Tag Archives: bravado

BOSS expands Legends series with Freddie Mercury collection

Posted on by

BOSS has launched a unique capsule collection celebrating the attitude, vision and spirit of iconic singer, songwriter and performer Freddie Mercury. 

Inspired by icons past and present, the BOSS Legends series launched recently with a collection inspired by Muhammad Ali and will continue over the coming months. Each collection is inspired by an iconic individual, with a portion of profits donated to a charity close to their heart.

This June during Pride Month, BOSS presents a limited collection that pays tribute to game-changing performer Freddie Mercury. The capsule contains statement essentials printed with black and white photos of some of his renowned performances, each accompanied by his autograph or a specially created combined BOSS logo and autograph motif. A standout item from the collection is a T-shirt printed with a quote from Freddie that perfectly captures the spirit of the BOSS Legends series: “I’m not going to be a star. I’m going to be a legend!”

The exclusive designs are available in black, white, or a bright yellow inspired by the jacket worn by Mercury during his last tour with Queen in 1986.

The collaboration was made possible by Bravado, Universal Music Group’s brand management division, in partnership with Mercury Songs Ltd. The Freddie Mercury capsule collection is available online and in BOSS Stores globally now, with a portion of all proceeds going to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

 

AC Milan celebrates 60 years of The Rolling Stones with capsule collection

Posted on by

With British rock icons The Rolling Stones set to hold a concert at San Siro tonight, Tuesday 21 June, AC Milan has launched the AC Milan x The Rolling Stones capsule collection

The capsule collection is now available in all AC Milan stores and on The Rolling Stones official online shop. The collection consists of five pieces, including two t-shirts, a hoodie, a canvas bag and a gym sack. Each piece bears the iconic “tongue” of The Rolling Stones, which, for this occasion, has been redesigned in red and black, merging the British band’s historic logo with the famous Rossoneri colours to create a one-time special logo. The shirts also feature the text “Sympathy for the Devil”, one of the band’s most famous songs, which references the Devil, a symbol of AC Milan.

This special collaboration – brought together by Bravado, Universal Music Group’s leading brand management division – fuses together the worlds of football and music, which are united by the sheer passion of their fans and the emotional attachment that both can generate, most notably through matches and concerts.

The AC Milan x The Rolling Stones collection is a further step in a process of real growth for the Club off the pitch, with AC Milan particularly active with projects and important collaborations in the world of fashion and entertainment.

 

 

 

Bravado and Epic Rights centralise licensing roster, with Lisa Streff at the helm

Posted on by

Bravado, Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management company, announced today the centralisation of both Bravado and Epic Rights’ licensing rosters. Bravado acquired Epic Rights in 2019 and the new structure includes the expanded purview of Epic Rights’ SVP Global Licensing, Lisa Streff, to oversee global licensing strategies across both companies.

Streff will work closely with the existing Bravado and Epic Rights retail and brand management teams and will report to Jesper Poulsen, General Manager, Bravado.

Bravado’s president Matt Young states: “We are continuing to grow our global licensing and retail business with a more unified and complementary strategy across both Bravado and Epic Rights, while maintaining individual strategies and priorities. With Jesper leading the team as General Manager and Lisa driving global licensing strategy, we have the right team in place to ensure growth for our artists in this area.”

Jesper Poulsen adds: “I have had the pleasure of working with Lisa for close to 10 years and proud of how our team built Epic Rights’ global retail footprint. Lisa has been instrumental in developing innovative campaigns, and creating unique licensing opportunities and partnerships with best in class licensed products for our artists and their fans. Creating this strategic alignment of our retail and licensing teams gives us a competitive advantage unmatched in the industry.”

“Since joining Epic Rights, it has truly been an incredible ride to play an integral role in the growth of what was essentially a start-up organisation to now being part of the biggest global merch company,” says Lisa Streff. “This is a magical time to be in music licensing and merchandising. I am honoured and excited to collaborate with Matt, Jesper and the Bravado team in this expanded role and to work with some of the biggest artists in the world under the Bravado banner, while continuing to spearhead the programmes for our Epic Rights’ talent.”

