Tag Archives: culture

Floral Street channels Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in first of its kind fragrance partnership

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The independent, sustainable British Brand, Floral Street has struck up a collaboration with the internationally revered Van Gogh Museum in a deal that will see fine art meet fine fragrance for the first time.

Under the partnership, Floral Street has developed a new fragrance that channels the Dutch artist’s passion for the natural world and nature, ‘bringing to life the optimism of one of the world’s most famous masterworks in both scent and floral design,’ taking on the fragrance and artistic appeal of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

Described as a fruity-citrus fragrance, the new launch is both a vegan and cruelty free, luxury eau de parfum that ‘arrives bursting with rays of optimism,’ as intentioned by its creator, the master perfumer, Jerȏme Epinette.

Epinette is known for his mastery of sustainable natural raw materials, which are traceable from source to scent.

“The idea was to capture the vibrance and beauty of the South of France, while also somehow painting the passage of the day. I started with an impactful top where a burst of morning sun comes alive in the citrus and fruits, while the heart brings the heat of the afternoon with a rich and colourful floralcy,” said Epinette. “The back then carries us into early evening with a poppy sweetness and a touch of unexpected warmth that makes it fun, yet truly luxurious.”

Ian Wickham of Licensing Link Europe, said: “This is the first product to launch within the Floral Street range of personal and home fragrances and we are super excited by the reaction the product is getting from retailers around the world.

“What Floral Street has delivered is a superb example of an incredible quality product created through a thorough understanding of the story behind Sunflowers and then delivered in a completely sustainable way – even the packaging cartons that hold the bottle are fully biodegradable and can be reused as seed planters once finished with.”

Among the ingredients used in the fragrance is natural bergamont fro Calabria in Italy to provide a fresh, peppery herbaceous scent “that is lightly sweet and brings a unique sparkle to this citrus composition,” as well as mandarin which brings a bright, summery hue to the fragrance.

The perfume also features a warm honey accord – a nature identical, vegan synthetic blend created to mimic the aroma of fresh honey, and a Bellini accord – described as “a fantasy note that brings an effervescent ‘pop’ to the perfume.”

The new Sunflower Pop fragrance is available from August 1st, 2021, on www.floralstreet.com, in the Van Gogh Museum and retailers worldwide.

Fashion statements | WildBrain CPLG explores how the post-pandemic world of licensed fashion has shifted gear

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With the world beginning to reawaken and emerge from its pandemic slumber, so too is the world of fashion switching gear, slipping out of its comfy bagging clothing and back into a wardrobe designed for life outside, once again. However, notes Pau Pascual, VP Southern Europe and MD of Iberia and MENA, at WildBrain CPLG, the ever-moving fashion scene hasn’t emerged untouched by the shift in consumer sensibilities. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Here, WildBrain CPLG’s Pascual talks us through the key trends to be hitting the post-pandemic licensed fashion space.

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Last year, as with many changes brought about by the pandemic, we saw significant shifts in the world of fashion, particularly in purchasing choices. With much of the world working from home, consumers were prioritising clothing that was comfortable because this became the new daily wardrobe for many, and so there was a swing from retailers to embrace this trend and offer more in the way of casual and sportswear.

However, now with the world starting to open up again, many consumers are looking to inject freshness into their wardrobes and retailers are looking to keep their offering engaging, relevant and fun. Below are five key trends that we’re seeing in the fashion space at WildBrain CPLG, exploring how these are being adopted by brand owners: 

Varsity Back in the Spotlight 

We’ve seen varsity and US college-inspired products, both in the mass market and high-end fashion space, for many years now, but in 2021, the presence of styles that take inspiration from iconic US institutions and their merchandise – such as the baseball ‘letterman’ jackets – has really accelerated. 

There was certainly a large halo effort from Hedi Slimane’s spring ‘21 menswear collection for Celine, which included varsity jackets, along with other varsity-inspired trends, from baseball caps and high-top sneakers to sweatsuits and track shorts, that we’ve seen trickle down to the high street. This trend has also been fuelled by TV shows, such as the Gossip Girl reboot and Riverdale, that have played a key part in bringing varsity style fashion back into focus. Also, the portrayal of Princess Diana in the latest season of The Crown has drawn renewed attention to her fashion looks, including her iconic Philadelphia Eagles varsity jacket. 

