Category Archives: Highlight

Motul appoints Ingram as licensing agent for Japan

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Motul has appointed Ingram as its agent for Japan.

Founded in 1992, Ingram (International Guidance Research And Management) has been a leading name in the Japanese licensing business for nearly three decades, and specialises in developing well-known global properties in the Japanese market and bringing popular Japanese brands to the international market.

Ingram’s homegrown clients include Rilakkuma, Mamegoma and Tarepanda, while its overseas properties include UCLA, Nesta and Cambridge University, and a number of major lifestyle brands including Norton, Santa Fe and Route 66.

The partnership continues Motul’s expansion as a major lifestyle brand, targeting a wide range of categories ranging from apparel, stationery and houseware to backpacks, phone covers, kitchenware and, of course, car accessories.

Ben Kato, founder and owner of Ingram, says: “We are thrilled to be working with Motul, a renowned company in motor sports, as its licensing agent in Japan. By combining Motul’s powerful brand identity with our strength in licensing and promotion, we expect to build a strong presence in Japan for Motul and a diverse range of products across many sales channels. Motul is a genuinely exciting prospect in this market, and I am looking forward enormously to working with this property.”

Managing the Motul campaign is Laurent Taieb, a licensing specialist with over 25 years’ experience. He says: “Motul is a globally recognised name that is perfectly positioned to become a popular lifestyle brand in multiple categories and markets. We are delighted to be working in the key Japanese market with Ingram, an established and respected name with a strong international reach and a powerful reputation for working with both overseas and lifestyle brands.”

Motul appoints Blue Chip Brands as its agency for Australia and NZ

Kidrobot debuts ‘Elvis’ Dunny in partnership with The Andy Warhol collection

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Kidrobot, producer of limited-edition art toys, signature apparel and lifestyle accessories, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts have announced the newest addition to the Kidrobot x Andy Warhol collection.

The Andy Warhol 20-Inch “Elvis” Dunny Sculpture pays homage to perhaps the most famous of Warhol’s subjects, Elvis Presley, who would have celebrated his 87th birthday this January. Warhol created a series of works in the early 1960s based on an image of Elvis from a publicity still for the movie Flaming Star, one of Presley’s most popular Western films.

The extremely limited edition is capped at 15 pieces worldwide and is available exclusively at Kidrobot.com.

Each “Elvis” Dunny sculpture is 20 inches tall, made of premium fiberglass with no articulation and is hand-painted in North America using high-quality paint for enhanced clarity and long-lasting quality. Each sculpture comes packaged in a premium Kidrobot x Andy Warhol wooden crate with a Certificate of Authenticity, and is priced at $2500 USD.

Kidrobot unveils new Dunny series with the Met including Monet and Hokusai-inspired designs

 

Kidscreen Summit live event postponed until July

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After carefully considering the impact of the Omicron variant on the industry’s ability to travel internationally and meet in person at this time, Kidscreen has decided to postpone Kidscreen Summit 2022, which was set to take place as a live event in Miami from February 14 to 17, until July 18 to 21.

Kidscreen Summit Virtual will still move forward as planned from March 7 to 11, and all attendees who are registered for the live event will also have access to this digital companion event.

“We recognize that it’s not the same experience as meeting in person, but our hope is that it still helps people make and maintain industry connections in Q1,” says Jocelyn Christie, Kidscreen’s SVP & Publisher.

All existing live event registrations and sponsorships will be transferred to the rescheduled event in July. Kidscreen has posted an FAQ page at summit.kidscreen.com/2022/postponement to answer some of the initial questions attendees may have, and its Customer Care team is standing by at customersupport@kidscreensummit.com to provide more info.

Registration is currently open for both Kidscreen Summit Virtual and the rescheduled Kidscreen Summit live event, and more information can be found online at summit.kidscreen.com.

Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards 2022 open for entries

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The Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards are back for 2022, and are now open for entries

The event – now in its seventh year – will take place on Wednesday 27 April, at an afternoon event at the Hilton Park Lane, London.

The deadline for nominations and entries across all categories is Tuesday 8 March, 2022.

The B&LLAs 2022 will look to reward brand and lifestyle licensing activity which has taken place in the UK between 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021, across Product, Retail and Property categories. In addition, the Brand Ambassador Award will also be presented to a special individual (brand owner, licensor, retailer, licensee or supplier), acknowledging their contribution to the brand licensing sector.

