SPORTS AND LEISURE
liams, the designer behind ALYX 1017 9SM, joined forces with Nike for the Nike x MMW capsule collection, which features athleticism from its climbing-inspired pants to rollercoaster-inspired buckles. Similarly, Y-3 is a collaboration between adidas Originals and Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto, with one of the most famous modules in the collection being the Qasa footwear silhouette. Another interesting offering is NS. Going beyond sportswear, NSW is a leader in Nike’s performance apparel offer, with the tweaks making it accessible for everyday wear. The athleisure lifestyle trend shows no signs of abating. Nicolas Loufrani identified the market growth opportunities in this sector around five years ago, and evolved the new product segment ‘Smiley Sports’, to meet the demands of activewear apparel collaborations. “As the lines between street and sports fashTOTAL BRAND LICENSING
ion blurs, so does the growth opportunity in the sports leisure style space for licensed brands like Smiley,” says Loufrani, CEO of The Smiley Company. Loufrani added: “With the global activewear market expected to grow by 6.5% annually over the next 5 years, many brands and retailers must continue to feed this trend.” This message has been key in the successful sell in of this concept and so far results have been successful for Smiley, with a Smiley x ChinaTown Market basketball created by Puma being given the glowing endorsement of ‘Best Basketball of 2018’ by High Snobiety. Meantime Smiley has also strategically developed a line of funky gym inspired apparel with Tikiboo, one of the UK’s leading online retailers in this sector, whilst SJ Trends in Korea are successfully selling Smiley golf wear for men and women into the Asian market. Another Smiley partner in Asia, XTEP (which has a distribution network of over 6,000 stores across 31 provinces in China), has already shown how to successfully evolve a complete sports and leisure line from Smiley, after initially launching a capsule sports footwear collection, this has now evolved into a line of over 50 styles across most apparel and accessories categories. Loufrani adds: “I don’t see this hot trend for sports and leisure apparel cooling anytime soon, as on-the-go, time pressed consumers seek a more active lifestyle, whilst wanting to look good all the time.” Ascot Racecourse recently announced a multiyear deal with luxury British accessories brand, Radley London. The relationship sees the brands launch an exclusive collection of occasion bags for Royal Ascot and the summer season, in a deal brokered by IMG. The new collection will reflect the sartorial elegance, traditional touches and British heritage that Royal Ascot is renowned for, alongside the quality and craftsmanship that the Radley brand is recognised for worldwide. Juliet Slot, Commercial Director at Ascot, welcomed the new relationship: “While racing is at the heart of Ascot, the fashion component is fundamental for us and our customers. It is part of the day that helps create the sense of occasion that our customers feel is so strongly associated with Royal Ascot. “We are delighted to be working with Radley
London who share so many of our own values when it comes to quality and innovation. We have developed an exciting collection of occasion bags that are available to racegoers and on the high street this summer.’’ In another example of the huge trend for sporting and leisure partnerships, The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf ) has announced a multiyear agreement with OEG Sports as its global master licensee and licensing agent for consumer products. The rights deal makes OEG Sports, a leading football licensing agency in North America, the first official and exclusive master licensee and licensing agent of Concacaf. OEG Sports will develop comprehensive consumer products and merchandising programs across all major consumer product categories for distribution in stadiums, online and at retail throughout the Concacaf region. The portfolio of licensed products based on the Concacaf brand includes apparel, accessories, sporting goods, novelties, food and beverages, personal care, gaming and apps, music, and premiums. Christian Louboutin has entered the performance sneaker market with a new line called “Run Loubi Run.” Built for speed, there are neoprene sock-style uppers while technical foams in the soles allow for maximum cushioning. The designer, wanting to prove the shoes were not just for show, put them though their paces with a high-octane dance performance in L’Oratoire du Louvre starring French actor Kevin Mischel.
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