the latest in diverse intiatives from fashion and beauty leaders like Kimora Lee Simmons, MAC/Disney, Nikita Dragun, Calvin Klein, and Marvel…
On Notice: Sportswear, Organics & Bankruptcy Updates
Puma comes under fire from In-N-Out Burger while Addidas can’t shake a suit, the Organic Trade Association fights fraud, Gymboree’s assets are snapped up, and GMM and Hearst reveal their plans for Defy Media’s brands…
Celeb Watch: Lifestyle, Fitness & Fashion
The latest on Jane Fonda; Cindy Crawford, LeBron James, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Lindsey Vonn; Amy Schumer and Leesa Evans; Jessica Simpson; and more…