As fashion licensors, licensees and retailers from around the world head to Las Vegas for the bi-annual MAGIC trade show, here are five trends that are driving the licensed apparel market.

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Successful licensed apparel programs require the perfect concoction of standout brands, high-quality licensees and retail support. Nowhere is the coalescence of these elements more prominently on display than at the bi-annual MAGIC Market Week, taking place Aug. 17-19 in Las Vegas, Nev.

The collection of 11 trade shows–WWDMAGIC, Project, The Tents at MAGIC, Project Womens (previously ENKVegas), FNPlatform, WSA@MAGIC, Pool Trade Show, The Collective, CurveNV@MAGIC, Playground and Sourcing at MAGIC–spans the full spectrum of the fashion industry.

Of particular interest to the licensing community is the Sourcing show, which this year will be presenting a number of special events and seminars focusing on the new arena of wearable technology, an area of growing interest for fashion brands. An interactive exhibit area will feature a treadmill and prototype garments from the North Carolina State College of Textiles such as stretchable electronics that can be screen-printed onto textiles and compression shirts with integrated dry electrodes for electrocardiogram monitoring.

The increased penetration of technology into every aspect of consumers' lives is only one of the emerging trends that is currently shaping both the fashion and licensing industries. Here are five other developments to keep an eye on. ….

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