Misirli’s Faye Rashad on the brands she’s expecting to perform well this year.
The licensed preschool apparel sector is certainly a buoyant one – with properties including Peppa Pig, Thomas, PAW Patrol and Winnie the Pooh leading way.
And, with the likes of Hey Duggee, PJ Masks, Nella the Princess Knight and Super Wings among others beginning to make their mark, it’s more crowded than ever.
Sister title Progressive Preschool chatted to some of the key licensees in the space to find out how 2017 was and how 2018 is shaping up.
Today: Faye Rashad, design and licensing manager, Misirli
“2017 was a tough year overall, with Brexit turmoil and retailers holding back/trying to shift stocks.
2018 is looking more promising – retailers appear to be more confident in their A/W opportunities. Our category is always slower in spring/summer, but the teams are working closely and development for autumn/winter garments is in full swing. Socks will follow in a couple of months due to shorter lead times and means we can be more reactive on the back of nightwear/underwear orders to tie back and provide a one stop shop to retail.
Peppa Pig remains in top position for us on nightwear/underwear, while on socks, Disney/Marvel/Star Wars remains strong, alongside My Little Pony.
We are expecting Nella the Princess Knight and Rusty Rivets to perform really well, while we are also extremely excited for the launch of Moon and Me.
We also launched our babywear collection in the second half of 2017 following an opportunity with Disney to refresh the look. We had our first orders on Winnie the Pooh gift set go into retail this January and we are aiming to build this business.”
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