Total Art Licensing

INTERLITHO LICENSING

INTERLITHO LICENSING is an art licensing agency well established since 1955 and based in Germany. They sell to customers worldwide and have a library containing over 100.000 images which are constantly added to by their freelance designers and suppliers. INTERLITHO’s portfolio is easily available to see and select from the categorised website where customers can search by keywords, artists and numbers. They can create a lightbox and save their selection, they can download it and then can share it with INTERLITHO LICENSING for availability checking or with others.

The painted designs cover all styles and mediums and are licensed around the world on products ranging from puzzles, crafts, greeting cards and stationery, calendars, giftware and tableware. They cover the whole range of traditional, contemporary, cute, whimsical, seasonal and everyday in American and European style.

INTERLITHO LICENSING also holds a large collection of photographic images which is constantly extended. The designs are developed in cooperation with our customers to suit their specific demands and needs. New designs and photographic images are immediately available as high resolution data and so permit fast and inexpensive adaptation to particular products, sizes and specific products requirements.

The designs and images are created in close cooperation with designers and artists worldwide. INTERLITHO LICENSING works with them together from the concept to the sketch over the colour composition up to the finished commercial design. Thus, a continous flow of eye catching modern and advanced designs as well as of traditional designs can be assured.

They are present at a number of events throughout the year including Las Vegas Licensing Expo, Atlanta Gift Show and Christmas/Paper/ Creativworld and Ambiente in Frankfurt as well as the Nuremberg Toy Fair.

For more information please visit : www.interlitho.com or contact: Anke and Andreas Klein at designs@interlitho.com +49-221-9405830

FRIDA KAHLO PROGRAM GROWS

Barcelona based Art Ask Agency, report that The Frida Kahlo licensing program continues to grow and Art Ask Agency are pleased to announce the launch of the officially licensed Frida Kahlo x Ekelund collection using organic cotton and environmentally certified textiles. Global traditional Swedish heritage brand Ekelund have designed a full collection of textiles for the home made with the highest quality weaving techniques. Ekelund have been master weavers since 1692 and selected the Frida Kahlo brand to complement their own brand values and celebrate all women across the world. The range includes over 15 different SKUs based on 6 designs including kitchen towels, cushion covers, adult and baby blankets, appealing to a wide segment of consumers. Products are currently available on Nordicnest.com and Ekelund’s own web store and will soon be distributed through many more channels. Ekelund have invested in a substantial marketing plan using tailored content and news about the collection has been published in some of Sweden’s top lifestyle magazines such as Amelia. “As a customer myself, of the beautiful and high-quality home textiles that Ekelund produces, I am very proud to start this collaboration. Elegant and stylish designs to enjoy that are treasures in any home,” said Maria Strid, Owner Art Ask Agency. “Our textiles are created with joy and passion - just as the iconic artist Frida Kahlo created her art. Frida Kahlo’s strength, perseverance and her fearlessness to follow her own will has become the inspiration for this collection. A collection created with a purpose to highlight the strength, value and rights of all women,” said Ekelund’s marketing manager.

TOY COACH AND TATE LICENSING JOIN FORCES

The Toy Coach and Tate Licensing are joining forced to offer an opportunity for established artists and creators to break into the toy industry with the dual support of a toy coach and a toy agent. “I’m truly excited to expand the ways in which I get to work with new toy creators.” says Azhelle Wade, The Toy Coach. “My favorite part of my work is developing new talent and nurturing their unique ideas. And now i get to do even more of that!” Following a decade-long career in the toy industry, Azhelle Wade founded The Toy Coach and Toy Creators Academy to elevate emerging toy creators with unique perspectives. Dozen of missiondriven toy creators have improved and pitched their ideas with the help of the Toy Creators Academy and semi-annual TCA Virtual Pitch Event. “The Toys & Games category has always been strong for us. With many of our artists having so much experience creating artwork and themes for these products we’ve had a lot of fun working on these projects.” says Joseph Tate, owner of Tate Licensing. “Partnering with The Toy Coach to help bring new inventors and creators’ ideas to life will bring a lot of joy and fun to the world for both kids and adults!” Tate & Co. Licensing started in 2007 and is an industry leader in licensing fantasy themes art as well as traditional art images for various products. They currently represent over 50 artists and brand in global markets. Tate & Co. Licensing has products in nearly ever category with top categories being: Toys & Games (mainly puzzles), Statuary & Figurines, Tech/Phone accessories, Wall Art, and Crafting.

