The V&A

The role of the V&A’s brand licensing programme has been more vital than ever over the last year, and at a time of national lockdown when the doors to museums are shut, bringing art and culture into people’s homes continues to be a key focus.

The museum’s award-winning licensing programme offers an almost infinite source of design inspiration. It continues to grow its product offering and global reach with new ranges and activations from licensees and retailers in key territories, enabling existing and new audiences to connect with the V&A collections. In celebration of the new exhibition Bags: Inside Out, the V&A and British luxury lifestyle brand Mulberry have collaborated on a capsule collection of bags, leather goods and scarf, with a signature print inspired by a beautiful 20th century floral furnishing fabric held in the museum’s archive. The opulent chinoiserie-style pattern animates some of Mulberry’s most iconic silhouettes, creating timeless accessories steeped in design history. Fans of the brand’s highly cherished products will be delighted to see styles such as the instantly recognisable Bayswater tote and modern classic small Darley shoulder bag featured among this exclusive and limited edition products. The collection launched at the end of 2020 and was an instant hit, with most items selling out within a month. With people spending an increased amount of times in their homes, wall art is proving to be a popular category. The museum launched a range with FY!, an online marketplace which curates home and living products from a global community of emerging brands, designers and artists. The range of wall art prints is inspired by a se-

lection of designs from the V&A archive, including Art Deco fashion, illustrations from Aubrey Beardsley and Eric Ravillious, photography from John French, Japanese woodblock prints and vintage posters. The V&A also launched a new collaboration with Moonpig, offering personalised greetings cards all inspired by the rich archives of the museum. The first range includes cards to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions, with designs inspired from a variety of sources such as Japanese textiles from the V&A’s East Asia collection, a selection of chintz fabrics from the Fashion and Textiles collection, and a design by Nigel Quiney from the 1960s held in the Prints collection. Further designs are set to follow over 2021. Spring sees the launch of the V&A’s latest range with People Tree, the ethical fashion retailer. The collaboration is now in its fourth successful year and was born out of a mutual appreciation of high-quality materials and a love of print, pattern and colour. The range features 18th and 19th century designs sourced from the museum’s archives. The result is a blend of People Tree’s aesthetic shapes and styles emblazoned with intricate floral and paisley motifs. Despite its challenges 2020 saw some fantastic debut launches for V&A licensing, proving its ongoing appeal across multiple product categories and territories. There is promise of even more to look forward to in 2021. In other V&A news, following the fantastic response to the first series, the V&A is delighted to announce that a second series of the BBC’s Secrets of the Museum will air in the spring. The six part series on BBC Two will reveal more of the museum’s objects and their fascinating stories, as well as some hidden gems not on display. The series will follow the work of the curators, conservators and technicians, whose job is to preserve and care for priceless objects on behalf of us all.

FLEISCHER APPOINTS GLOBAL ICONS FOR BETTY

Fleischer Studios and Global Icons recently announced that Global Icons is the new worldwide exclusive licensing agent for the Studios’ slate of classic characters, including the iconic animated screen star Betty Boop. The move was official on January 1st and comes as Fleischer Studios looks to expand opportunities for its properties in creative new ways. Mark Fleischer, Chairman and CEO of Fleischer Studios said, “We’re excited for the future and all the fantastic ideas in the works with Global Icons. I’m confident they’ll do a superb job representing Betty Boop and our other classic characters. We also look forward to continuing to build our demographics and wonderful relationships in the Betty Boop marketplace in every way possible.” “I have been a longtime fan of Betty Boop and Fleischer Studios,” said Jeff Lotman, CEO of Global Icons. “Betty is truly a cultural Icon that has gained the respect and admiration of millions of fans around the word. We can’t wait to let our global team have the opportunity to grow the program in a very strategic and aggressive way.” Global Licensing will combine its expertise in brand building with their strength and resources around the world to connect Betty with new territories and consumers while creating new opportunities for her core fan base. Last year marked the 90th anniversary celebration for Betty Boop. She is one of the most popular and successfully licensed characters in entertainment history, with licensees in the United States and around the world that produce quality products bearing Betty’s likeness in virtually every category. Betty Boop’s popularity today shines through her prevalence in pop culture. fashion magazines, advertisers, designers, and entertainment producers are constantly including and referencing Betty in their offerings. She is considered a style icon, trendsetter, and a symbol of women’s empowerment. In addition to Betty Boop, other Fleischer Studios classic characters include Betty’s pup Pudgy, Grampy, her pal Bimbo, and Koko the Clown, the first character to ever be animated with the Rotoscope.

NEW LICENSEE FOR THE RHS

The Royal Horticultural Society in the UK has announced a new licensee for outdoor pots, one of its key gardening categories. The four-year license has been awarded to Woodlodge Products, the UK’s leading supplier of garden pots and gardenware. The first products in the partnership will be launched to retailers for pre-order in September 2021. They will begin distribution in January 2022.

GUIDE DOGS LICENSED

Bulldog Licensing have signed to representGuide Dogs – which supports people with sight loss to live actively and independently. Bulldog will be creating a consumer products campaign for one of the UK’s favourite charities. Building on the charity’s reputation for raising puppies to become life changing partners, the licensing programme will target dog owners with high quality pet products, training aids and pet travel accessories. Outside of this core area of dog-specific product lines, the programme will see Bulldog bring to market a wide range of items aimed at dog lovers everywhere ranging from collectable toys and

apparel to accessories, homewares, gifting, collectibles and stationery all focused on the dogs, trained by an incredible team of people, to make a life changing difference to visually impaired people. As well as Raising puppies to become Guide Dogs, the charity, which was recently named as the 6th most popular UK charity in a YouGov Poll, is also the largest provider of services for children and young people with a vision impairment. Guide Dogs has an unparalleled reputation for canine care and expertise as the world’s largest breeder and trainer of dogs, making it the perfect brand for dog lovers nationwide. Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, commented, “Guide Dogs does some incredible work helping people with visual impairment to lead happy, independent lives safely through their incredible dog partnerships, which gives them a special place in the heart of the UK population. We’re excited to start building a range of products for Guide Dog owners and trainers themselves, as well as our nation of dog lovers.”