Agency will represent museum in licensing across all categories to build up programme.
Start Licensing has added The Ashmolean Museum to its roster of brands.
The agency will represent the museum for licensing across all categories and work with existing partners to help further build the programme.
Based in Oxford, the Ashmolean first opened its doors in 1683 and is the world’s first public museum and the world’s first university museum.
One of its greatest strengths is that its collections encompass worldwide art and archaeology across millennia from prehistory to the present day.
Existing licensees include Woodmansterne, PJ Studio Accessories, Flametree Publishing and Fox & Chave.
“The Ashmolean is delighted to announce the appointment of Start Licensing as our exclusive agent, and hope that this will help to raise the awareness of the possible opportunities for licensing,” said Dec McCarthy, head of publishing and licensing at the Ashmolean Museum. “Licensees working with the Ashmolean have unprecedented access to our curatorial departments, study rooms and collections, much of which is not on general public view.
“The Ashmolean’s licensing team can help licensees make full use of the resources available and work with licensees to develop product which is inspired by the Ashmolean and in turn will inspire consumers. We would also love to host product launches, photo shoots and staff training within the museum.”
Ian Downes, md of Start Licensing, added: “It is a great time to work with a heritage brand and the Ashmolean has a real ‘can do’ attitude. We are looking forward to engaging with licensees and retailers to add momentum to the existing programme.
“There is scope for licensees and retailers to identify specific design themes and build product ranges accordingly. The Ashmolean Museum is a fantastic creative resource and one that should inspire creative thinking.”
Want to read more news like this? Simply sign up to our daily digest by clicking here. You can also follow @LicensingSource on Twitter and @licensing_source on Instagram.
