Teletubbies celebrate Pride with ellesse and GoGuy fashion collab

WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, has teamed up with Italian sports and lifestyle brand ellesse and festival and streetwear clothing brand GoGuy for a limited-edition Teletubbies adult fashion collection to celebrate Pride 2022.

The gender-fluid collection launched on Friday, 24 June and encompasses five colourful trend stories, reflective of each Teletubby character, and a hero sticker print. The deal with ellesse was brokered by WildBrain’s dedicated licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG.

The launch of the Teletubbies x ellesse x GoGuy range will be celebrated by an influencer launch event in Manchester, UK, social media activity and featured appearances at Pride in London. The collection was designed by GoGuy’s founder and director, Sophie Guy, who leads an all-female team of four creatives.

The five trend stories featured in the collaboration are:

  • A Tinky Winky purple range inspired by ellesse’s tennis heritage, with pleated skirt and crop-top combination.
  • A Dipsy range that nods to the Teletubbies’ roots and Dipsy’s favorite hat, with a bold green and monochrome graphic cow print on cargo pants, bucket hat and cropped vest.
  • Laa-Laa’s iconic sunshine yellow is encapsulated in the ‘Big Love’ dress, a celebration of all love and unity.
  • Po’s red range is in recognition of GoGuy’s festival roots, with crop top and co-ord tracksuit featuring the signature ellesse jet strip detail.
  • The fifth part of the collection is a bold and vibrant print, which includes all elements of the collaboration—a mash-up of Teletubbies’ imagery as well as GoGuy and ellesse logos are emblazoned across a shirt, shorts, head scarf and fan.

The collaboration is part of WildBrain’s year-long celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the Teletubbies, with activity encompassing fashion, art and music, all reflecting the unique brand DNA of unexpected joy, childhood development and diversity, while engaging fans both young and young-at-heart.

Melissa Goodrich, Director of Brand Management at WildBrain, says: “The Teletubbies are recognised around the world as icons of inclusivity, togetherness and acceptance, so we’re hugely excited to once again be embracing Pride and celebrating with fans in true Teletubbies style. Ellesse and GoGuy have done an amazing job at capturing the joy and ‘love who you are’ spirit of the Teletubbies and creating a range that is on-trend while brimming with fun and playfulness. We can’t wait to see fans wearing this ‘tubbytastic’ collection during Pride celebrations and beyond.”

Head of Marketing for ellesse UK, Jennie Bianco, adds: “The idea of a collaboration between ellesse and Teletubbies actually began as an April Fools’ prank a few years ago, but we ended up having such a high demand from ellesse customers that we decided to make it happen. We have also been keen to team up with GoGuy for a while, and to all work together on something to celebrate Pride 2022 has been so exciting. As they are celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary this year, the Teletubbies are working their way back into our hearts and now our wardrobes!”

“Pride is something I have always been passionate about, as I am a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community,” says GoGuy’s Sophie Guy. “The collection is gender fluid and has been designed with everyone in mind. I believe if you love it, you should wear it no matter what the gender! Teaming up with my favorite major sportswear brand and my childhood icons has not disappointed, and I’m sure you will feel the same after seeing the collection. Do dreams come true? YES, THEY DO!”

The collection is now available to purchase at www.goguyclothing.com.

BlackMilk Clothing to release Stranger Things collection

Stranger Things fans will be able to turn their fashion game “upside down” with BlackMilk’s latest capsule collection, featuring monsters and icons from the hit television series.

Following on from its Squid Game collaboration in 2021, BlackMilk has once again teamed up with Netflix to celebrate Stranger Things’ epic fourth season with clothing that captures the show’s ghoulish monsters and totally rad ’80s charm.

The 14-piece collection features imagery of the well-known Demogorgon along with new monster the Demobat, alongside iconography related to the Hellfire Club, Hawkins High’s DnD club that is central to much of the events of season four.

Stranger Things x BlackMilk will be available for purchase at 7am (AEST) June 21, and the full collection can now be previewed on the BlackMilk website.

 

BlackMilk to release Avatar: The Last Airbender collection

Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra will be able to showcase their love for the two hit animated series with BlackMilk Clothing’s latest collection.

BlackMilk Clothing is well known for its unique licensed collaborations, and is excited to work with Nickelodeon for the first time on bringing these beloved stories to life on a huge variety of styles, including dresses, leggings, overalls, jackets, accessories and unisex pieces.

Stand-out styles in the 43-piece collection include overalls featuring beloved sky bison Appa with a unique bison horn detail on the straps, plus glow-in-the-dark tees and uniquely shaped hoodies featuring each of the Avatar world’s elemental tribes. Alongside BlackMilk’s signature bold printed styles, the collection includes designer pieces made with specially created flocked, burned velvet and foil fabrics featuring element motifs – perfect for those who want a more subtle nod to the series.

Avatar x BlackMilk will be available for purchase at 7am (AEST) 31 May. The collection lookbook can now be viewed on the BlackMilk website.