THOMAS KINKADE & THE MANDALORIAN CLOCKS

Mark Feldstein & Associates have recently unveiled a Thomas Kinkade ‘The Mandalorian’ glass clock. The product, from Thomas Kinkade Studios captures scenes from chapters of the live action Mandalorian series on their dials. The Star Wars Glass Clock collection includes a twelveinch round glass clock from The Mandalorian Season One, a twelve inch round glass clock entitled Child’s Play from The Mandalorian Season Four and an eleven-inch square glass clock titled Two for the Road from The Mandalorian Season Six. On a different note, Mark Feldstein reports that they have debuted a Peanuts comics eight-inch Halloween clock with spooky sounds. Their colorful Halloween clock dials feature Peanuts characters getting ready for a night of fun, laughter, and lots of treat-or-treat candy! To add ambiance to the festive occasion, each hour is announced by a fun spooky sound.

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE AT BASQUIAT EXHIBITION

Bombay Sapphire and the Basquiat Estate recently announced a partnership, naming the gin as the official spirits partner of the Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure Exhibition. Bombay Sapphire joined the Basquiat Estate to celebrate its first family-run exhibit in NYC in April, where more than 200 never-before-seen pieces and rarely shown paintings of the artist’s work were on display. To crown the partnership and exhibit, Bombay Sapphire will honor Basquiat’s vision as an artist, starting with the official cocktail of the Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure Exhibition, King Meets Queen.

Jewel Branding & Licensing (JBL) will be highlighting key initiatives and new clients at the 2022 Licensing Expo. “We are excited to finally be back in person at Licensing Expo with a new booth and location (C142),” said Julie Newman, Founder and CEO of Jewel Branding & Licensing. “We’re looking forward to shining a spotlight on our cause-related and female-founded brands as well as our diverse portfolio of talented artists and designers.” With expertise in cause-related brands, Jewel continues to develop meaningful licensing programs with products that give back and support charities and organizations. The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) licensing program continues to blossom around the globe. In the US, the program has expanded into bath & body, fragrance, tea, chocolate, home textiles, stationery, puzzles & floral subscription service. Tea Forte introduced their fourth collection with NYBG, and chocolate partner Raaka, introduced their second collection. The brand has also seen significant growth globally with the most recent additions being Infiniss for South Korea and Locomotive Licensing for Europe. NYBG recently signed apparel, loungewear, accessories, and selfcare products in Japan, with programs launching throughout 2022. Licensees include Toyoshima, Logic Co. and Mash Style Labs. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation continues to introduce new partnerships that honor Wright’s legacy. The Frank Lloyd Wright Bath Collection by Brizo channels the influence of Wright down to construction of every fine detail. The 24-piece assortment launched last summer with a comprehensive marketing campaign including print, video and social and is available through kitchen and bath showrooms, online retailers and distributors nationwide. Additional home furnishing categories have been signed and are currently in development. Rachael Hale joined forces with the Humane Society of the United States on a new co-branded collaboration supporting animals in need. For over 25 years, Rachael Hale has been passionate about inspiring and delighting animal lovers and is thrilled to launch this very special collection that celebrates the unique, lovable animals of Rachael Hale and supports the important work of the Humane Society, with 50% of net wholesale proceeds going towards the Humane Society. Products in development include stationery and pet products with new partners to be announced soon! In the search to find unique and distinct styles from artists based around the globe, Jewel has organically grown their roster into a diverse and multi-cultural portfolio who tell compelling stories through their art. EttaVee by artist, Jessi Raulet, has brought color and vibrancy to a wide range of products. Highlights include her collaboration with Pottery Barn Kids and Teen, a new collection of calendars, stationery and gift products by Lang, drinkware from Tervis, greeting cards from American Greetings, adhesive bandages with CVS. Bouffants and Broken Hearts by Kendra Dandy is known for bold, quirky designs and continues to gain global attention. Jewel signed new categories including a partnership with CURAD for bandages, and major partnerships including greeting cards with American Greetings. The brand has also expanded into dated goods with Blue Sky and several new home decor accessories with licensee Enchante. In the UK, SLG signed for gifts & accessories that launched at retailer, Boots. CatCoq, the location independent artist and designer, is making waves through partnerships with Peking’s Maker’s Collective, who launched a collection of bedding at Target, in-stores and online. The line is cross promoted with York Wallcoverings RoomMates Décor, who launched coordinating wallpaper designs also available on Target.com. Jewel Branding have a number of new Clients signed including Simplified by Emily Ley, a bestselling brand of planners and organizational tools for busy women. Ley is a best-selling author and podcaster who has been featured in Forbes, Glamour, and Good Housekeeping. Simplified includes a collection of calendars, planners, and office goods available at national retailers including Walmart, Target, Staples, and Office Depot. Another new brand is PlanetCat. Created by award winning picture book illustrator Angie Rozelaar, PlanetCat has become a sought-after emerging art brand and influencer. Current licensed partnerships feature the brand on kids apparel, stationery, calendars, board books, puzzles, and more. Finally, Lolita has been signed by jewel Branding. Founded on a mission to inspire and find the extraordinary in life, Lolita is synonymous with entertaining and celebrating moments captured in everyday life. Lolita’s sense of fun, fashion, and charm offer a winning combination. Most renowned for drinkware and glassware, Jewel signed Certified International to launch ceramic tabletop later this year with additional partnerships in the works.