Streff joined Epic Rights in 2014 as SVP of Licensing. In 2019, Bravado acquired Epic Rights with an artist roster including KISS, AC/DC, Def Leppard, David Bowie, John Lennon, Britney Spears, and NSYNC, among others. Streff will continue to spearhead the development of global merchandising licensing programmes for Epic Rights’ artists while adding the oversight of programmes for Bravado’s clients, such as The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Sex Pistols, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Spice Girls, Avril Lavigne and many more.

MARKET introduces Guns N’ Roses x Smiley collaboration

Posted on by
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

Posted on by
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.

Jesper Poulsen named general manager of Bravado

Posted on by

Universal Music Group’s (UMG’s) leading merchandise and brand management company, Bravado, announced today that veteran industry executive and Epic Rights co-founder Jesper Poulsen has been named general manager.

Poulsen joins Bravado’s executive management team and will play an integral role in continuing to develop the company’s global merchandise strategy in the everchanging landscape of the music and fashion industries. He will oversee day-to-day operations of both Bravado and Epic Rights. Poulsen is based in Los Angeles and reports to Bravado’s president, Matt Young.

Matt Young says: “As we continue to execute our global brand strategy, aligning the power of Epic Rights more closely with Bravado exponentially enhances the reach, capabilities, and depth of how we service our artists and their fans around the world. Jesper has a wealth of experience and his leadership across the Bravado ecosystem will only supercharge our capabilities.”

Poulsen adds: “I want to thank Richelle Parham and UMG’s leadership team, Matt Young, and, of course, the team at Epic Rights, for this opportunity. Having been mentored by Dell Furano, I’m proud to continue to evolve what we started almost 10 years ago with Kym Furano and Phil Cussen. It’s an honour to work with so many incredible artists and their teams to reach their fans all over the world. It’s an exciting time to be in the artist services business and look forward to what’s ahead.”

Poulsen’s career in artist brand development, consumer products and fan experiences started at Signatures Network, where he supported the company’s growing wholesale business and digital strategy. In 2008, through acquisition, he joined Live Nation Merchandise where he held the position of Brand Manager, helping oversee relationships such as KISS, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Led Zeppelin, and ZZ Top. In 2014, Poulsen, together with Dell Furano, Kym Furano and Phil Cussen, launched merchandise and branding company, Epic Rights.

Bravado acquired Epic Rights in 2019 with a roster that includes KISS, AC/DC, Def Leppard, David Bowie, John Lennon, Aerosmith, Bob Dylan and the Woodstock Festival among others. Poulsen in his new role will maintain the individual brand identities of both Epic Rights and Bravado, supervising the expert teams of both divisions.

UNIQLO and Blue Note Records team for t-shirt collection

Posted on by

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.

Palace creates Elton John capsule skatewear collection

Posted on by

London-based skateboarding and clothing brand Palace has created a special licensed Elton John capsule collection with the icon himself, celebrating his legacy and his legendary music career.

The capsule drop includes a retro velour tracksuit with ‘EJ’ Elton and Palace branding, in white or navy with lurex side strips; a knitted jumper featuring Elton’s image, and a selection of T-shirts in short and long-sleeved versions, with archive images from such legendary performances as his landmark gig at LA’s Dodger Stadium in 1975.

In addition to the apparel collection, Palace has produced a special Elton John board and a rug that bears a Palace-doctored woven image of Elton at the keys, on stage at Dodger Stadium. The collaboration was brought together by Bravado, Universal Music Group’s leading brand management company.

Elton John says: “I’m so excited about my forthcoming collaboration with Palace. I’m always looking to the future, but the range brings back some fantastic memories – it really captures the essence of youth and freedom from my time on the road in the 1970s. I’ve never been a skateboarder but that’s not going to stop me wearing the lot.”

The collection launches in the UK on Friday 11 March at 11am GMT, in-store and online, and online in the EU at 12pm CET.

In the US, the collection goes live the same day online at 11am EST and 8am PST, in-store in New York at 11am EST, and in LA at 11am PST.

The collection launches in Japan, in-store and online, at 11am JST on Saturday 12 March.