Many licensed properties are leaning into this trend and providing their own fresh takes, such as with the beloved Peanuts brand we represent and its many ranges with Inditex. We also represent several iconic institutions themselves, including Harvard and Yale universities, and are seeing great interest in these brands.

Retro Gaming 

Another fashion trend that has been around for a little while but is now stepping up a level, is the use of retro gaming brands, such as Nintendo, and our very own Tetris, Space Invaders and Sonic. As platforms have evolved over the years, these games have been played by multiple generations in many different ways – from the original arcade and console games, and now on tablets and mobile devices – and so they bring wide brand recognition across multiple demographics. 

These properties also offer a real sense of fun and playfulness, as well as tapping into the spirit of nostalgia and evoking the spirit of the ‘80s and ‘90s, which is proving to be really appealing to the millennial generation. More generally, the distinctive graphics are a hit with fans of strong visual styling. 

In particular, we’re seeing these brands enjoy great success with footwear collaborations, such as the deal we recently secured with premium Dutch footwear brand Floris Van Bommel for a Spring/Summer capsule collection inspired by Space Invaders. We often see a ‘30-year-cycle’ where kids who grew up with the IP are now in a position to buy something special that reminds them of their childhood and we see this as a real driver of the trend.

Vintage Brands Applied to Lifestyle 

Also in the vein of millennial and Gen Z nostalgia, we’re increasingly seeing the use of vintage brands applied to lifestyle products within fashion, for example, the new capsule collection inspired by the iconic Fruit of the Loom apparel brand that’s recently launched at Zara. There’s also a lot of interest in brands such as Technics and Kodak, as well as heritage sports brands like Prince and Kappa. 

The fashion industry often aims for the surprise factor by reviving brands that used to be the ‘coolest ones around’ and using them to create a flashback moment during which consumers are reminded of something they’d perhaps long forgotten. This type of licensed collaboration really gives consumers a chance to relive their memories of a certain brand and, although the product may now appear in a different form, it offers them a chance to once again buy something from a brand they loved when they were younger.

Care for the Planet, Ourselves and One Another 

Across all stages of fashion, there is an increased commitment to more environmentally friendly practices and choices – starting right with the manufacturing processes and the raw materials that are being used. The industry is striving to embrace the ‘circular’ economy with reusing and recycling being the top priorities, and this is already happening across many of the big fashion retailers. Many new fashion companies are also solely working with recycled materials and within this type of circular economy. 

Environmental sustainability is also being applied directly to the messaging of products, such as Ecolaf with its ‘There’s No Planet B’ campaign. We also recently worked on a fantastic collaboration for Peanuts Worldwide with the luxury eco-sustainable apparel brand, Vayyu. To mark Earth Day, Vayyu launched its first licensed collection, which featured Charles M. Schulz’s classic Peanuts characters and included garments designed by students from Nottingham Trent University. This was all part of Peanuts Worldwide’s “Take Care with Peanuts” initiative, a global multi-year enterprise encouraging everyone to take care of themselves, each other and the Earth.

As well as embracing the growing interest in caring for the planet, licensing trends are also capturing the zeitgeist within the fashion space for care and kindness – as we emerge from the pandemic with a renewed respect for one another and our world. This is coming across in apparel that brings in messages of acceptance and inclusivity, as well as encouraging individuals to express themselves freely. A great example of this is WildBrain’s recently launched Teletubbies adult fashion collection for 2021 Pride Month, which incorporates a theme of ‘Big Hugs, Big Love’ and celebrates the importance of self-expression in an uplifting way. The collection’s proceeds will also benefit GLAAD to support its culture-changing work to accelerate acceptance for the LGBTQ community. 

In a more visual sense, we’re seeing many floral and colourful patterns as consumers embrace fun, playful prints to counteract the difficult period we’ve been living in.

Art, Graphics and Museums 

Finally, there’s been a continuing trend for many years for fashion partnerships inspired by art brands, particularly when there’s an anniversary from artists and museums to be celebrated with supporting merchandise. 

This trend has ramped up recently, with many well-respected artists and museums being a key focus for licensed collaborations. Some recent examples include Zara launching a menswear collection inspired by the “El Prado” Museum in Spain as well as a range for the Sistine Chapel, and Pull & Bear collaborating with Tate Modern. Licensed collaborations offer consumers another – often more affordable – avenue to own a ‘piece of art’ from their favourite creators and build this into their daily lives. 

