History, Heritage, Future

History, Heritage,

Future...

Far beyond offering additional revenue streams, heritage and museum brands offer retailers and their customers a slice of authenticity and history.

University of Cambridge – tapping into a global trend

The University of Cambridge, which will be represented at BLE by its European licensing agent, Plus Licens, has seen its trademark programme successfully capitalize on the global trend for collegiate brands in 2022. The uptick in interest and deals has resulted in a series of retail launches including a Pan European fashion deal managed by Plus Licens, a collab with Mackintosh for adult casual wear in Japan via Ingram, an athleisure capsule collection of collegiate inspired designs for the teen market with Korean brand HAZZYS through Infiniss, as well as apparel launches in Latin America supported by Big Hands, and North America through RHS

Bradford. The latest partnership to be confirmed is with HAZZYS’ owner - leading fashion and lifestyle company LF - to develop the Cambridge brand over an initial term of 5 years for the Korean market. Two other apparel deals have also been agreed over the summer for Europe and North America; further details to be announced when in-store dates and brand activation plans are confirmed. Cambridge has a flexible approach to the creative treatment of the University’s trademark and is interested in collabs with brands that represent the student demographic and can interpret Cambridge for this age group. In addition to University branded athleisure ranges, we are also looking at technical sportswear inspired by Cambridge’s rich sporting history combined with the increasing emphasis and importance of sport for wellbeing. Although the apparel category is a key strategic priority for the Cambridge brand, agents are also working on partnerships with back to school, toiletries, and stationery brands, with a focus on content from the University’s eight museums, Cambridge University Botanic Garden and the Cambridge University Library. Cambridge is already one of the main suppliers of greetings cards to the UK marketplace, and international markets are supported by their licensee Bekking & Blitz. The themes and curated imagery selected for their product ranges would also work well for homewares be it an entire image for maximum impact, a cropped element for colour and texture, or individual detail for a repeat pattern. All of Cambridge’s licensing concepts and content are rooted in real stories inspired by physical items that are used for research in a museum, library or department setting.

To make the collection content easier to navigate, the Cambridge licensing team has invested resource into developing packages of seasonal content and provenance for agents and licensees to work with. Themes in development include Evolution (Darwin) and Exploration (Scott Polar) - both important collections that inform current research into climate change. Another introduction is the striking black and white animal illustrations by Cambridge Zoology professor, Hugh Cott who wrote the definitive book on camouflage in nature.

Laura Ashley – 70 years in 2023

The first half of 2022 saw a significant period of growth for the iconic home and lifestyle brand, Laura Ashley. With over 20 UK licensees and 41 global partnerships, this year saw the brand sign 8 new licensees & collaboration, whilst launching over 300 products in the UK in the first 6 months of the year. There have been exciting triumphs, including winning Best Licensed Design-led Lifestyle Brand in The B&LLA 2022 industry awards, alongside extending distribution channels with more key UK retailers, including Next, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer amongst others. Long-term licensing partnerships have been, and continue to be, a key part of the brand’s success in the UK and globally. The strength of the licensing operation since the early 90’s shows the enduring appeal of the brand across home, fashion and experiential licenses. Partnering with a diverse range of specialists to create a beautiful selection of products is key to the heritage brand’s go-forward strategy. In the remainder of 2022, it will continue to expand into new categories to truly offer a full lifestyle product range. This autumn winter, Laura Ashley lovers can pass their love down to furry friends, as it introduces a new pet range. The new product categories continue into next year, as Laura Ashley recently confirmed its new global partnership with baby brand Mamas & Papas. Spring 2023 will also see the introduction of charming, giftable new categories, including a garden accessories range for children and adults, alongside an exclusive Mother’s Day gifting range that will be sure to delight mum’s next March. 2023 will be a special year for Laura Ashley as it reaches its 70th Anniversary. To truly celebrate and indulge in the heritage of the brand, the design team have delved into the extensive archive of more than 98,000 items, to rediscover a nostalgic-filled curation of ‘prints through the decades’. These iconic prints will be reimagined across wallpaper, curtains, bedlinen, cushions and more for a special 70th Anniversary limited edition collection. Collaborations are another key part of Laura Ashley’s global strategy. The brand saw great success from previous projects including Barbour, Urban Outfitters and more recently New York-based fashion designer, Batsheva, all inspiring a new generation of brand followers. Excitingly, there will be more coveted collaborations coming for 2023 that are yet to be announced.

