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Now the Iceberg Mickey Mouse shirts at Milan make sense.
modaonline.it . miamiherald.com published 28 June 2007
Disney has entered the design arena with several high-end lines of goods, including furniture, accessories and wedding gowns.
Snow White, Ariel and Jasmine have for years adorned little girls' T-shirts, bed linens and backpacks. Now, these Walt Disney characters have gone couture, as part of an attempt to expand the company's reach beyond kids.
The princesses have inspired a new designer line of baby blue and pink women's loungewear, costume jewelry and home accessories. They are also behind a line of designer wedding gowns that aim to evoke the happily-ever-after vibe in chiffon, satin and taffeta, at prices of $1,100 to $3,500.
For several years now, Disney quietly courted the Hollywood glitterati with high-end fare, taking such iconic characters as Mickey Mouse to places they had never ventured. Some of these designer items, such as a furniture line unveiled in 2006 and the bridal gowns introduced this year, have little visible connection to the entertainment giant. The Disney name is not flaunted or embroidered on the goods.
The goal is to give the Disney brand cachet with trendsetters that could carry over to the mainstream.
''You gain visibility and make it cool when you sell some upstairs,'' said Martin Brochstein, editor of the Licensing Letter, a biweekly newsletter that covers consumer products licensing. ``It really gives it a kind of halo effect to the rest of the line.''
Disney Consumer Products Chairman Andy Mooney started reexamining the company's licensing strategy after he joined the company in January 2000. Its traditional approach -- striking deals to put the studio's popular animated characters on children's clothes, toys and electronics -- reached its zenith with the animated film ``The Lion King.''
To achieve his goal of $50 billion a year in retail sales, Mooney knew the studio needed to move beyond character licensing. He aimed to position Disney as a lifestyle brand.
''There was a lot of skepticism about why anybody would buy Disney products if they didn't have the characters on them, because for 50 years that was the business we were in, character licensing,'' Mooney said. ``But the opportunity is 20 times larger than character licensing.''
Mooney, a former Nike marketing executive who appreciates the power of celebrity endorsement, set about bringing these sensibilities to Disney. Mooney invited designer Jackie Brander to rummage through the archives for inspiration.
The result was Disney Vintage, a line introduced in 2000 that included a hot pink Tinker Bell cashmere sweater, ''old school'' Mickey sweatshirts and ribbed, fitted tanks featuring Minnie and Pluto, that sold at high-end retailers such as Kitson, Neiman Marcus and Fred Segal Fun at prices ranging from $65 to $275.
Disney started stuffing the newly fashionable retro-wear into Hollywood gift bags. Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Leonardo DeCaprio wore them.
Other designers followed. Dolce & Gabbana featured a $1,400 sequined Mickey Mouse T-shirt in 2003.
''Disney is the only brand that can sell a shirt in the same city on the same day for $1,400 and $14,'' Mooney said.''
Disney's new licensing approach appears to be paying dividends.
Mooney said recently that retail sales of licensed merchandise have doubled in just five years, to a projected $26 billion this year, from $13 billion in 2002. Operating income grew 55 percent from 2000 to about $600 million last year.
That has emboldened Disney to move into new categories.
Disney approached Drexel Heritage in 2005 with an idea for a line of furniture inspired by the mid-century modern furniture in Walt Disney's office in the 1940s -- a style they described as ``art moderne.''
The line has been so successful that Drexel Heritage and Disney Home have introduced an additional 39 pieces this month.
At the urging of one employee who recently wed, Disney explored entering the $90 billion wedding business. The idea was to create sophisticated adaptations of the gowns worn by Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Ariel for the modern woman.
The line debuted at New York Bridal Fashion Week in April. In the coming year, it will offer invitations, fragrances, handbags and shoes.
''So much of it is about a lifestyle,'' said designer Kirstie Kelly. ``It doesn't necessarily mean that as a grown woman you want to look or feel like one of the princesses from the animated films.''
Now the Iceberg Mickey Mouse shirts at Milan make sense.
modaonline.it . miamiherald.com published 28 June 2007