The National Gallery taps ARTiSTORY to grow licensing programme on a global scale

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The cultural IP licensing specialist, ARTiSTORY has secured a new, multi-year partnership with The National Gallery Company through which it work to expand its licensing programme on a global scale.

Co-founded by Yizan He and Natasha Dyson, ARTiSTORY is a specialist in IP development working with museums, galleries, science centres, and libraries across the globe as it brings a spectrum of creative design, licensing,and retailing capabilities geared towards helping cultural organisations develop their licensing programmes.

The National Gallery is a home to more than 2,600 of the world’s most renowned paintings including 700 years of work from the late 13th to the early 20th century. Founded in 1824, just 38 paintings started what would become a National Collection of art. The gallery covers 46,396 square metres and is located north of Trafalgar Square in the centre of London.

Inspiration for ARTiSTORY’s cultural themes and design assets will derive form the Gallery’s collection of masterpieces by artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Cézanne, Gentileschi, and Van Gogh. The art movements represented in the gallery are various, from renaissance to impressionism, to rococo and romanticism, there is a wealth of stories to share with licensees, to create a range of product collections.

“We are thrilled to be working with Judith and her team and to finally be able to meet in person after so many months of communicating virtually. Adding the National Gallery’s image collection to our portfolio of IP has given us access to many of the world’s most sought after and iconic masterpieces,” said Natasha Dyson, co-founder and licensing director at ARTiSTORY.

“Our creative team have been busy working on our themes, design assets, including illustrations, patterns and prints, ready for launch in July. We can’t wait to see these design applied to products.”

Judith Mather, buying and brand licensing director at the National Gallery, added: “We are very excited about working with ARTiSTORY to further grow our licensing programme.”

Artifacts and the arts effect | ARTiSTORY explores cultural IP licensing’s current burst of energy

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With the reopening of cultural and heritage sites and museums across the globe, so too is the cultural IP licensing space seeing a burst of energy, fuelled by increased staffing and a renewed understanding of its importance towards the success of the sector.

Co-founder and managing director of ARTiSTORY, Yizan He, has told Licensing.biz that increased staff across the licensing arms of many global cultural organisations is ‘an excellent sign of the realisation of the value of IP licensing.’

“Many cultural organisations have realised the potential that a licensing programme can achieve for them in terms of revenue stream and engagement with a wider global audience,” Yizan He explained.

“Many have already set up their licensing programmes in recent months, particularly during the pandemic when most museums were closed. On the other hand, cultural organisations are getting a lot more inquiries from brands, retailers, and licensing agencies.

“The cultural licensing sector is undoubtedly growing rapidly.”

ARTiSTORY has witnessed the growth first hand, having seen the business establish a fully global presence in the short few months since it was launched in 2020. The firm’s portfolio now includes the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, while it is close to announcing a new partnership with a major London museum, and making preparations to add a leading American museum and a top performing Chinese IP to the mix in the coming weeks.

With the art and cultural IP space proving to be such a rich ground for licensing right now, we caught up with ARTiSTORY’s Yizan He to learn more about the team’s plans.

Hello Yizan, it’s been a while since we last caught up! How has the ARTiSTORY business and portfolio grown and progressed since then? With cultural sites and museums now reopening, what is the mood in the space like right now?

ARTiSTORY has been growing rapidly since we started our business in 2020. Our portfolio includes the National Palace Museum from Taiwan, we’re close to announcing a leading London museum and we will soon add a leading American museum and a Chinese top IP to our portfolio in the next few weeks. 

Our master license rights with these art and cultural organisations cover all key markets such as the EU/UK, North America and Asia. Our creative teams in Asia and Europe are currently developing the 2022 art and cultural IP licensing trends and themes which will be released in July this year. 

With museums and cultural organisations reopening, many organisations are now adding staff to drive the licensing business, which is an excellent sign as cultural organisations have realised the importance and value of IP licensing.

 

How has the art and culture licensing sector performed over the past year? There have obviously been hardships across the live sector, what impact, if any did this have on the licensing aspect? Did it drive demand further, did it fuel a shift to licensing in any capacity?