ARTiSTORY – world-class heritage

ARTiSTORY is fast becoming a destination for world class heritage organisations that want to build successful global licensing programmes. This year ARTiSTORY announced global partnerships with Centre Pompidou (Paris), Thyssen Bornemizsa National Museum (Madrid) and the Benaki Museum (Athens). These leading establishments join ARTiSTORY’s existing portfolio and sit alongside the National Gallery (London), National Palace Museum (Taipei), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), Brooklyn Museum (New York) Dunhuang Inspiration (China) and The British Library (London). The expansion of ARTiSTORY’s brand portfolio is well timed to ensure these museum partners are included in their next bi-annual theme and collection design launch on September 8th. ARTiSTORY transforms “Artefacts to Merchandise” by creating modern and contemporary designs inspired by original artworks and artefacts. The Phase 1, 2024 style guides follow upcoming trends identified by their research teams. Highlights include collections featuring female artists, modern artists and with a focus on Paris in the run up to the 2024 Olympics. Each trend driven theme is broken down into smaller collections which are delivered as style guides. The most popular past themes have been Gathering of the Greats and Dunhuang. Gathering of the Greats features designs inspired by master artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, Kandinsky, Mondrian and Hokusai and art from Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), National Gallery (London), and National Palace Museum (Taipei). Licensees for Gathering of the Greats include Ruggable (rugs), Jade City Foods (hot sauces & coffee), Fashion UK for Kiabi (men’s fashion), Toms (footwear) obode (smart robot vacuum cleaner), UIN (footwear), CD Visionary, Inc.

(gift), Techno (mobile phone), Envy (apples) many of which have already launched products and with more licensees in the pipeline. ARTiSTORY recently secured a landmark deal between mobile game Clash of Kings and Dunhuang Inspiration. The collaboration gives Clash of Kings exclusive access to the historic assets, artworks and location-based resources of Dunhuang. The IP is featured in a new episode of Clash of Kings entitled ‘Dunhuang Civilisation’, which launched on August 4, giving the game’s 300+ million players the chance to explore the ancient city of Dunhuang in a way never seen before. Clash Of Kings is currently available in over 100 countries.

Historic Royal Palaces – to inspire and provoke change

Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) is ‘very excited’ to be exhibiting again at BLE in September. Over the past year the HRP licensing business has continued to grow successfully with new collections from existing licensing partners, bringing valuable income back to the charity and ensuring the key objectives in conserving our cultural heritage can be sustained for everyone to enjoy. The successful partnership with The Royal Mint has continued with the Royal Tudor Beasts Collection, their third series inspired by ten stone guardians of the Moat Bridge at Hampton Court Palace. To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Harney & Sons created a new fine bespoke Earl Grey tea with royal purple lavender and silver bergamot tips. High-end jewellery partner, Clogau, developed a Lily of Valley jewellery range – said to be one of HM The late Queen’s favourite flowers and which featured in her wedding bouquet. The flower was also included in the Queen’s Garden, a special tribute to Her Majesty at the Tower of London. HRP is looking to grow business further in the UK and internationally and are currently seeking to work with licensees in a number of key categories including fashion, stationery, toys & games, health & beauty, homewares, tabletop and garden. The team comment: “Historic Royal Palaces is a team of people who love and look after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. We create space for spirits to stir and be stirred. We want everyone to feel welcome and accepted. We tell stories about the monarchs you know and the lives you don’t. We let people explore and we set minds racing. We are a charity and your support gives the palaces a future, for everyone.”

