Attire Accessories - Mar/Apr 2020 (Issue 81)

MY GIFTS TRADE / ECP DESIGN TO DISTRIBUTE ‘A GIFT FROM THE GODS’ My Gifts Trade / ECP Design (MGT/ ECP) and A Gift From The Gods are delighted to announce a new distribution partnership, which will see MGT/ECP take on exclusive distribution for the A Gift From The Gods brand. A Gift From The Gods does more than create beautiful accessories, it creates them at a good price point, allowing buyers from small businesses and large to add a little sparkle to their product lines without breaking the bank. This balance of affordability and luxury combined with AGFG’s aesthetic has proven a hit with buyers around the world. Nikki Courtney, director at My Gifts Trade commented: “We’re delighted to add this wonderful range to our stable of existing brands and become part of the My Gifts Trade / ECP Design family. This exciting young lifestyle brand – encompassing stationery, jewellery, accessories and sleepwear – is a perfect fit to our current portfolio and gives our customers even more choice.” Jane Reucroft, founder of A Gift From The Gods, added: “My Gifts Trade are quickly becoming the ‘go to’ distributor in the housewares and gifting market, and I am more than impressed with their operation and capabilities. This new arrangement will free up more of the team’s time to focus upon brand and product development and extend our reach through primary retail sectors.” MR MEN LITTLE MISS SEEK BRAND LICENSING PARTNERS AHEAD OF 50TH ANNIVERSARY Mr. Men Little Miss is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year and is seeking licensing partners ahead of the milestone. Mr Men Little Miss plans to create a buzz around the anniversary by launching two brand new characters that are promised to bring more diversity to the much-loved collection. Since Mr. Tickle, the first character in the series was born in 1971, the books have remained a family favourite for half a century, with the franchise selling a book every 2.5 seconds around the world. The global brand has successfully collaborated with a host of partners in recent years, including the likes of the Spice Girls, Transport for London (TfL), Next fashion and Haliborange Vitamins. Since Sanrio acquired the Mr. Men Little Miss brand in 2011 the iconic licensor has remained the second biggest pre-school brand in the market, with over 1.8 million books sold in the UK in 2019 alone. Alistair McHarrie, Sanrio Licensing Director, comments: “The Mr. Men Little Miss 50th anniversary in 2021 provides an opportunity to reflect on the role the brand has played for many generations of kids and adults across the world. Our celebrations will lead with publishing, the foundation of the brand, with two new characters chosen by our fans joining our family of well-loved characters. Over the next year we are looking forward to announcing exciting collaborations as we prepare for what’s shaping up to be the most successful year yet.” When the late Roger Hargreaves created the Mr. Men character, Mr. Tickle, in 1971, the book went on to sell a million copies in just three years. Emily Campan, publisher at Egmont UK, additionally comments, “Our Mr Men and Little Miss publishing had a stellar year in 2019, rising to be the number 2 pre-school brand in the books market. We’re delighted that the books are still making readers big and small laugh after nearly 50 years, and we’re so excited for all the fantastic things to come in 2020, as we build up to the 50th anniversary in 2021.” Visit mrmen.com MONICA VINADER SELECTS EDAPP TO TRANSFORM RETAIL TRAINING Jewellery brand Monica Vinader has announced it is joining other leading retail brands globally in selecting EdApp to transform its retail training. EdApp’s mobile-first training platform will be employed to seamlessly onboard and train Monica Vinader’s global retail teams. Founded in 2008, Monica Vinader is a multi-award-winning British luxury jewellery brand. After securing partnerships with Harrods and Selfridges, the brand now has flagship locations in more than eight countries including the United States, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, with products available in over 72 countries worldwide. With EdApp’s award-winning mobile-first design and cloud-based authoring tool, Monica Vinader can design sleek lessons to roll out to its workforce almost instantaneously. With the mobile-first approach, Monica Vinader employees will be able to complete lessons at a time and place that suits them, which is paramount when considering the nature of a casual retail workforce. Anna Shelton-Agar, General Manager EMEA at Monica Vinader said, “EdApp’s mobile- first platform is just what our workforce needs. Having the ability to easily onboard and train our global staff from a sleek and comprehensive design is particularly impressive. As the holiday season approaches, MV was looking to effectively educate new starters, introduce our current retail staff to the MV brand and policies, product features, and pricing. The Ed platform allows us to successfully achieve all of this.” Visit edapp.com 12