MAGIC: Top Execs Explore Fashion Licensing Trends

The bi-annual fashion trade show MAGIC hosted a special seminar on licensing yesterday, titled “Hot Trends in Fashion Licensing.”

April 6, 2018

MAGIC: Top Execs Explore Fashion Licensing Trends

‘Hot Trends in Fashion Licensing’ highlighted top licensing properties that will hit the apparel market in 2017 and beyond.


Tony Lisanti of License Global , with panelists Sean Gailey of J!nx; Julie McKenzie of Nickelodeon Consumer Products; and Steven Heller of The Brand Liaison.

The bi-annual fashion trade show MAGIC hosted a special seminar on licensing yesterday, titled “Hot Trends in Fashion Licensing.”

The seminar provided an in-depth look at some of the current fashion trends and licensed properties in entertainment, gaming and other categories that will hit the marketplace in 2017 and beyond.

Panelists included Julie McKenzie, senior vice president of softlines, Nickelodeon Consumer Products; Sean Gailey, co-founder and chief executive officer, J!nx; and Steven Heller, founder, The Brand Liaison.

Tony Lisanti, global editorial director,

License Global

, UBM Licensing Group, moderated the seminar.

Highlights from the panel included current and upcoming trends such as how licensees are interpreting properties, '80s and '90s nostaliga and fashion styles including bomber jackets and athleisure. The panelists also touched on how e-commerce retailers, such as Amazon, have impacted their licensing initiatives.

"We love working with Amazon and our other e-commerce partners;

but I think for us, what it uniquely brings is that they jump on stuff early and they'll buy very robust assortments," says McKenzie. "When a preschool show hits, we'll immediately get a read on it, even if it's failed searches, and we can know immediately what is on moms' and kids' minds when they're beginning to shop. Then [Amazon] can buy extended sizes and more characters, so they give us the opportunity to hit early and go much wider than brick-and-mortar, which they're also usually very predictive about what will win at brick-and-mortar."

The panel also delved into the worlds of theatrical entertainment brands, social media sensations, such as LaurDIY and JoJo Siwa, and eSports, as well as key challenges with retailers.

Watch the entire panel discussion

here