By Mark Seavy 

From cookware to appliances and from cutlery to tabletop items, licensing was a key ingredient at the recent Inspired Home Show in Chicago.  

In an effort to appeal to younger consumers, there was a significant focus on water bottles at the event.  

Lifetime Brands’ S’well brand, for example, partnered with Crayola on a collection that featured 17-ounce bottles available in blue, green, yellow, and red. Joyjolt, meanwhile, highlighted its collection of Star Wars-licensed water bottles.  

Other companies, including Stanley—which helped make water bottles a must-have item through a marketing blitz at Target—promoted accessories that attach to a water bottle (including lip gloss, key, and jewelry holders) that have gained significant popularity across social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.  

And Core Home, which has licenses for Eddie Bauer, Barbie, and others, staked out a space at the show to promote its contract manufacturing for water bottles, some of which are destined for private label programs. 

Fortune Business Insights reported that global water bottle sales are expected to hit $4.52 billion this year and grow 5.2% annually to reach $6.46 billion by 2032. As a result, companies are turning to brands to provide an edge in what is becoming a saturated market. 

“Water bottles have been a huge trend the past few years and it was again at the show,” said Scott Halpern, VP of Business Development at Brandgenuity, who was shopping the show for the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Kona Ice brands. “Kids right now are collecting and listening to influencers, and they all want the newest hydration bottle. If they go to school without one, it is like not having a cool piece of clothing.” 

Licensing at the show wasn’t limited to water bottles, however.  

StoreBound’s Dash label, for example, is readying mini waffle makers and rapid egg cookers under Just Born’s Peeps brand. It also has mini waffle makers under the Spangler Candy Co.’s Sweethearts brand. 

And, after several years of absence, many celebrity and chef brands made a return at the tradeshow. 

Green Pan is fielding a cookware collection with chef Guy Fieri that includes skillets, stock pots, and saucepans featuring a non-stick cooking surface without potentially harmful chemical coatings like per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances.  

Tristar Partners renewed its push behind chef Emeril Lagasse-branded air fryers. And Cat Cora, a former star of Fuji Television’s Iron Chef series, signed a licensing deal with Harold Import Co. for cutlery. The deal marked her return to licensed housewares and was her first agreement since signing for cookware with Starfrit in 2011. In addition to the spotlight on chefs, celebrity brands for stars like Dolly Parton and Paris Hilton were also a focus at the show this year. 

“Whole-home orientation is at the heart of our strategy,” Kareem Ghobrial, Director of Category Management at Wayfair, told Home Page News. “Housewares, in particular, serve as a gateway to complete home solutions. As consumer expectations evolve, housewares are increasingly integral in tying together style, functionality, and convenience.”