By Mark Seavy 

The co-branding of entertainment and sports IPs is scoring big in apparel. 

The growing interest in these collaborations is being driven by younger consumers, a demographic for whom sports and pop culture increasingly cross paths. A number of these pairings were in evidence at the recent Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show in Las Vegas. 

RSVLTS, for example, took booth space at the show for the first as it sought to expand from its previous collaborations with the Major League Baseball Players Association and Baseball Hall of Fame into the collegiate ranks as well as with sports like golf, where it fields Star Wars and Shrek club covers as well as polos inspired by Happy Gilmore, Jurassic Park, and other brands. RSVLT also recently signed an agreement with the collegiate licensing agency Collegiate Licensing Co. (CLC). 

Apparel supplier Homage, meanwhile, is blending Paramount’s Beavis and Butthead with NFL teams and Nickelodeon’s Rugrats with National Basketball Association squads.   

And then there is collegiate apparel supplier Blue 84, which is expanding its co-branded licensing agreement for hoodies and t-shirts with colleges, universities, and Disney (Mickey and Minnie Mouse) to also include Marvel as well as Sanrio’s Hello Kitty. 

“If you are an avid fan, you probably own five to 10 pieces of gear from your sports team and for you to replace one of them, it really has to be something new and different,” said James McCollough, Director of Licensing at Blue 84. “Co-branding gives the consumer that extra motivation to buy when you are a fan of two different worlds.”  

But getting brick-and-mortar retail distribution for these co-branded products can be a challenge unless the company is a well-established supplier. That leaves many new licensees across the category to largely focus on online sales as they bide their time with regards to brick-and-mortar deals. 

“We have always lived around baseball, and we had an MLB license, but just to get in every team store—because it is so saturated—is a waiting game,” said John Tramutolo, Creative Director at RSVLTS. 

Yet in the collegiate space, where bookstores are largely operated by Follette or Barnes & Noble, schools are scouring for co-brands that will distinguish them from other retailers, licensing executives said. The University of Southern California (USC), for example, was in discussions with RSVLTS about a licensing agreement. USC, however, is independent of major marketing and licensing groups like CLC, enabling it to carry products like a Mitchell & Ness collaboration with singer Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Records. 

“The bookstore makes all of its own buying decisions and there is a lot more flexibility,” said Steve Fuller, Director of Trademarks and Licensing Services at USC. “It gives us more flexibility to bring in a new and interesting brand. We can sign a deal with someone who is new and hot and bring it into the store and make [it] an event. The bookstore is looking to do more one- or three-day events, sell the product, and then bring it back in six months.”