Imperial War Museums –the importance of Ancestry

Imperial War Museums (IWM) has announced a major partnership with the global leader in family history, Ancestry. The partnership will see thousands of items from IWM’s vast collection added to Ancestry’s site. The start of the partnership is in November and will see a variety of content including photographs, documents, film, and sound being added to site. Along with existing material the partnership will see the digitisation of thousands of previously unseen items from IWM’s extensive archive which contains some 93,938 works of art, 26,716 collections of documents, more than 25,000 hours of film, 149,771 objects, 34,529 sound recordings and approximately 11 million photographs. As the authority on modern day conflict, IWM’s content will provide contextual material to the over 30 billion records already contained on Ancestry. The new content will allow customers to explore the experiences and life stories of their ancestors more thoroughly.

The National Trust - nature, beauty and history

As Europe’s largest conservation charity, the National Trust may not be viewed by everyone as a commercial entity. However, with

500 places of nature, beauty and history to care for, including 780 miles of coastline and 250,000 hectares of countryside, every penny we generate helps to look after these places for everyone, for ever. With more than 5 million members, the NT is fortunate to have such passionate supporters. However, to ensure we can continue to look after the places, that people love to visit and the wildlife that live there, having a relatable presence with as many people as possible is crucial. The NT team comment: “For those that may not visit National Trust places but want to support in a way which fits with their lifestyle, brand licensing allows us to extend our brand onto carefully selected products for distribution beyond National Trust channels. This may mean taking inspiration from either the beauty of nature, historic details and stories, or by making access to the natural world more enjoyable or easier. “This year was a record, award-winning year for National Trust Brand Licensing, recognising the strength of conservation messaging, the carefully and thoughtfully curated products which champion sustainability, and the ringfencing of royalties from licensees to fund related conservation projects. These collaborations provide consumers with a meaningful way to support a cause that matters to them personally. For example, “The royalties from our Anglepoise lamp range contributes to the conservation of our iconic mid-century property, The Homewood, where the National Trust Anglepoise lighting range was shot. (2022 Winner of BELLA’s Best Brand Licensed Electrical &/or DIY Products or Range). “The Little Greene range of paint and wallpapers are directly inspired by the prints and colours at the places we care for and the income generated is used on restoration projects across the country. (2022 Winner of ACE Cultural Enterprises Awards Best Licensed Product) “We are delighted to be launching a new collaboration with Blue Diamond Garden Centres who will be bringing the stories of our plants and gardens to life by developing the National Trust Collection of plants, seeds, bulbs and compost as well as hosting all our other garden licensees” The National Trust has also launched its Autumn Winter ‘22 ‘Busy Beaver Adventures’ range with eco-friendly childrenswear brand Frugi, inspired by the charity’s “50 Things to do before you’re 11 ¾” activities and celebrating the riverlands it cares for and the wildlife that lives there. This latest range of clothing and accessories for 0-10 years supports the charity’s ambition to encourage little ones to get closer to nature. This September sees the launch of the National Trust’s first AW22 women’s footwear collection with leading footwear retailer, Moshulu, inspired by the flora and fauna found along the coastline the National Trust cares for.

The National Portrait Gallery – success in the Chinese Market

The National Portrait Gallery in London holds the largest collection of portraits in the world, spanning 600 years of history. From its much-loved Tudor collection to contemporary photography, the Collection provides a wealth of fascinating images and stories. Like many other British heritage brands, the National Portrait Gallery is carving its own place in the heart of Chinese consumers. Taking inspiration from the rich palettes, fabrics and fashions found within portraits in the Collection, these have been translated into a number of licensing partnerships that, to date, have focused on women’s apparel, accessories and beauty products. The first product to launch in the market was from apparel brand Jupe Vendue, who developed a womenswear collection with over 36 items ranging from skirts, trousers, jackets and blouses to tote bags, scarves, belts and phone cases. The first collection, centred around the portraits of Ellen Terry (the celebrated Shakespearean actress of the late 1800s), Tamara Karsavina (the Russian ballet dancer) and Queen Elizabeth I (who reigned England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603), used a combination of bold graphics and excerpts from portraits to create intricate patterns. The collection launched with a strong influencer campaign on Taobao; based on this success, two further collections were