 

MARKET introduces Guns N’ Roses x Smiley collaboration

LA-based brand MARKET has announced the release of a unisex capsule collection in collaboration with Guns N’ Roses, The Smiley Company and Bravado
As a Los Angeles-based brand, MARKET seized the opportunity to honour Guns N’ Roses nearly 40 years after the band had its debut performance at the storied Troubadour in Los Angeles.
In order to properly pay homage to the heritage of Guns N’ Roses, the MARKET team sourced vintage denim from the 1980s and 1990s for the hero pieces of the collection. The team upcycled denim jeans and jackets of the time with new custom patches and airbrushed-style graphics, referencing the bad boy aesthetic that defines Guns N’ Roses and their music.
In addition to the vintage denim pieces, the collection features five apparel styles and a trucker hat, which draw inspiration from the iconic ‘Appetite for Destruction’ album cover and the electricity that Guns N’ Roses brought to rock ’n’ roll.
“The way in which Guns N’ Roses relentlessly stood for freedom of expression and creativity – at all costs – has always been an inspiration to me and to people around the world,” says creative director and founder of MARKET, Mike Cherman.
“The no-holds-barred attitude of Guns N’ Roses resonates with our approach to collaborations and design, so we were extremely excited to have the opportunity to fuse the rebellious energy of Guns N’ Roses with the irreverent and wacky world of MARKET and the irresistible spirit of our longtime partner SMILEY.”
This limited-edition collection will be available worldwide through MARKET’s website, ranging in price from $45 – $200 USD, in sizing XS-XXL.

MARKET introduces Guns N’ Roses x Smiley collaboration

LA-based brand MARKET has announced the release of a unisex capsule collection in collaboration with Guns N’ Roses, The Smiley Company and Bravado
As a Los Angeles-based brand, MARKET seized the opportunity to honour Guns N’ Roses nearly 40 years after the band had its debut performance at the storied Troubadour in Los Angeles.
In order to properly pay homage to the heritage of Guns N’ Roses, the MARKET team sourced vintage denim from the 1980s and 1990s for the hero pieces of the collection. The team upcycled denim jeans and jackets of the time with new custom patches and airbrushed-style graphics, referencing the bad boy aesthetic that defines Guns N’ Roses and their music.
In addition to the vintage denim pieces, the collection features five apparel styles and a trucker hat, which draw inspiration from the iconic ‘Appetite for Destruction’ album cover and the electricity that Guns N’ Roses brought to rock ’n’ roll.
“The way in which Guns N’ Roses relentlessly stood for freedom of expression and creativity – at all costs – has always been an inspiration to me and to people around the world,” says creative director and founder of MARKET, Mike Cherman.
“The no-holds-barred attitude of Guns N’ Roses resonates with our approach to collaborations and design, so we were extremely excited to have the opportunity to fuse the rebellious energy of Guns N’ Roses with the irreverent and wacky world of MARKET and the irresistible spirit of our longtime partner SMILEY.”
This limited-edition collection will be available worldwide through MARKET’s website, ranging in price from $45 – $200 USD, in sizing XS-XXL.

Urban Outfitters launches in-store Smiley experience

Urban Outfitters is launching a Europe wide in-store experience from today, 4 April, as part of its collaboration with Smiley, which has been celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2022.

As part of the unique campaign, Urban Outfitters has created an immersive pop-up room environment for consumers in London, Manchester, Amsterdam, Milan, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Glasgow and Antwerp.

The pop-up includes products featuring the Smiley logo reimagined by Paris-based Swedish graffiti artist Andre Saraiva, who customised over 50 products as part of a collector’s edition stretching across clothing, accessories, technology and more.

Shoppers can expect to find key products featured in the store such as iets frans … x Smiley + 50th Anniversary collector’s editions.

Streetwear and activewear brands include Champion, Eastpak, New Era and Happy Socks, while Loki and Ciate provide fashion and beauty products. Neon signage brand Yellowpop will also be available, as will Sunny Life, known for its inflatable swimming pool lines.

Within the Manchester and Oxford Circus stores, consumers can engage with and create social content with an infinity mirror, while the changing rooms feature Smiley’s ‘Take the Time to Smile’ slogan.

Find out more on the Urban Outfitters website.

UNIQLO and Blue Note Records team for t-shirt collection

Blue Note Records and UNIQLO have teamed up once again for a new UT t-shirt collection featuring five new designs based on iconic Blue Note album covers that were selected by Blue Note President and GRAMMY-winning producer Don Was.

Brokered by Universal Music Group’s merchandising division, Bravado, via their team in Japan, the new UT collection is on sale today in UNIQLO stores worldwide and online at bluenote.lnk.to/uniqlo.

“We’re thrilled to team up with UNIQLO on this new UT collection that lets fans adorn themselves in the visionary designs of Reid Miles,” says Was. “In the 1950s and 60s Reid created an enduringly hip Blue Note aesthetic with album covers that were themselves works of art, and we hope new generations will discover his genius through UT.”