Driven by the growing demand for art and cultural IP, the cultural licensing sector is snowballing, which has caught many by surprise. As reported by Licensing International in early May 2021, that art and cultural IP has risen from merely one per cent in 2015 to 18.7 per cent in terms of the retail value of licensed merchandise in China in 2020. Art and cultural IP has become the second most important property type.

There is a visible impact as more and more retailers and consumer brands are embracing art and cultural IP licensing as ways to engage shoppers and improve profit margins. Many companies have tapped into art and cultural IP in recent years from luxury brands such as LVMH to global retailers such as Uniqlo and Zara. That will further inspire more brands and retailers to explore art and cultural IP.

 

What role has ARTiSTORY played in the art and culture/heritage licensing space over this period? What is it that ARTiSTORY brings to the culture licensing sector, and how does this differ from the licensing agencies out there?

ARTiSTORY has a unique business model that sets us apart from licensing agencies. First of all, we secure a multi-year exclusive master license agreement covering a full range of merchandise in our markets, and of course, with a commitment to Minimum Guaranteed Royalties. Secondly, we invest heavily in the annual art and cultural theme and design asset development, an essential component in any cultural licensing program and we own the copyrights of the design assets. We then enter into licensing agreements with consumer brands and retailers directly, and support them with versatile forms of marketing and storytelling such as live stream, short videos, social media campaigns on Tiktok, and immersive store windows and installations.    

As a pioneer and innovator in the cultural licensing sector, ARTiSTORY’s founding members have previously developed some of the most successful licensing programs for the world’s top museums such as the British Museum, the V&A, the MET, Museum of Fine Art, Boston, and National Gallery. We hope to bring our new business model to the cultural licensing sector.

What do museums and galleries gain from working with ARTiSTORY as opposed to other licensing agencies? How do you separate yourselves from the competition in this sector?

There is a wide range of tangible benefits that museums and cultural organisations would benefit from a licensing program.  Firstly, there is immediate and recurrent revenue as ARTiSTORY commits financially with advance payments upon signing the master licensing agreement. On top of the advance payments, there are running royalties that we would share with our museum partners every quarter.  

Most importantly, every licensed product comes with a card that illustrates the artefacts from the museum’s collection where the design inspirations come from.  Additionally, all promotional licensing partnerships across a truly diverse array of industries recognise the collaborating museum, which promote the awareness of the museums. Our licensing programmes have expanded the museums’ reach to a much broader global audience, inspiring them to learn more about the museums.   

What role do you think ARTiSTORY has to play in the future of the art & culture / heritage licensing sector? How are you guys innovating in the sector and helping shape a future for licensing within it?

Our business model has been proven unique and compelling. We will continue to ride on the momentum, beef up our storytelling and marketing capabilities, and expand our licensing program in new markets such as the EU/UK and North America. We aim to become a truly global player.

To stay ahead of the competition, we are already working on various storytelling as an additional dimension to engage more audiences more effectively. For example, our immersive team is working on immersive store window designs, immersive pop-up stores, and installation that our licensees and retailers can leverage for better shopper acquisitions and conversion. We’ve gained an excellent response from our licensees and now offer these immersive components as part of our licensing package.

 

When it comes to licensing, why is this an important sector to get right? What can good licensing do for the heritage or narrative of a cultural brand? Also, when working with brands steeped in history and heritage, what sort of pressure is there to get the licensing tone right first time? 

This is a very good question. The core mission of a museum is about conservation, research, and education. During the development of the licensing themes, artefact selection, and content creation, we work closely with our museum partners so that we can maintain a high level of accuracy in terms of the narratives that we develop while staying sensitive about different cultures and markets. 

We enjoy outstanding support from all our museum partners. For example, the licensing team at National Palace Museum has provided us with their curatorial advice and suggestion of artefacts when we jointly work on the upcoming 2022 themes.  

In the future, we will also be developing art education programs that in one way, extend cultural organisations’ core mission of educating the public and in another, leverage the value of art and culture in key education systems and markets. 

What are some of the most exciting partnerships (your own or others) in the heritage licensing space at the moment? What inspiration do you or can you draw from these?

