ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT AND UNIVERSAL PARTNERSHIPS & LICENSING TO LAUNCH DESIGNER CAPSULE COLLECTION
INSPIRED BY ILLUMINATION’S MINIONS

“Minions Bello Yellow Collection” to Debut Exclusively at Selfridges in June in Celebration of Universal Pictures and Illumination’s MINIONS, in Theatres 26 June 2015
Universal City, Calif., Monday, 13th April 2015 – Illumination Entertainment and Universal Partnerships & Licensing today announced the curation of a designer capsule collection based on the Minions from Universal Pictures and Illumination’s Despicable Me global film franchise, including the upcoming prequel Minions, opening in theatres 26 June 2015. The “Minions Bello Yellow Collection” features limited-edition apparel and accessories from UK-based designers Rupert Sanderson, Giles Deacon, Piers Atkinson, Tatty Devine and Criminal Damage and also includes denim designs from SJYP, a new label out of South Korea.  The Minions capsule will debut exclusively at Selfridges in June 2015, followed by roll out to global retail partners including Parisian retailer Colette in July 2015.
“We are always looking to create meaningful partnerships that will elevate our brands to a global audience,” said Chris Meledandri, Founder and CEO, Illumination Entertainment. “The same careful thought, consideration and creativity that we try to bring to our films goes into each of these collaborations. The delightfully flawed and truly original Minions have connected with a vast worldwide audience of all ages, and we are thrilled that they inspired these amazing creatives.”
“Thanks to the phenomenally successful Despicable Me films, the Minions have become cultural icons the world over, so we set out to create a collection of fashion-forward pieces that will appeal to the brand’s young adult and adult fans,” said Jamie Stevens, Executive Vice President, Global Retail Development, Universal Partnerships & Licensing.  “We took inspiration from the London setting of the all-new film and partnered with several UK-based designers we felt could accurately translate the sweet and subversive personalities of the Minions to fashion.  We love the collection, and we’re very excited to launch the program this summer.”
The designers behind the Minions capsule collection include:

• Rupert Sanderson – modern Minions take on best-selling pump, Malory.  100mm set back heel, printed fabric
• Giles Deacon – contemporary womenswear, including shift dresses, t-shirt dresses and t-shirtsSJYP – premium unisex denim including denim dungarees – the Minions’ uniform of choice – alongside denim shirts, jackets, pants, half pants and sweats and tees
• Piers Atkinson – headwear including a mini bowler, caps, a beanie and pom pom headbands
• Tatty Devine – statement jewellery including perspex necklaces, highlighted by the signature Tatty Devine dinosaur necklace, now including an “Au Naturel” Minion
• Criminal Damage – urban street men’s and womenswear in the form of tees and sweats

“The Minions have been a big part of my life with my family. In keeping with the unexpected and rebellious nature of the Minions, the idea of combining one of my shoes with their highly distinctive personalities makes perfect sense,” said Rupert Sanderson.
“It has been a lot of fun to work alongside the Universal Partnerships & Licensing team around the launch of the forthcoming Minions prequel – I have long been a fan of Illumination’s delightfully flawed characters,” said Giles Deacon. “The resulting collection is a capsule very much inspired by London in the swinging 60’s and pays homage to their enduring style.”
Following the 11 June film premiere in the UK, Selfridges will enjoy a six-week window of exclusivity in the UK.  Products will be available in both the London and Manchester stores and at www.selfridges.comPrices for collection pieces are anticipated to range from £30 to £545.
“I love the Minions. My kids love the Minions. My friends all love the Minions, too! We are very excited to be welcoming Stuart, Kevin, Bob and friends to Selfridges London and Manchester this summer. We’re happy to be the exclusive UK launch partner for this collaborative collection from some of our favourite designers and brands, proving what we already know: yellow is the new black,” said Sebastian Manes, Buying & Merchandising Director, Selfridges.
Today in another first, Pantone, Illumination and Universal Partnerships & Licensing also announced the launch of PANTONE Minion Yellow – which served as inspiration to the designers for the capsule collection. The development of PANTONE Minion Yellow marks the first time a colour has been created in honour of and named after a character. The custom colour is an extroverted hue designed to represent the sweet and subversive nature of the characters. The custom PANTONE Minion Yellow color will be added to the PANTONE Fashion, Home + Interiors color palette with the next color addition.
About Minions
The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions begins at the dawn of time.  Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters.  Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression.
But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.
The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award® winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain.  They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.
Featuring a soundtrack of hit music from the ’60s that still permeates our culture today, Minions is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda.  Brian Lynch has written the screenplay for the 3D-CG comedy adventure, and Chris Renaud serves as executive producer of the film.  www.minionsmovie.com
About Illumination Entertainment
Illumination Entertainment, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, is one of the entertainment industry’s leading producers of all-audience event films. In July 2010, Illumination, which has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures, released its first film, Despicable Me, starring Steve Carell, which earned more than $540 million worldwide and launched a beloved global franchise. With the success of 2011’s Hop (over $183 million worldwide), 2012’s Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax and 2013’s juggernaut Despicable Me 2— the highest-grossing first-run film in Universal’s history and the year’s third-highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office—Illumination’s films have made almost $2 billion. Universal and Illumination’s next film Minions, starring Academy Award®-winner Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm, written by Brian Lynch, and directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, arrives in theaters on July 10, 2015. Fans may also experience Minion Mayhem in 3D with the Ultra-HD movie motion simulator adventure at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.
About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
About Universal Partnerships & Licensing
Universal Partnerships & Licensing (UP&L) oversees NBCUniversal’s consumer product and digital licensing for Universal Pictures, NBC Television, Focus Features and Sprout Channel. This dedicated division is also responsible for film, home entertainment and television promotions. UP&L is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
About Pantone and the Pantone Color Institute
Pantone LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, is the global color authority and provider of professional color standards for the design industries. Pantone products have encouraged colorful exploration and expressions of creativity from inspiration to implementation for more than 50 years. Through the Pantone Color Institute, Pantone continues to chart future color direction and study how color influences human thought processes, emotions and physical reactions. Pantone furthers its commitment to providing professionals with a greater understanding of color and to help them utilize color more effectively. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers designer-inspired products and services for consumers. More information is available at www.pantone.com. For the latest news, trends, information and conversations, connect with Pantone on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and the Pantone Blog.

For further information, please contact Laura Macey @ The Communications Store

020 7938 5017 / laura@tcs-uk.net