Royal Mail to honour The Rolling Stones with a set of 12 special stamps

Posted on by

Royal Mail has revealed 12 new special stamps to honour 60 years of the legendary rock group, The Rolling Stones.

The main set of eight stamps features images of the band performing at venues all around the world at various points during their career: Hyde Park, London, UK, July 1969; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, August 2019; Rotterdam, Netherlands, August 1995; Tokyo, Japan, March 1995; New York City, USA, July 1972; Oslo, Norway, May 2014; Knebworth, Hertfordshire, UK, August 1976; Düsseldorf, Germany, October 2017.

An additional four stamps, presented in a Miniature Sheet, feature two shots of the band together and of two of the many posters which have promoted their worldwide tours over the years.

In 2005, the Rolling Stones were awarded the accolade of greatest touring band of all time at the World Music Awards. They have sold an estimated 250m records and in the UK have eight no.1 singles and 13 no.1 albums. Their countless awards include four Grammys, three MTV Music Awards and nine NME Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Celebrating their 60th anniversary in 2022, the Rolling Stones become only the fourth music group to have a dedicated Royal Mail stamp issue – following on from The Beatles in 2007, Pink Floyd in 2016 and Queen in 2020.

David Gold, Director of Public Affairs & Policy, Royal Mail, said: “Few bands in the history of rock have managed to carve out a career as rich and expansive as that of the Rolling Stones. They have created some of modern music’s most iconic and inspirational albums, with ground-breaking live performances to match.”

The collaboration was brought together and facilitated by Bravado, Universal Music Group’s leading brand management and lifestyle division.

The stamps are available to pre-order from today (11 January) at www.royalmail.com/rollingstones and by phone on +44 (0)3457 641 641.

The stamps go on general sale on 20 January.

 

Bravado launches capsule collab inspired by LEGO Vidiyo

Posted on by

Bravado, Universal Music Group’s global consumer, lifestyle, and brand management company, has announced the launch of a collaborative capsule inspired by LEGO Vidiyo, a video maker experience that allows children to dream big by directing, producing, starring in and sharing their own music videos.

Available now, the collection celebrates the intersection of LEGO play, music and fashion, featuring designs from P.A.M, Soulland, BBC ICECREAM and Bravado.

Sarah Andelman, co-founder of Paris boutique Colette, and the consulting and curating company Just an Idea, was tapped to oversee the creative for these capsules, and to capture “the universal essence of youthful creativity, bold thinking and optimism”.

The brand collabs include:

  • BBC ICECREAM: The skate-centric sub label of Pharrell William’s Billionaire Boys Club, known for utilising ice cream graphics and other lighthearted designs, has taken the sneaker community by storm since Pharrell previewed the concept in the Drop it’s Like it’s Hot video in 2004.
  • Bravado Collection: The global provider of consumer, lifestyle and branding services presents a 7-piece capsule inspired by L.L.A.M.A, the first-ever human version LEGO minifigure to sign a global record deal and to release a song via LEGO Vidiyo.
  • P.A.M: Australian lifestyle brand Perks and Mini (P.A.M) created two t-shirts and a hoodie featuring the slogan, “Let Your Mind Be Free.”
  • Soulland: A Copenhagen-based brand that strives to source as locally as possible and create healthier local relationships, offers a stylised button-up shirt and t-shirt.

Mimi Choi, Lead Designer, BBC says: “As a brand with DNA steeped in music culture and values in education led by Pharrell Williams, LEGO Vidiyo’s DNA aligns with our ethos in providing the youth with tools to explore their creativity and innovation.”

“We chose a motif of the most simple LEGO brick swirling into a vortex/portal, going into the unknown, a world of pure imagination,” says Mischa Hollenbach, Co-founder, P.A.M. In her view the LEGO Vidiyo collection is a celebration of individuality, and unique creativity. “Let your mind be free. No barriers, no borders, no worries: just creativity. Whatever you can imagine you can build, starting with one small brick”.

In celebration of the collaboration and upcoming launch, Bravado, LEGO Vidiyo and HBX by Hypebeast created a digital jukebox, a dynamic visual experience that reimagines designs from Soulland, PAM, BBC Ice Cream and Bravado as shoppable album covers.

.