also launched. Meanwhile, the MSLAN chose to focus on a particular portrait as inspiration for a number of product lines: King James I. With clever use of his image, and combining this with a chessboard design, a fabulous range of knitwear, skirts and dresses has been created for sale through their online platform. In the beauty sector, Planner launched a range of liquid foundations with sumptuous packaging and a set of postcards providing detail of the portraits and women used to promote the range, including Audrey Hepburn. Following this, Honey Beauty have launched a wider range of cosmetics including foundation creams and mud masks. The versatility of the portrait Collection and the storytelling that sits behind each portrait have been key to the success of the brand in the Chinese market. The Gallery is in the Top Ten of the most visited attractions in London, with Chinese visitors making up a large proportion of overseas attendees. In Spring 2023, the National Portrait Gallery will reopen its doors after the largest refurbishment the Gallery has seen since its inception in 1856. This will allow portraits not previously exhibited in the Gallery space to be brought into the spotlight, providing fresh inspiration for product development.

The RHS – designs on homeware

Homeware is a fast-growing licensing category for the Royal Horticultural Society. Licensing partners benefit not just from the positive associations of the RHS brand but from some unique design assets. As you might expect, the licensing programme of the UK’s leading gardening charity has a strong presence in gardening-related products. But the Royal Horticultural Society long ago took the positive associations of the RHS brand into new areas with carefully chosen partners in other categories. Homeware has been particularly successful, very effectively supported by style guides based on design assets that include the RHS Lindley Collections – with more than 25,000 works that comprise the world’s largest collection of botanical art. But the choice is even wider than 25,000 works: the RHS encourages partners to be inspired by the artworks (or style guide assets) rather than simply to copy them. For example, botanicals, flora and fauna are especially popular designs for decoupage papers such as those created by paint, colour and style authority Annie Sloan. These are printed images on paper that can be cut out and applied to a huge range of pieces in a home, from cupboard doors to furniture and ceramics. For its RHS decoupage papers, Annie Sloan took a very specific approach. It carefully searched through the RHS Lindley Collections to find illustrations to cut out, repeat, combine and colour to match with colours from its famous Chalk Paint palette, a versatile decorative furniture paint designed by Annie Sloan in 1990. The talented design team at Sofas & Stuff recently developed the Sofas & Stuff RHS 22 Fabric Collection. This too contains designs inspired by the RHS Lindley Collections – specifically artworks from botanical artists and garden designers from the 17th through to the 20th centuries. These delightful designs feature on fine fabrics that can be used across any of Sofas & Stuff range of British handmade bespoke sofas, chairs, beds, footstools, and cushions. By contrast, when it comes to decorating children’s bedrooms and play areas, online interiors brand Surface View has focused on flora and fauna themes to develop prints for insect, flower, trees and leaves-inspired designs. Dexam, a specialist supplier of kitchen cookware, bakeware and accessories, has done something similar. It offers aprons, lunch bags, backpacks, tea towels, oven gloves and more for children and adults enlivened by beautiful vintage textile prints of carrots, peas, beetroot, cabbages, sunflowers, bumblebees, ladybirds and beetles. This design activity extends to housemats too. The RHS Hug Rug Collection, a range of eco-friendly barrier mats and runners promoting themes of the outdoors, nature, and sustainability, is inspired by a variety of themes that include butterflies, flowers and leaves. A selection of the RHS Lindley Collections artworks can even be bought online at the RHSprints.co.uk website. This is a particularly successful license where beautiful botanical prints are supported by a bespoke printing and framing service. Along with design assets, key to all these partnerships are quality, originality and, where possible, sustainability. Dexam lunch bags, backpacks and aprons, for instance, are made from recycled plastic bottles. British-made goods with a craft angle are also favoured – hence the appeal to the RHS of the British craftmanship that underpins Sofas And Stuff designs. The RHS is a heritage brand that also happens to have a membership of over 600,000 people and that welcomes more than 2.9 million visitors each year to its famous gardens and shows. The RHS licensing team therefore ensures that care and time are taken to find appropriate licensees, a process that is willingly embraced by the many actual and potential partners keen to share the famous logo and its very positive associations. As we will see in the coming months. The homeware category is continuing to expand, with new partnerships in bedding and home textiles likely to be announced very soon.