Wain’s World is an innovative licensing and product development agency committed to delivering original, trend-right creative content to manufacturers and retailers.

We sat down with founder, Liz Wain, to find out what makes the agency unique, what partnerships they look for and Liz’s 360-approach to art brand licensing.

One of the most important things of note about Liz is that she is absolutely passionate about product and working with artist brands. Here, we learn more about the incredible journey that has led to her becoming one of the major players in the industry.

“Wain’s World came into being in 2012, and as an art licensing agency in 2019. While this makes us relatively new as an agency, I certainly am not new to the world of licensing!” Liz says.

“I started my creative career in 1985 as a designer and manufacturer of bed, bath and table linens. In 1987, I launched the Liz Wain brand at Barney’s New York and soon expanded to retailers globally including: Harrods, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and The Neiman Marcus Group. It was a fairytale business experience. Although I was not the first person to do so, I am credited with being the mother of the hand-painted niche in home textiles.

Our products were in ‘the’ stores – back in the day. Before the internet, buyers would come to New York in advance of a trade show and they would shop Barneys and Bergdorfs, see our product, then come to the trade show and we would do business,” Liz continues.

“Fairly soon afterwards I started licensing my brand and designs – the first major licenses were with Leshner Mills and Renaissance, for kitchen textiles and table linens, Saturday Knight for bath followed. Children’s rugs with Habidecor, a couple of tabletop deals…I balanced our couture and licensed divisions through 2000 and then I took a few years off. In 2003, I returned to the industry leading creative development teams for a range of major retailers and wellknown brands.

“I was hired to expand their businesses – my first ‘job’ was with the Bradford Exchange, where I met the Creative Brands team. My next big creative coup was to lead the creation of the Thomas Kinkade Collection of Fine Jewelry: concept through point of sale.

I applied the principles of design that I had honed in my business to jewelry and it worked– I didn’t know much about jewelry then, but I knew a lot about textiles. I learned about jewelry on the fly! I applied everything I had developed through having my own business – and I’m pleased that the jewellery division at Bradford still exists today!” Liz continues: “The first collection we introduced, has sold over 40 million dollars to date.