This is Blue Note’s fourth collaboration with UNIQLO and the second volume of the popular UT collection that was launched last year. UT asked Was to select 30 “Essential” Blue Note album covers from which the UT designers carefully selected the seven designs released in 2021 and the five additional designs featured in this new collection: Lee Morgan’s Cornbread and The Rumproller, Freddie Hubbard’s Hub-Tones, Andrew Hill’s Judgment, and Eric Dolphy’s Out To Lunch.

To celebrate the collaboration Blue Note has updated the official playlist BLUE NOTE MEETS UT, which was specially curated by Was for this collaboration.

Minecraft partners with Lacoste for apparel collection

Mojang Studios has partnered with Lacoste to launch the Minecraft x Lacoste apparel collection, featuring activewear, accessories and footwear, just in time for spring/summer 2022.

Minecraft fans will love seeing how the iconic blocky style of Minecraft has been translated to the world of fashion with Lacoste – including some of their most iconic pieces like printed polos, monochrome sweatshirts and more. The collection even features an updated crocodile Lacoste logo reimagined in the style of Minecraft.

To celebrate the partnership, Minecraft has released the Croco Island DLC available for the community to download for free via the Minecraft Marketplace today. Inspired by the Minecraft x Lacoste apparel collection, adventurers of the Croco Island DLC can explore a Lacoste theme park on a lush tropical island with hidden secrets and fun minigames, like tennis, and check out 30 unique Lacoste-themed skins.

The Minecraft x Lacoste apparel collection is available from today on Lacoste.com and at select retailers worldwide.

 

 

Precious Moments revs up its licensing programme with Mad Engine deal

Precious Moments has announced the addition of Mad Engine Global as a key licensing partner for a full range of Precious Moments apparel and accessories.

The deal, brokered on behalf of Precious Moments by Spotlight Licensing and Brand Management, is a strong strategic partnership that aims to keep the cherished brand fresh and relevant for current fans while also appealing to new audiences who may be discovering it for the first time.

“We are thrilled to be working with such an iconic brand as Precious Moments. Nostalgic ‘feel good’ properties are in demand with our junior and young adult consumer, so we can’t wait to put our fun twist on apparel and accessories and bring it to retail,” says Cindy Levitt, SVP Licensing, Mad Engine Global.

With a brand history spanning more than four decades, Precious Moments is a widely recognised part of pop culture and the diverse range of Precious Moments products planned by Mad Engine reflects the many ways Precious Moments’ brand appeal spans generations, with products for everyone from infants and young children to teens and adults.

Shehnaz Safiuddin, Vice President, Product and Marketing for Precious Moments, says: “Mad Engine is known as an industry innovator and trend-setter. We are excited to work with their artists and designers to leverage our highly recognisable characters and storied brand history to create fashion-forward products appealing to younger consumers as well as great-looking apparel and accessories that longtime fans and collectors will love.”

Mad Engine has been granted rights to utilise iconic Precious Moments branding and art on apparel for all ages and accessories such as backpacks, caps, hats, tote bags, hair accessories, and cold weather gear. Mad Engine will sell Precious Moments products through U.S. and Canadian retailers starting in June 2022. Worldwide print-on-demand and merchandise-on-demand programmes will also be available.

Poetic Brands adds Schitt’s Creek to its portfolio

Apparel manufacturer Poetic Brands has partnered with ITV Studios to create a range of adult apparel based on the hugely popular riches-to-rags comedy drama Schitt’s Creek.

The new range is set to include men’s and women’s T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and nightwear for distribution across Europe.

Schitt’s Creek made a record-breaking sweep of the 2020 Emmy awards with nine wins, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and has also won a plethora of other awards in its six-year run, including ACTRA awards, Canadian Screen Awards, a Critics’ Choice Television Award, Screen Actors Guild Awards and many more.

ITV Studios has secured a number of international broadcasters for the series, taking the total count to 197 territories. When the sixth and final series launched on Netflix in September 2020, users in the US watched 968 million minutes (Nielsen Streaming Rankings, September 2020), moving the show to the most-watched on the platform.

Elliott Matthews, Executive Director at Poetic Brands, commented: “Schitt’s Creek is one of those series that will go down in history and despite there being no more production, it will continue to be popular with its army of fans. We’re really excited to be launching this apparel range – the brand is part of adult pop culture in the UK and we’re sure it will be a big hit.”

Christina Lima, VP Global Franchise Management and Creative Services at ITV Studios, added: “Schitt’s Creek is one of those brands that everyone wishes to have in their portfolio. After the huge success with the licensing programme in North America, it is time to bring it to Europe. We are very pleased to welcome Poetic Brands as one of our first signed partners in the UK.”

Schitt’s Creek is produced by Not A Real Company Productions Inc. for CBC and Pop TV.