Ian Downes, Director and Founder, Start Licensing, talks about the agency’s indepth work with the Ashmolean Museum.

Since we last spoke, how has business been for the Ashmolean post-pandemic?

In general terms it has been good for us – we are having meetings in the ‘real world’, attending trade shows and doing deals. Existing product is selling through but I think there is definitely a slowing down of sell through and also it seems tougher to get new products launched. Listings are harder to come by. It seems that some retailers are focussing on selling what they have rather than adding new lines. This is understandable and reflects current conditions but longer term this may have an impact as consumers look for new products. Specifically in regards to the Ashmolean we have had a very positive time. We have signed a number of new licensees including Hook Norton Brewery for an Ashmolean Ale, Rampley for silk pocket squares and Team Tea for an Ashmolean Tea blend. This is really encouraging and is building on existing partnerships. Existing partners include the likes of Flametree, Woodmansterne, Welbeck Publishing and Surface View. The Museum is open, and its exhibition programme is back up and running which is great. Visitor numbers and shop spend are encouraging suggesting things are back on track. We have also seen some great examples of licensing linking to other parts of the Ashmolean’s activities – for example the Ashmolean Tea blend is being used by the Ashmolean’s chef to create a cake which is now on the Afternoon Tea menu whilst Hook Norton launched their Ale by delivering the first bottles to the Museum using their Clydesdale horse and dray. This was a really eye-catching event and shows how the Ashmolean can create momentum for licensees.

The Ashmolean is an absolute treasure trove of centuries art, artefacts and years of history. How do you go about curating a licensing programme around a certain piece, when there are so many to choose from?

We work closely with the Ashmolean’s inhouse licensing and publishing team who in turn work closely with the curatorial team. We work in a number of ways with their help. For existing licensees such as Flametree there is ongoing discussion about themes for products such as calendars with an emphasise on showcasing the Ashmolean’s collection as a whole and delving into core themes or collections. For example for 2023 calendars include ones featuring Japanese Art by Ogata Gekko and another featuring Wood Engravers. Both of these themes were in part inspired by recent exhibitions. We also track market trends and identify where the Ashmolean can be part of these trends – the Ashmolean are good at finding objects that match trends. We also undertake design work in core categories like apparel creating visuals that showcase the Ashmolean’s collection and reflect design trends. We take a proactive approach to business development and create licensing stories to sell into potential licensees built around objects from the Ashmolean’s collection. We do this with visuals, outlining the back story and quite often with visits to the Museum where prospective licensees can see the objects in situ and quite often meet the museum curators who look after the items – the curators are able to give further insight into the objects which really helps.

What is the ethos behind your brand licensing expansion?

At the heart of it is a desire to bring the Ashmolean’s collection alive in new ways and to give consumers new ways to engage with it. Licensing can be a great showcase for a museum and provides interesting ways for objects to be seen afresh. Licensing is helping museums like the Ashmolean reach more people and underpin the point that museums are for everyone. We are also keen to deliver an authentic programme that reflects the Ashmolean’s history, knowledge and unique identity. The Ashmolean has been inspiring minds since 1683 – we want to develop a licensing programme that builds on and uses this legacy in a responsible way and where we can inspire consumers giving the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful collections that the Ashmolean curates.