I am glad that there are more and more inspirational art and cultural IP licensing programs in recent months, such as Spanish fashion retailer Pull & Bear taps into modern and contemporary art as their licensing program with the Tate feature artworks by Kandinsky. 

Uniqlo has already launched many programs with MoMA and recently with the Louvre. In the Far East, National Palace Museum has a wide range of well designed and crafted licensed products. The list goes on…

Is the cultural licensing sector heading in the right direction?

Yes, many cultural organisations have realised the potential that a licensing program can achieve for them in terms of revenue stream and engagement with a wider global audience. Many have already set up their licensing programs in recent months, particularly during the pandemic when most museums were closed. 

On the other hand, cultural organisations are getting a lot more inquiries from brands, retailers and licensing agencies.  The cultural licensing sector is undoubtedly growing rapidly.

And before we let you go, what’s the next step for ARTiSTORY?

ARTiSTORY has assembled a sales team covering various European markets, and sales training is already underway. Our next step is to establish our head office in the US and build a sales network there. It is our strategic goal that we would achieve our coverage on three key markets – the EU/UK, North America, and Asia – making ARTiSTORY a truly global player offering full market coverage to our museum partners as well as our clients.  

Thank you, Yizan. Is there anything you want to leave us with?

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with the audience about my company. ARTiSTORY looks forward to contributing more to the cultural licensing sector. 

RHS celebrates opening of RHS Garden Bridgewater with limited edition Moorcroft pottery

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The Royal Horticultural Society is celebrating the opening of its fifth Garden – RHS Garden Bridgewater – with the launch of two new collections of limited edition art pottery from its licensing partner and renowned producer of heritage art pottery, Moorcroft.

One collection is inspired by the new garden itself, while the second collection – the RHS Fiori Bottan Collection – is inspired by 45 extraordinary 17th century Italian watercolours that are part of the 25,000 superb images in the RHS Lindley Collections of botanical art.

Two vases have been made to mark the opening of RHS Garden Bridgewater. The first, called Bridgewater’s Bounty, celebrates the strong link that the newest RHS garden has with the former residence on the site, Worsley New Hall, which had a rich history of growing fruit – in particular pears – and a wide variety of flowers.

The vase fittingly depicts pears in varying shades of green and yellow, ripe for the picking, surrounded by delicate white pear blossom, with soft golden centres.

The rich brilliance of a joyous flower coming from the warmth of Southern Africa, ranging in colour from pure white to purple, is the inspiration for the name and design of the second vase, called Nerines. This is marked as another appropriate design for RHS Garden Bridgewater where the RHS holds a national collection of nerines within its Walled Garden. 

Both vases were designed by Emma Bossons, a member of the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts, who has been responsible for many successful Moorcroft limited editions over the years.

The RHS Fiori Bottan Collection is based on 17th century watercolours depicting cultivated plants including daffodils, anemones, irises, tulips and lilies. Preserved in the RHS Lindley Collections of botanical art, the watercolours have inspired three vases (called Forsaken Love, Potter’s Garden and Italian Iris), a jug (Spring Squill), a plaque (Turk’s Cap Lily) and a coaster (Blue Mist).

These artworks, all based on the extraordinary work of an anonymous watercolourist, are by designer Nicola Slaney, whose creations range from affordable pieces to highly priced, rare collectable limited editions.

Both collections are available to order at the Moorcroft Heritage Visitor Centre, online at www.moorcroft.com and also at the RHS shows that Moorcroft will be attending, including RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival (5–11 July), RHS Flower Show Tatton Park (21-25 July), RHS Chelsea Flower Show (21-26 September) and Malvern Autumn Show (24 – 26 September). 

Moorcroft and the RHS have collaborated a number of times in recent years, notably through the RHS Rose Bouquet Collection, the RHS Beatrix Stanley Collection, Chelsea’s Choice, (a vase celebrating the extraordinary snow-white hydrangea that was awarded RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2018) and the 2019 RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year collection of four vases, a jug, a plaque, a coaster and a limited edition ginger jar that encompassed many of the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year flowers all in one piece. 

Situated near Salford, RHS Garden Bridgewater is the fifth RHS garden and the largest gardening project undertaken in Europe in recent years. The transformation of this 154-acre green space has already begun to enhance the lives of local communities and their environment for the future.