Liz Wain and Thomas Kinkade were very different enterprises. Liz Wain was boutique brand; Thomas Kinkade was an absolute licensing machine!

When asked what sets her apart, Liz comments: “My ‘secret sauce’ has always been authenticity. I’m known for developing and invigorating business, starting new brands. I was very entrepreneurial.

“A people person at heart, I have maintained friendships over the years. – I like to say that if I don’t know the answer, I am only two phone calls away from someone who does.

I love reconnecting with folks to solve riddles and helping others along the way. I keep up with

a network of people with whom I have partnered with for over 35 years – I still do business with many people I met in my early days.

Good people bring about good business together. Respect is key.”

And what happened next on her journey? “Interestingly in that period of time after I closed Liz Wain and opened my agency – I learned a lot about art licensing at Enesco where I was hired to rebuild their artist brand licensing group – Enesco’s relationships with their key blue-chip brands such as Disney were very solid, but their licensed artist business had declined.

“A couple of corporate gigs later, I decided that it was time for a change. I was figuring out what I wanted to do next – I consciously thought to myself: How can I leverage my experience, network while doing something I love?

Several licensing agents reached out to bring me onto their teams – I started co-brokering with agents; developing artist brands for others. I love product – I love the process: developing great art with innovative product teams. I see a great piece of art and instinctively build out cohesive collections of cross merchandised products. It’s in my blood. I enjoy the challenge of developing products at all price points.

“While I had no intention of becoming an agent, here I am and I love it!

“In 2016, Patty Rybolt came to me asking for guidance. I liked her and her art. I thought to myself, I should represent her work. We talked and I suggested that she sign with me – thus came my first contract for Wain’s World. More clients signed on, including Thimblepress. I met Kristen Ley, Thimble’s founder at her very first trade show in 2012…we stayed in touch over the years. Signing Thimblepress really changed things for the agency. This was the first brand we took on that had brand recognition. The agency’s momentum started steam rolling. The next year I signed three artist brands from one of the agents I supported who retired– since then we’ve been consistently growing.”

Has it been a very organic process? “Absolutely! Totally organic in growth. We launched our website April 2021– it was very important to me that we built a site that my artists would be proud to be featured on cementing our place alongside established, long standing agencies. I wanted to support our customers and offer my own voice to the industry.”

How many artists are on the books? “Wain’s World represents twenty artist brands; partnering with another six on a limited basis. I get excited about each of the deals we sign. For me, the joy is in building each brand we represent…known brands and emerging artists alike! Look at Heatherlee Chan; a few years ago she was creating greeting cards; now she licenses in most every product category that we work in – so exciting to watch her business blossom.

What would Liz say her ethos is? “I am a big believer of ‘if you build it; they will come’. The manufacturers who work with us know that we bring new, fresh art to each project. I work hand-in-hand with every party to ensure we deliver relevant and fresh art and design.

“I bring a true 360-degree view of licensing to the table– I’ve been the artist brand, the licensee, the retailer, the merchandiser, etc, and now I am the agent. Believing that “win-win” partnerships builds sustainable collaborations, I like to believe that my journey helps pave the road to success with our licensing partners.

What does the future hold? “My intent is to maintain these fantastic relationships, develop our artists and grow our licensee partnerships. “There is no set recipe of how I work – a lot depends on the artists themselves – I ask them what is important to them, what products they would like to create with their art. This keeps the work authentic. At Wain’s World we care. Goals often come from the artists themselves – it is also important to look at their individual skill sets then find the right partners for their art.

“It is all about supporting our artists and helping them grow, and supporting our retail, manufacture and licensee partners – it is a big web, focusing on a blend of each party.”

