Is there anything Kanye West can’t do? After a hugely successful merchandise launch following the release of his “The Life of Pablo” album, West is setting his business sights on the promotional apparel industry. It might seem like a bizarre venture for the artist, considering he’s doing so well with consumer launches, like the Yeezy Boost…
Read MoreAuthor: Brendan Menapace
American Apparel Adds Former Liz Claiborne CEO as Chairman
After Los Angeles-based American Apparel’s restructure plan was approved in court—albeit after contention from founder and former CEO Dov Charney—the company has moved out of bankruptcy and announced that it has appointed Paul R. Charron, former CEO of Liz Claiborne, as its chairman. According to the Los Angeles Times, Charron is joining American Apparel’s seven-seat…
Read MoreCambridge, Mass., Bans Plastic Bags
During the last year, we’ve reported on numerous cities and towns that are considering banning plastic bags. In June, Hawaii effectively banned plastic bags. In August, Chicago began rolling out its ban on single-use plastic bags. Two weeks ago, Wisconsin considered banning single-use plastic bags. Now, Cambridge, Mass., has…
Read MorePro Sports Leagues Lead U.S. Licensed Merchandise Market
Sports fans love to show their devotion (literally) on their sleeves. Heck, as we saw yesterday, some people own multiple shirts for the same teams. This shouldn’t come as much of a shock. According to a study by Market Research Reports, professional sports leagues,…
Read MoreCPSC Hands Down Record $15.45M Penalty
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced last week that Gree Electric Appliances Inc., Zhuhai, China; Hong Kong Gree Electrical Appliances Sales Co. Ltd., Hong Kong; and Gree USA Sales Ltd., City of Industry, Calif., (Gree) will pay a $15.45 million civil penalty to the government for failure to report defective dehumidifiers. This is a…
Read MoreJ. America Wholesale Blanks Recapitalizes
J. America Wholesale Blanks, Folwerville, Mich., has partnered with Cleveland-based Blue Point Capital Partners to recapitalize. According to Crain’s Cleveland Business, Blue Point Capital Partners took a majority stake in the company and plans to grow the company’s operations. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “With a broad product range and multiple distribution changes,…
Read MoreCheck Out the Merch Table
I listen to a lot of music, and I’ve been to more shows than I can count (many of which were in basements and certainly broke fire codes). Because of this, I have my fair share of concert and band tees. Recently, we reported a few stories about music merchandise—a new app lets music fans…
Read MoreNFL, Fanatics Work to Create ‘Micro Moment’ Merchandise
Yesterday, we reported that Fanatics scrambled to get Syracuse University Final Four T-shirts ready as soon as possible. Now, the NFL wants to get in on that instant action with Fanatics. According to ESPN, the NFL extended its deal with Fanatics and…
Read MoreDoes Final Four Merchandise Really Make a Difference?
For No. 10-seeded Syracuse University, getting Final Four merchandise ready has come as somewhat of a surprise, and the sports merchandiser Fanatics had to scramble to get it ready. Other retailers will see drops in sales due to unexpected tournament knockouts…
Read MoreOhio Municipal Court Uses T-shirt as Punishment
Some parents try to think of creative ways to teach their children lessons in discipline, but after a certain age, things like washing out someone’s mouth with soap or putting someone in a “time-out” don’t work. However, one town in Ohio is using a…
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