Sanrio partners with Izzy Wheels to launch collection of Hello Kitty wheelchair wheel covers

The wheelchair fashion brand, Izzy Wheels, has partnered with Sanrio to launch a new, limited-edition Hello Kitty collection of wheelchair wheel covers for both adults and children.

The collaboration with the iconic character – a staple of not only Japanese popular culture, but global culture today – marks an all-important part in the Izzy Wheels brand mission to ‘make the fashion and design world more inclusive.’

The collection launches with six unique and stylish wheel covers available in a range of sizes for all manual wheelchairs. They are available to purchase now from izzywheels.com.

Hello Kitty x Izzy Wheels will debut in two capsule collections: The Sweetheart Collection and  The Retro Food Collection. The brand collaboration has been developed to highlight the concept that wheelchairs can be more than a medical device, they can be a piece of artistic self-expression.  

The Sweetheart collection showcases the classic Hello Kitty theme with her cute red bow. The  Retro Food Collection has reimagined everyday treats into a world of Hello Kitty rainbow themed  foods in a comic book style. All of the prints were created with care and love by Ailbhe, the brand’s creative director, using the Hello Kitty style archives. 

Izzy Wheels is Dublin-based brand founded by two Irish sisters Ailbhe and Izzy Keane. Initially a college project, the idea was inspired by Izzy who was born with Spina Bifida and is paralysed  from her waist down. Ailbhe saw that her sister’s chair was the first thing people noticed about  her, but it wasn’t a reflection of her bright and bubbly personality.

Ailbhe began designing a range of stylish wheel covers that expressed wheelchair users individuality and personality, transforming a medical device into a piece of fashion and self-expression. Their tagline is ‘If you  can’t stand up, stand out!’  

Izzy Wheels has been featured in some of the world’s top publications including Vogue, Good  Morning America, Forbes, Oprah Magazine, CBS News, and TechCrunch. Izzy and Ailbhe were the  first Irish people to be asked to take over Instagram’s official account, have had over 20 million views on their videos online, have been the recipients of numerous awards including Accenture Leaders of Tomorrow Award, were named one of Forbes 30 under 30, and were finalists in this  year’s EU Women Innovators Award 2020. 

Ailbhe Keane, said: “As a girl I was completely and utterly OBSESSED with Hello Kitty. I was that little  kid with a Hello Kitty schoolbag, lunchbox, pencil case, pencils, clothes, teddies etc. If anyone  was going abroad I would literally beg them to bring me back some Hello Kitty merch because it was so hard to get in Ireland.

“I used to spend my days at school drawing Hello Kitty all over my  notebooks instead of working. I always found her bold black lines, bright playful colours and  distinctive shapes so satisfying to draw. My love of Hello Kitty graphics and branding is what  inspired me to become a graphic designer. I never could have dreamed that I’d have the  opportunity to work with my favourite brand of all time. Fashion and playfulness have always  been at the heart of we do and we’re thrilled to work with such a fun brand that played such a  massive role in my childhood.” 

Izzy Keane, added: “It is so incredibly exciting that we are collaborating with a brand as famous as Hello Kitty. Growing up I got to see first-hand Ailbhe’s total obsession with the adorable character and anything associated with the brand.

“From a personal perspective, as a wheelchair user, it’s so wonderful that Izzy Wheels is collaborating with such a globally loved brand like Hello Kitty because when kids see a character which they are so familiar with associated with a  medical device like a wheelchair it automatically makes the chair less scary and more cool to them.

“For older fans of Hello Kitty who use wheelchairs this collaboration will be very special  for them too because they will be able to re-emphasise the playful and super stylish side of  wheelchairs.” 

Lisle Licensing named exclusive UK agent for art and lifestyle’s Kate Smith Company

Lisle Licensing has been appointed as the exclusive UK licensing agent for the humorous art and lifestyle brand, Kate Smith Company. Based in the USA, the company behind the hugely popular brand ‘From Frank’ has briefed the team at Lisle to replicate its North America and Canadian success in the UK.

Lisle Licensing will work to establish Kate Smith Company as a recognised uplifting, entertaining, and positive brand with retailers and consumers.

Kate Smith Company specialises in social connections, with the objective of creating art and product to ‘make humans smile’. Established in 2018 following the success of ‘From Frank’, it has amassed a broad collection of art that spans its jokes, original character brands, phrases and art design that lend themselves to a variety of categories including publishing, greetings, stationery, home accessories, gifting and novelty.

The breadth of styles provides licensees with the opportunity to deliver a continuous flow of product and flexibility to tailor any number of bespoke collections, large or small.

Over the last two years, Kate Smith Company has been listed in Target, Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods, Paper Source, Wal-Mart and more. It has partnered its designs with US greetings cards heavy-weight, American Greetings, and in Summer 2020 launched an everyday collection in Target stores nationwide through Recycled Paper Greetings.

Francesca Lisle of Lisle Licensing, said: “We are thrilled to have been chosen by Kate & Ryan to exclusively represent their brand in the UK. It’s bold, fun, fresh, and already defined by its success in the USA. If the world needs anything right now it’s the Kate Smith Company’s wicked sense of humour and bright bold art design to make people smile.”

Aardman teams with British designer Julie Dodsworth to create unique new Shaun the Sheep designs

The British Artisan designer, Julie Dodsworth has partnered with Aardman to create a set of hand painted designs, taking inspiration from the colours of the British countryside and the popular Shaun the Sheep brand.

The new Shaun the Sheep x Julie Dodsworth collaboration not only renders the series’ hero Shaun in a unique new way, but delivers on Aardman’s ongoing ethos of ‘we do more’ buy extending the brand into new areas in new ways.

Painted in Julie Dodsworth’s signature style, the new patterns have been developed to suit a range of categories, from homewares, fabrics, and toiletries, to stationery and garden equipment.

Danny Heffer, creative lead, sales and marketing at Aardman, said: “We are really pleased to be working with British talent like Julie Dodsworth on this new design collection. Julie is known for her floral hand painted style, which translates nicely into Shaun’s rural world.

“It’s been refreshing getting a new perspective on Shaun the Sheep and it we think it will be popular with fans not only in the UK, but in a number of territories around the world. We are currently looking for a range of licensing partners to take along with us on this design journey and help to bring Julie’s interpretation of Mossy Bottom Farm to the retail market.”

Julie Dodsworth added: “I’m thrilled to have been invited to work with Shaun the Sheep and all the team at Mossy Bottom. From the viewpoint of being a genuine fan it has been fantastic to create designs that reflect Shaun’s humour and colourful character. My thanks to all the team at Aardman.”