Licensing group will continue to help build the Fighting Illini's brand.

The Collegiate Licensing Company and the University of Illinois have agreed to multi-year extension of their partnership that will see the CLC continue to manage the university’s trademark licensing program.

CLC will now continue to focus on the selection and management of licensees to build the Unversity's brand while increasing sales of officially licensed products.

Through the partnership, the University has also developed a portfolio of national licensing and co-branded partnerships that include Victoria's Secret PINK, Dockers, Dooney & Bourke, Yeti, Carhartt and Star Wars, among others. The CLC also assisted Illinois with its 2014 brand update, in conjunction with sideline partner Nike, and helped the school create the limited edition Lou Henson Collection, which honors the school's legendary basketball coach.

“We are excited to extend our long-time partnership with Illinois, and we look forward to continuing to work with the University to develop customized licensing and marketing programs to grow the Illini licensing program,” says Cory Moss, senior vice president and managing director, CLC. “Our CLC team is dedicated to delivering innovative solutions and services to help the University connect its fans with the Illinois brand.”

Since Illinois began its partnership with the CLC in 1983, the university has achieved greater in-store distribution and total sales, with officially-licensed Illini products sold by more than 1,600 retail accounts across the country.

“CLC has been an integral part of our licensing success for more than 30 years, and we are pleased to renew our partnership,” says Marty Kaufmann, senior associate athletics director, business development, University of Illinois. “CLC’s team of licensing experts has helped guide the University as we grow our brand at retail, and we look forward to continuing to leveraging their resources, tools, and staff to provide best-in-class merchandise for our Illini fans.”