Moorcroft managing director, Elise Adams, said: “Moorcroft’s RHS collaborations are always special but helping the RHS to celebrate the opening of its wonderful new garden has been a real honour. The RHS can always offer strong artistic inspiration and RHS Garden Bridgewater and the treasures of the RHS Lindley Collections have certainly inspired two truly memorable collections.

“At a time when so many of us have been affected by the global pandemic, to enjoy nature in all its forms, whether by gardening or with art pottery in our homes, is more important than ever before.”

Cathy Snow, licensing manager, RHS, said: “These collections again highlight the skill of the Moorcroft design team through a synthesis of nature and craft in perfect harmony. We are delighted to be continuing this association with Moorcroft, which continues to surprise and delight.”

ARTiSTORY teams with Brand Licensing Studios to build retail and partner base across Italy

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Brand Licensing Studio is the latest sales agent to join ARTiSTORY’s growing European team in a partnership that will see the European outfit focus on securing retail and brand partners in Italy.

Brand Licensing Studio will look for partnerships to feature designs from ARTiSTORYs’ biannually refreshed creative themes across its growing portfolio of art and cultural IP.

Italy is home to the largest number of luxury brands in the world, many of which are looking to expand their presence internationally and appeal to new audiences.  ARTiSTORY is creating designs to appeal to these consumers and content to engage them.

Established in 2018, Brand licensing Studio is a boutique licensing agency specialising in creating brand extensions and merchandising programmes for artists, design brands and iconic retro characters (like Astro Boy). 

Natasha Dyson, co-founder and licensing director, at ARTiSTORY, said: “Having spent 13 years working as a brand and licensing consultant, working for well know companies in Italy, Ambra is well connected and experienced in the key categories we will be developing in Italy across both retail and brands. We’re very happy to have Ambra join the team and excited to work togther to develop long-term partnerships in Italy.” 

Ambra Farioli, managing director at Brand Licensing Studio, said: “When Natasha invited me to join the amazing team of ARTiSTORY, I really felt honored.

“I have been working with several art IPs and I can say it is a growing trend, especially for the luxury industry. However, there are some difficulties in working with art pieces which ARTiSTORY overcomes as they have been able to perfectly translate artefacts for licensing. I am really looking forward to starting work with these IPs across multiple categories.”

ARTiSTORY taps Marcrom Licensing as sales agent for Iberian market

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ARTiSTORY has appointed Marcrom Licensing as its sales agent for the Iberian market, a move that sees the art and culture licensing specialist position itself for further growth across Europe and beyond.

Under the deal, Marcrom will focus on securing retail and brand partners to feature designs from ARTiSTORY’s biannually refreshed creative themes across its growing portfolio of art and cultural IP.

Recognising that appealing designs are key to the success of any product, ARTiSTORY’s dedicated creative team works to identify themes and research appropriate artefacts from its mainstream museum partners, before developing design assets such as prints and patterns.

Founded in 2015, and based in Barcelona, Marcrom is headed up by Ivan Marco.  The company represents a selection of corporate, entertainment and lifestyle brands such as fashion brand Munich or the television series Peaky Blinders.

“Home to several global retailers the Iberian is a key market for ARTiSTORY and our clients. We believe local expertise is very important when building a global business which is why we’ve chosen to work with Marcrom,” said Natasha Dyson, co-founder and licensing director, ARTiSTORY.

“Ivan instantly understood our business model and his wealth of experience, connections and ideas really impressed us.  We welcome this new partnership together to bring art and cultural IP to the Iberian market.”

Ivan Marco, ceo of Marcrom, added: “It is a pleasure to be part of the ARTiSTORY team. From the first time I discussed this project with Natasha I fell in love with the idea of working with art and cultural IP. Art has always been part of our lives and thanks to the partnership between ARTiSTORY and Marcrom we will now be able to bring art even closer to people through various product categories such as home, apparel and accessories and gift, among other.”

ARTiSTORY signs The National Palace Museum as first global client in Asia

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ARTiSTORY, a specialist in cultural IP licensing, has signed the National Palace Museum as its first global client in Asia, covering North America and Europe.

Under the partnership, ARTiSTORY will act as master licensee to create annual art and cultural themes together with original design assets, including illustrations, patterns, and prints inspired by the National Palace Museum’s artifacts for use by licensees and retailers in North America and Europe.