BELLE & BOO ENTER THE USA QUILTING MARKET

Award-winning UK children’s brand Belle & Boo has signed a licensing deal with US-based Michael Miller Fabrics. Four collections each year will be distributed via the American firm, making Belle & Boo’s fabrics available to the $4.2 billion quilting market. The collections will be marketed as “Belle & Boo Out to Play” and will complement international online sales of the brand’s organic cotton fabrics via www.belleandboo.com. The first in the series called “Seaside and Sandcastles” will enter stores in spring 2023. Featuring the eponymous Belle, a sweet little girl who is never seen without her bunny friend Boo, it aims to bring to mind a trip to the beach. Including hand-drawn illustrations of children playing and building sandcastles by the sea, it will be the perfect fabric for all summer craft projects. Established in 2008, Belle & Boo was originally known for its whimsical children’s books featuring the childhood duo. Its enchanting world now extends to unique children’s room

décor including a huge choice of fabrics that evoke Enid Blyton and vintage illustration. The Belle & Boo characters encapsulate a childhood of simple pleasures: sloshing in puddles, crunching through leaves, fluttering kites, tiny tea parties, blowing dandelion clocks, and building sandcastles. Michael Miller is a New York City based fabric specialist that aims to offer beautiful designs and inspire creativity. Founded in 1999 by Michael Steiner and Kathy Miller, it distributes via stores and online throughout the US. Kate Shafe, co-founder and managing director

MHS TO INTRODUCE NEW ART BRANDS AT LICENSING EXPO

MHS Licensing & Consulting will be introducing art brands Amira Rahim, Lindsay Kivi and Blue Chair Blessings for the very first time at the upcoming Licensing Expo. Commenting, Marty Segelbaum, President of MHS said, “We’ve been longtime supporters of the Licensing Expo and first exhibited there in 1996. The 2-year hiatus due to COVID really emphasized the importance of this show and the platform it provides for launching new art. We are thrilled to be back which coincides perfectly with the launch of our talented new art brands.” Amira Rahim is a passionate abstract artist on a mission to make the world a more colorful place. Internationally collected, her globally recognized brand has been featured in major media and entertainment outlets, and her work is already distributed across multiple retailers. Amira’s bold color palette and extraordinary abstract paintings create an instant energy in any room they grace. A driving force behind the brands popularity is Amira’s impressive 118k active social media followers, many of which are emerging painters who inspire her. “Painting is my way of honoring my time on earth. It’s my way of paying homage to the human experience and it’s a process that moves me every day.” says Amira. Lindsay Kivi supports animal rescues, sanctuaries, and conservation organizations through her art and aims to inspire others to do the same. An animal lover to her core, Lindsay creates compelling art that deepens one’s connection to all living beings. From colorful fun-loving animal portraits to dramatic monochrome paintings, her stunning artwork is appropriate across multiple categories of consumer products. Emily Burger, creator of Blue Chair Blessing, is grateful for the opportunity to paint and illustrate as an instrument to share God’s word. Her charming watercolor and acrylic designs are a direct reflection of her faith. Emily explains, “While going through a very difficult time, I often found myself exhausted and sitting in a little blue chair outside my home to rest and pray. It is here where I found strength, comfort and grace, and the inspiration behind my art.” Emily’s painterly style and hand lettering lends itself well to a wide variety of product categories, including wall décor, tabletop, home textiles, stationery, and gift items. In addition to these new art brands, MHS will also be introducing new images from their well established and sought-after art brands at Licensing Expo. Collectively these popular art properties generate over $130 million in annual sales through their licensee partners.

of Belle & Boo, says, “It’s a world of friendship and fun, balloons and rainbows, princesses, knights and mermaids. It was created to spark imaginations, ignite dreams and allow children to be children. The first collection reflects this, conjuring the feel of sand between your toes while you sew with this beautiful collection of seaside-inspired designs.” Shari Goldenberg, marketing manager at Michael Miller Fabrics, says, “We’re excited about bringing a series of beautiful Belle & Boo fabrics worldwide. The first, Seaside and Sandcastles, is an adorably sweet 100% cotton collection that will launch in January 2023 for wholesale customers and will be shipping to stores Spring 2023.”