The entry and nomination process for all categories is free and via online submission – all the forms can be accessed from the dedicated B&LLAs website by clicking here.

Brand Licensing Europe returns as the headline sponsor of the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards, while trade body Licensing International will once again be lending its support.

A number of stellar names have also pledged their support as sponsors including MDR Brand Management, The Point.1888, CAA-GBG, WildBrain CPLG, Pink Key Licensing (Pringles), Start Licensing, Golden Goose, Discovery Consumer Products, Erve, Dependable Solutions, Poetic Brands, H&A, Beanstalk, Metrostar, TSBA, Brandgenuity and BrandComply.com.

For ticket and table information for The B&LLAs awards event, please click here.

 

Disguise announces Squid Game costume and accessory launch

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Disguise, the costume division of JAKKS Pacific, is currently designing and developing costumes and masks based on Netflix’s hit series Squid Game for launch in North America and APAC in autumn 2022.

Disguise will design, market, manufacture and distribute a range of costumes and costume accessories featuring characters from the show. These styles will include a red Triangle Guard jumpsuit and teal “Player 456” Track Suit as well as a Squid Games Front Man mask and masks for Square and Triangle Supervisors.

Korean series Squid Game became a fast favourite on Netflix this year with over 142M views in just 4 weeks, becoming their most watched show to date.

“Squid Game is a perfect addition to our vast array of costumes and offerings that cater to fans demanding a higher quality and a more detailed design that fully embodies the characters,” says Tara Hefter, EVP and GM of Disguise, Inc. “The show sets the stage for the perfect Halloween group dress-up opportunity and we anticipate the sell-in for this line to be incredible.”

All Squid Game costumes and accessories will be widely available at retailers in North America and APAC in store and online in 2022.

Disguise signs multiyear deal for Disney costume rights in EMEA

ARTiSTORY strengthens UK sales team with the appointment of Caroline High

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Global art and cultural IP licensee ARTiSTORY continues to grow its UK team with the appointment of Caroline High, of Caroline High Consultancy Ltd.

Caroline is an established brand licensing expert with 20 years’ experience working with a wide genre of brands across the globe, including preschool, entertainment, lifestyle, heritage and movie.

Having previously worked at Boat Rocker Studios, Fremantle Media and Warner Bros, Caroline brings vast experience in developing licensing and retail strategies across a range of categories, leading on global toy and publishing deals, launching soft lines and apparel collaborations as well as DTRs with major retailers and also managing agencies across EMEA and Australasia.

Working on brands such as Thomas & Friends, the DC Comics portfolio, Harry Potter, and entertainment brands including The X Factor, Caroline has an in-depth knowledge of the licensing industry and most recently developed the licensing strategies for preschool shows Love Monster and Dino Ranch, negotiating the master toy, publishing and soft lines rights with partners and agents across North America and EMEA.

Caroline will play a key role in the UK team to secure licensing deals using ARTiSTORY’s latest on-trend designs inspired by artwork and artefacts from the archives of its partners: the National Gallery, London; the Brooklyn Museum, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the National Palace Museum, Taipei; and Dunhuang.

ARTiSTORY Co-Founder and Licensing Director Natasha Dyson said “Having worked with Caroline previously I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work together again at ARTiSTORY. A huge part of ARTiSTORY’s business is creating unique and exclusive designs, so having someone with Caroline’s creative vison joining the sales team is a big win.”

Caroline commented “Having recently set up my own consultancy I am delighted to work with Natasha and the team at ARTiSTORY and I am looking forward to working on the licensing strategy for their engaging portfolio and bringing their designs to market in new categories.”

Q&A: Natasha Dyson, co-founder of ARTiSTORY

Barbie links with Balmain for fashion collection and NFTs

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Mattel has announced a collaboration between its Barbie brand and French luxury fashion label, Balmain. Developed as a celebration of both Barbie and Balmain’s combined impact on fashion and greater culture, the two brands are launching a new global ready-to-wear fashion and accessories collection. 

The venture also marks the first time Barbie is entering the digital art world. Together, the two entities are dropping three one-of-a-kind NFTs of distinctive Barbie and Ken avatars. Styled in complete looks from Balmain’s designs, each is accompanied by a one-of-a-kind bespoke set of Barbie-sized Balmain pieces, creating a unique digital and physical art collection.

