10 Minutes with… Fruit of the Loom

License Global: Could you tell us about Fruit of the Loom and your clothing products?

Fruit of the Loom: Our strong portfolio of brands – Fruit of the Loom, Russell Athletic, Spalding, and Vanity Fair lingerie – have been staples in the lives of consumers for more than a century.  Across our brands, we offer a wide array of casual and lifestyle apparel, as well as intimates.  Under our Spalding brand, we also serve numerous sporting goods categories, including basketball, football, baseball and softball, volleyball, soccer, and golf.  We pride ourselves on a consumer-centric business model.  Bringing comfort, performance, and fun to everyday moments, meaningful innovation and thoughtful design is at the heart of everything we do.

Are there any recent successes you will be looking to build on at Licensing Europe Virtual?

As we discuss future opportunities during the Expo, I’m sure we’ll reference some of our recent successes, our collaboration with Zara being a great example.  We partnered with the global retail powerhouse to feature a collection leveraged our vintage logos from the ‘80’s and ‘90’s in trend-right silhouettes.  We were so pleased with the collection, as Zara paid wonderful tribute to the fun, optimistic spirit Fruit of the Loom embodies.

Another recent success is our partnership with Mad Engine on Russell Athletic accessories.  This is a great example of category extension, as Mad Engine brings to life our iconic brand in a very authentic way.  To “Live the Athletic Life”, you’ve got to have a great bag to stow your gear, and Mad Engine complements our apparel perfectly.

Why are you excited about being part of the show this year and what do you hope to achieve?

We attended the Festival of Licensing last year, and it was a wonderful experience.  We made some very strong connections and have engaged in dialogue about opportunities across our brand portfolio.  Seeing the value of these connections already, we are excited to take part in this year’s show.

We will be looking for relevant brand collaborations, as that is a key part of our marketing strategies.  Further, we are interested to meet best-in-class manufacturers in categories that are adjacent to our current offerings. 

We know that sustainability plays an important part in producing your clothing, could you share this with us.

At Fruit of the Loom, Inc., we have worked hard to craft essential goods for well over 100 years, and we know that our continued commitment to people and our planet is an integral part of us being here for the next 100 years.  Our company is focused on connecting our brands and our people in purposeful work towards sustainability across three commitments: People-Centric, Planet-Conscious, and Product Authenticity.  We have set ambitious goals for our organization that create a culture of continuous improvement.  One such goal is achieving 100% supply chain transparency, mapping all goods back to raw materials.  This will further our mission to uphold human rights and improve the environmental impact of our products.  We aim to have 100% of our global supply chain mapped by 2025.