The Countdown Begins: What to See at BLE Day 3

As Brand Licensing Europe approaches, License Global speaks with Anna Knight, senior vice president, Global Licensing Group, about what to expect at the must-attend event.

License Global

August 31, 2022

Anna KnightGlobal Licensing Group

License Global: Hi Anna – less than four weeks out until BLE! How’s it going?

Anna Knight: I know, I know. Don’t remind me! But it’s going brilliantly. I’m so excited for this unrestricted, no-holds-barred edition of

BLE

. It’s going to seriously wow people.

That sounds great! Tell us more.

Well, I think everyone knows about our fashion theme for 2022, which will manifest in nine high-end catwalk shows featuring brands like NBC Universal,

Sony Interactive

, IMC Toys, Mattel,

Perfetti Van Melle

, Pink Key Licensing,

SEGA

Smurfs

and

Wildbrain CPLG

. There will also be the

Barbie

x Fashion keynote from

Mattel

president and chief operating officer Richard Dickson, loads of fantastic fashion showcases and more.

But what we haven’t talked much about is our Day Three agenda, which will focus on sustainability and DE&I.

You’d usually expect the final day to be much quieter, but it sounds like BLE will be bucking this trend.

100 percent. And that’s why my number one message to all of License Global’s readers who are planning to attend BLE this year. Put Thursday, Sept. 22 in your diary now. Believe me, you will thank us for it.

So, what can they expect to find?

So, so much, including two spectacular catwalks celebrating Culture & Unity and

Sustainability.

The Culture & Unity catwalk will feature

Black Lives Matter Movement

fashion collections and spotlight Black-owned designers (Sibu is coming to BLE straight from London Fashion Week the day before and Anita Quansah’s accessories are in the V&A Africa Show), businesses and creatives (including Cardi B’s DJ!) looking to break into the licensing industry.

The Sustainability catwalk is being curated with P

roducts of Change

, the United Nations and Junk Kouture, who’ll present an educational and inspiring 15-minute set with presentations and performances centered around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a catalyst for change. 

In the License Global Theater, we’ll have a fascinating sustainability case study with Hasbro and our Day Three keynote, which is a panel discussion called, “The Good Fight: How Purpose Breeds Success.” This is the first time BLE has ever had a closing day keynote, and we’re excited to be joined by execs from

, English Heritage,

and

We’ll also have the BLE & POC Sustainability Café showcasing sustainable consumer products and fashion lines from brands including Primark, Eden, Wastebuster, Smiley, Wow Stuff and RSPB, Hasbro and Asda, Smurfs and Pure Top Table and Discovery and the Products of Change Lounge: the perfect place to receive advice, education and best practice on creating, progressing or optimizing sustainability action plans.

Wow. Cardi B’s DJ??

I know. It’s too much, right? It’s going to be phenomenal. Seriously, everyone needs to earmark it in their diaries now. And if you haven’t registered yet –

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