These Barbie x Balmain NFTs will be available exclusively through Mattel Creations, via an online auction hosted on mintNFT.

From a nostalgic 1990’s-era Barbie logo to a “Barbie pink” Pantone to Barbie’s iconic packaging,  the Balmain 50+ piece collection intertwines the toy’s signatures with the label’s hallmarks, like its marinière and Labyrinth patterns.

To mark the partnership, Barbie and Balmain have a launched digital campaign, which depicts the ready-to-wear and accessories collection on Barbie avatars.

For more information on the Barbie x Balmain collaboration and to join the Barbie x Balmain MintNFT fireside chat on 1/11, visit NFT.MattelCreations.com. The Barbie x Balmain ready-to-wear and accessories line will be available for purchase at Balmain stores, balmain.com, Mattel Creations and retailers worldwide beginning January 13.

WWE signs agreement with IGT for exclusive licensing rights to develop omnichannel lottery games

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WWE has signed a multi-year exclusive licensing agreement with International Game Technology PLC to develop and distribute WWE-branded omnichannel lottery games and turnkey promotional programmes featuring company logos, Superstars, events and programmes.

“IGT is the clear industry leader in the lottery and gaming space, and we look forward to collaborating by bringing our intellectual property to our fans and lottery games around the globe,” says Alex Varga, WWE Vice President, Revenue Strategy & Development. “This is an exciting opportunity for us to continue to leverage the strong crossover between the WWE Universe and another segment of the gaming landscape.”

“The WWE brand has broad appeal that reaches diverse age groups and cultural demographics in many geographies,” says Jay Gendron, IGT Chief Operating Officer, Lottery. “IGT looks forward to melding the unique WWE assets with IGT’s lottery expertise to create appealing, high-quality games and second-chance promotional opportunities for our global customers and their players.”

 

BlackMilk goes sci-fi with latest Matrix-inspired pieces

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BlackMilk clothing has officially entered the Matrix with seven new pieces inspired by the hit movie franchise, including its take on the iconic Neo Trench Coat.

The new pieces are dropping on January 10 at 1pm (PT) as part of BlackMilk’s larger ‘Beam Me Up’ collection, which includes futuristic designs inspired by all things sci-fi. Fans can get their wish lists ready ahead of launch by previewing the entire collection now at https://blackmilkclothing.com/collections/beam-me-up

 

 

Tom Daley launches line of knitting kits on LoveCrafts.com

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The celebrity collection the nation has been waiting for is finally here: Made with Love by Tom Daley – a line of the Olympian’s very own knitting kits – is now available to purchase exclusively on LoveCrafts.com.

Tom hopes these kits will aid people’s mental wellbeing, giving the nation the chance to unwind and get rid of any stress or anxiety.

The designs include sweater vests, a bubble cuddle cardi, a colourful flamingo and a hat and scarf. Each kit contains everything you need to make your knitted creation and every little detail has been carefully considered. The designs use 100% merino wool, sourced from happy sheep, which, as Tom says, is “just so soft and squishy, like a warm cuddle.”

Everything in the box can be used again or recycled; even the instructions in the box are printed on a 10x10cm card, so purchasers can use it to measure their tension square. Designed for beginner knitters, the kits will help newbies learn new skills too, with helpful videos to explain new techniques along the way.

Tom says: “I do think I have crafting to thank for the way I was able to compete at the Olympic Games. During Covid, at the Olympics we couldn’t do anything, we couldn’t go outside, we couldn’t go and interact with anyone else, so we had to find something else to distract ourselves from it and honestly that was where my Olympic knitting project came about.
My baby, if you like, Made with Love by Tom Daley started on my Instagram. I started off learning to knit with kits and the fact I’ve been able to design some of my own and share my love of knitting with other people is super exciting. I didn’t want anything to be too difficult so they are very much on the beginner to easy scale. There are lots of different designs – we’ve got a Christmas jumper, a cardigan, a vest, we’ve got some flamingos, stockings, hats, scarves, and a blanket as well.
My next thing is the Minister of Knitting and I’ll get knitting and crafts into schools as part of the curriculum. I think it would be an amazing thing for kids to learn to unwind. I think people would really like it.”

You can listen to The LoveCrafts Show x Tom Daley here.