By Mark Seavy 

The novelty hasn’t worn off when it comes to apparel licensing. 

In fact, at the recent Magic New York apparel show, novelty items were front and center as suppliers sought to appeal to retailers and younger consumers. In many cases, their strategy involved using novelty designs as the centerpiece for new apparel, handbag, and footwear collections, industry executives said. 

Barefoot Dreams, for example, has launched a Major League Baseball (MLB)-licensed wearable throw that can double as a poncho. The line features nine teams, including Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees throw blankets that sold out on Fanatics.com during their initial rollout around MLB’s World Series last fall.  

Steve Madden’s Betsey Johnson, meanwhile, has extended its handbag designs inspired by food (including pickles, cheeseburgers, and candy). It is also fielding for a second year a bunny-shaped pink crossbody bag and bi-fold wallet under Just Born’s Peeps brand as well as a clutch with Bazooka Candy Co.’s Ring-Pop Blue Raspberry. 

“Novelty is really driving everything because there is so much competition and you need to stand out from everyone else,” said Noelia Nava, Senior Major Retail Account Manager at Barefoot, which also has Disney licenses for Mickey and Minnie Mouse and sells blankets under its CozyChic brand. “Every delivery now must have some novelty in it so that you can assort the rest of the collection. The colors and styles all play off it so that it all ties together.” 

However, some companies are treating their novelty offerings like stand-alone items designed to pique consumers’ interest without impacting the rest of their range.  

Accessories supplier America & Beyond, for example, is readying “Pac-It” coin pouches that pull inspiration from Nintendo’s Pac-Man design, CEO Mohit Juneja said. The design will be launched as part of a private label program in May under Bloomingdale’s Aqua brand, he said.  

“These [Pac-It] coin purses will be a very controlled launch with a minimum number of pieces and an order,” Juneja said. “The coin purses will not have ‘Pac-Man’ anywhere on them. For us, this is a décor piece.” 

And other companies are aiming for much broader distribution.  

The apparel brand French Connection, which was purchased out of bankruptcy four years ago by MIP Holdings, has created a U.S.-based design group that will launch its first 120-piece collection of dresses, sweaters, and other apparel this fall. The launch will mark a significant departure for the brand, which previously based design solely in London but moved to add a U.S. group to appeal to differing fashion tastes. That includes U.S. women from their late 20s to early 40s with a preference for mini dresses as well as U.K. women in their mid 40s and older that favor midi dresses, said Morgan McCafferty, Manager for Specialty Sales at French Connection. 

At the same time, French Connection is seeking to revive its infamous FCUK (French Connection UK) brand, which raised concerns when it launched with its initials in advertising in 1997. Apparel supplier Mad Engine has been licensed for print-on-demand and Capelli New York was recently added for hair accessories that will launch in Q3, said Licensing Assistant Tess Greene. FCUK was previously featured in a co-branded collection at Urban Outfitters in 2019. 

“We are trying to figure it out because it [FCUK) is more of streetwear brand with simple graphics and we are trying slowly but surely to get it back up,” Greene said. “We have to decide how we want to do Instagram and influencer marketing, and we are rebranding French Connection for a younger audience, and we want to match that with FCUK as well.” 

Instead of focusing on novelty, some companies are choosing to focus on heritage and vintage brands in a bid to attract younger consumers. The Frye Co. licensee Footwear Unlimited has revived interest in the Authentic Brands Group-owned label by drawing on the brand’s original designs from the 1970s as it rides the “campus boots” wave that has swept U.S. colleges and universities. Steve Madden, meanwhile, has launched boots in a variety of designs (including leopard, cow, and zebra prints) along with footwear featuring charms in a bid to attract Gen Z and Millennial consumers.  

“With the younger generations, they want the iconic and original, not knock offs,” said Tim Schreier, Regional VP for the East Coast at Footwear Unlimited. “It’s more the heritage and vintage than the novelty. In many cases they see their parents’ or grandparents’ boots and they want to wear them.”