By: Mark Seavy

Women’s apparel suppliers are expanding into sports licensing, but landing the products at retail remains challenging, licensing executives said. 

The Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show in Las Vegas last week was replete with womenswear suppliers of every stripe, including those focused on scarves, hats, hoodies, tops, and activewear. 

As it stands, however, the majority of licensed sports apparel (much of which is tied to colleges and universities) remains the dominion of the in-venue arena business where “in the moment” sales are strong, said Rich Wonnacott, President of Worldwide Expert Sourcing, which works with team apparel supplier Mitchell & Ness. 

“Much of it is in-stadium because the minimums to build product are prohibitive and, if you are developing it for just one team, you won’t hit those [manufacturer] minimums,” Wonnacott said. “Most of the retail chains don’t source and sort licensed women’s products like they do men’s. 

But that could be changing. Many suppliers at Tailgate hoped to ride the recent women’s sports apparel wave created by Taylor Swift. The singer arrived at the Kansas City Chiefs-Miami Dolphins NFL playoff game wearing a custom puffer jacket with the name and number “87” in honor of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The red and yellow jacket was created by Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and immediately went viral on social media.

“I don’t think it’s quite there yet because they haven’t figured out how to tell great stories for women,” said Matthew Hoffman, President of plush and kitchen appliance supplier Uncanny Brands. “It is a growing business. But it just can’t be putting sparkles on something and saying it is for women. It must be more sophisticated.” 

Some examples of that more sophisticated design could be found across the show floor. Vera Bradley—known for its distinct florals and the elongated diamond quilting on its handbags, cross-body bags, and backpacks—rolled out an NFL-licensed line for 20 teams last fall and expects to reach all 32 clubs this year. It’s the brand’s first venture with a pro sports league, although it has long been a fixture in collegiate licensing.

Long-time exhibitor Little Earth Productions introduced collegiate licensed scarves with a goal of having them cross over between gameday goods and office attire, CEO Ava DeMarco said. And collegiate supplier Blue 84 is launching a half dozen new female-focused designs under its Reserve sub-brand, which carries a 20% price premium over its core line due partly to higher-quality fabrics like fleece, said James McCollough, Director of Licensed Sales. 

“You are seeing a lot of companies breaking into new, innovative female fashions,” McCollough said. “That’s important because you have to play in all the areas if you want to be important to these [schools].” 

There have also been a growing number of collaborations pairing team brands with streetwear and other labels. Mitchell & Ness, for example, introduced a collection tying the Bape streetwear brand with the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA), while G-III Apparel combined the late Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville label with NFL for a collection. 

Another trend at Tailgate was the raft of companies expanding into new categories, largely at the collegiate level. Blaupunkt, best known as a car stereo brand, introduced its e-bike in the U.S. with 15 collegiate brands, including Clemson University, The Ohio State University, and Vanderbilt University. The bikes, which can run for 45 miles at 20 mph on a single charge, launched sales in a handful of markets, including Cruz Outdoors shops near Clemson University in Clemson, SC. And Ukonic, which licenses for mini refrigerators, including with Minecraft and Disney, will add the National Football League to the mix in July. 

American Needle, meanwhile, known largely as a developer of sports and corporate headwear, will deliver Ace Hardware’s first licensed apparel in the spring. The collection will start with caps and t-shirts that will be merchandised through some of the cooperative’s 5,000 dealers.  The licensed line will include in-store displays and American Needle is in discussions with third-party retailers about the collection, including Urban Outfitters and Tilly’s, according to Sales Rep Michael Massey.