Affliction Clothing to Develop Franchise-Inspired Collection Launching Exclusively At Buckle Retail Locations Nationwide

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, December 13, 2016 — NBCUniversal Brand Development today announced their collaboration with popular clothing brand, Affliction, and leading fashion retailer, The Buckle, Inc. (Buckle), to launch an all-new lifestyle apparel collection for young adults, inspired by one of the most enduring action-movie serials of all time, Fast & Furious.  The hugely successful franchise has earned more than $3.9 billion at the global box office, with Furious 7 grossing more than $1.5 billion worldwide becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film ever. Select products from the Fast & Furious by Affliction Collection are available now, exclusively in Buckle stores and on buckle.com. The complete line will debut nationwide in early 2017, tied to the release of the all-new film, The Fate of the Furious in theaters April 14, 2017.
The action-packed franchise will make its fashion world debut as Affliction Clothing rolls out a modern garage-chic collection highlighted by limited edition items for men and women featuring edgy designs and Affliction’s hard-hitting signature style.
Capturing the fearless attitude and intense action from the Fast & Furious films, the collection will be available exclusively in Buckle stores throughout the U.S. and will feature seasonal line updates.
“Fast & Furious is globally recognized as one of the most popular action-film franchises in cinematic history, and Affliction’s unique aesthetic and powerful designs capture the essence of this phenomenon,” said Manuel Torres, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Consumer Products, NBCUniversal Brand Development. “Partnering with Buckle as the exclusive retailer for the line allows us to uniquely reach consumers who are on-trend, further amplifying the film’s presence in the lifestyle space.”
“Affliction has a long history of creating fashion-forward garments that embrace our live fast mantra,” said Eric Foss, owner of Affliction Clothing.  “We are very excited about this collaboration with NBCUniversal Brand Development and Buckle on the Fast & Furious by Affliction Collection. This franchise is a natural fit for us, and we look forward to a long and successful partnership.”
“Buckle has a reputation for delivering an exclusive and diverse product mix that allows our guests to express their individuality through their own unique style,” said Buckle President and CEO, Dennis Nelson. “The partnership with NBCUniversal Brand Development and Affliction further strengthens our ability to offer brands that resonate with our guests. We are excited – our Teammates are excited – and we are honored to collaborate with two strong partners in offering the Fast & Furious by Affliction Collection exclusively at Buckle.”
The new collection will serve as inspiration as Universal develops additional lifestyle programs for Fast & Furious with local fashion retailers in regions around the world.

About The Fate of the Furious:

On the heels of 2015’s Furious 7, one of the fastest movies to reach $1 billion worldwide in box-office history and the sixth-biggest global title of all time, comes the newest chapter in one of the most popular and enduring motion-picture serials of all time: The Fate of the Furious.
Now that Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia have retired from the game—and the rest of the crew has been exonerated—the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life.  But when a mysterious woman (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) seduces Dom into the world of crime he can’t seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.
From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, our elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world’s stage…and to bring home the man who made them a family.
For The Fate of the Furious, Vin Diesel is joined by a returning all-star cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky and Kurt Russell.  In addition to Theron, the series welcomes newcomers Scott Eastwood and Oscar® winner Helen Mirren.  The film is directed by F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton) and produced by returning producers Neal H. Moritz, Michael Fottrell and Diesel.

About Buckle

Offering a unique mix of high-quality, on-trend apparel, accessories, and footwear, Buckle (NYSE: BKE) caters to fashion-conscious young men and women. Known as a denim destination, each store carries a wide selection of fits, styles, and finishes from leading denim brands, including the Company’s exclusive brand, BKE. Headquartered in Kearney, Nebraska, Buckle currently operates 471 retail stores in 44 states.

About Affliction

The essence of Affliction emerges in uncompromising quality and innovation in both the design and manufacturing of garments – resulting in their signature modern, yet vintage aesthetic.  Vision-forward yet grit grounded, Affliction artisans continually strive to create and perfect techniques that produce garments that at once disrupt tradition yet hold to a lifestyle that embraces a work ethic, well worn, worked in, wrinkled, pushed to the limits. Straight from the sound stage, the garage, or cruising the back roads, the perfect garment is one that tells the story of a life lived fast… www.afflictionclothing.com

About NBCUniversal Brand Development

NBCUniversal Brand Development globally drives expansion of the company’s intellectual properties, franchises, characters and stories through innovative physical and digital products, content, and consumer experiences.  Along with franchise brand management, NBCUniversal Brand Development’s core businesses include Consumer Products, Games and Digital Platforms, and Live Entertainment based on the company’s extensive portfolio of intellectual properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment, DreamWorks Animation, and NBCUniversal cable and television.  NBCUniversal Brand Development is a business segment of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

Contacts

Angela Emery
NBCUniversal Brand Development
818-777-8922
angela.emery@nbcuni.com
 
Callie Metz
The Buckle, Inc.
308-238-2606
callie.metz@buckle.com