Key categories for developments include apparel, accessories, home decor, stationery, and more.

The National Palace Museum in Taiwan, owns, preserves and displays in rotating exhibitions, nearly 700,000 artifacts. The collections –  spanning some 8,000 years – feature ceramics, paintings, fashion and more, from imperial collections of different dynasties.

Through working with ARTiSTORY, National Palace Museum will increase their licensed product offering while reaching out to a global audience. 

“It’s an honour to announce the National Palace Museum as our first client in Asia,” said Yizan He, founder of ARTiSTORY who was also the founder of Alfilo Brands.

“We’re already developing our design trends and themes for 2022 and 2023 and have selected several artifacts from the National Palace Museum collections for inclusion in those trends, the first to launch next year will accompany with a big celebration. 

“We look forward to bringing the stories and history of thousands of years of Chinese cultural heritage to a global audience within truly ‘East meets West’ inspired ranges.”

The National Palace Museum states that licensing is a way to support the continued preservation, conservation, study and collection of 8,000 years of Chinese cultural history. Therefore, the National Palace Museum is happy to be working with ARTiSTORY to continue growing the licensing programme and reach out to a global audience.  

Iconix Brand Group celebrates 50 years of Starter with Zara spring/summer capsule collection

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Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the athletic brand, Starter, the Iconix Brand Group has scored a new partnership with the global high street brand, Zara to develop and sell a capsule collection for spring/summer 2021.

Established in 1971, the Starter brand quickly became an innovator in global sports brands by connecting fans with their favourite teams and players, and pioneering the fusion of sports clothing with popular culture by partnering with major professional sports leagues, colleges, Olympic sports, and individual athletes.

What began with the now iconic star logo and the idea that ‘Every athlete dreams of being a starting player,’ the brand went on to become a leading part of sports fans’ lives. Starter quickly expanded beyond sport, drawing influence from music and pop culture, too, with key moments including Joe Torre of the New York Mets stepping onto the field wearing the first authentic Starter satin jacket.

Daisy Laramy-Binks, managing director of Iconix Europe, said: “I am delighted to see the iconic global Starter brand and the powerhouse that is Zara come together for this exciting partnership which will provide the Zara customer with a fashion-forward take on American heritage sportswear at its best.”

The multi-category collection for spring/summer 2021 to mark the 50th celebration will include pieces such as women’s T-shirts, a vest dress, crop top, shorts, joggers, reversible bucket hat, and a bodysuit. The color story will encapsulate Spring Summer hues of pink, white and the Starter brand’s signature blue, to give a contemporary sports-inspired look.

Zara has become a key fast fashion High Street retailer, with the parent company Inditex selling in 202 markets through its online platform or its over 7,000 stores in 96 markets, Zara has the highest store count of 2,118 across all of the Inditex brands.

Nurturing a highly intimate relationship with its customers, Zara’s designers respond instinctively to their changing needs, reacting to the latest trends and constant feedback received across its Woman, Man and Kids’ collections, to deliver new ideas in the right place and at the right moment.

The collection is now available on Zara.com and in select stores Internationally (where permissible due to the lockdown restrictions).

Bulldog Licensing inks first partnership for Rolling Stone with Iconospheric

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Bulldog Licensing has brokered a new partnership between Iconospheric and the iconic music and culture brand, Rolling Stone, marking the fist to be signed by the licensing agency since it picked up the popular property earlier this year.

The new Iconospheric collection will feature a range of products including apparel, accessories, home, and gift merchandise all of which will celebrate Rolling Stone’s heritage and authority across music, culture, and politics. Rolling Stone’s platform reaches a global audience of over 600 million people per month.

Through the partnership, Bulldog Licensing continues to widen its consumer product offerings in the UK, spanning gift, accessories, stationery, wall art and home.

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “Iconospheric is the perfect first partner for the UK Rolling Stone programme. We love their approach to design and it means that we will have high quality Rolling Stone merchandise available all year round.

“This collaboration showcases our ability to deliver a wide range of quality products that represent the influence of a truly iconic brand. The interest in the programme has been very strong thus far, and we look forward to announcing additional key partners soon.” 

The Iconospheric x Rolling Stone collection launched yesterday and is available for purchase online at  iconospheric.com/pages/rolling-stone-collection.