Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) has unveiled the timetable for its first-ever live fashion catwalk. Nine 15-minute shows will take place over the event’s three days on 20-22 September at ExCeL London.
To date, attending companies include Primark, Stradivarius, FASHION UK, George @ Asda, Sainsbury’s Tu, Next, John Lewis, ASOS and GEMO, plus thousands of other leading retailers and manufacturers.
Commenting on the fashion catwalk is Anna Knight, SVP of Licensing, Informa Markets. “Attendees really can expect the unexpected as brands take to the runway to showcase exciting new collabs and fashion ranges; either through immersive catwalk takeovers from world-renowned brands like Mattel and SEGA, or as part of overall themes, which include Kids, Brands & Lifestyle Collabs, F&B, Entertainment Collabs, Culture and Unity, and Sustainability.”
The full timetable for the catwalks confirmed so far includes:
Tuesday 20 September
- 10am CATWALK: Brands & Lifestyle Collabs
- 12.30pm CATWALK: Branded Catwalk
- 2pm CATWALK: Kids, featuring NBC Universal, Sony Interactive and IMC Toys (Cry Babies)
- 4pm CATWALK: Mattel
Wednesday 21 September
- 10am CATWALK: F&B, featuring Perfetti Van Melle (Mentos x The Lobstars) and Pink Key Licensing
- 12.30pm CATWALK: SEGA
- 2pm CATWALK: Entertainment Collabs, featuring NBC Universal, Smurfs & Wildbrain CPLG (Teletubbies x Ellesse x GoGuy)
Thursday 22 September
- 10am CATWALK: Culture and Unity
- 12.30pm CATWALK: Sustainability
The catwalk is brought to BLE this year as part of the event’s fashion theme.
In addition to the catwalk shows, attendees can attend an Opening Keynote with Mattel president and COO on ‘Barbie x Fashion’ on Tuesday 20 September at 1pm in the License Global Theatre. Fashion displays will also be available throughout the event to showcase additional partnerships and collaborations. Furthermore, the show entrances will each be taken over by Mattel, Paramount, SEGA, CAA-GBG and Products of Change, to immerse visitors as soon as they arrive.
“The team here at SEGA are looking forward tremendously to the catwalk event at this year’s BLE,” says SEGA director of licensing, Jason Rice. “As a Platinum sponsor, we will be showcasing the best of our fashion and lifestyle products, underlining the amazing design and innovation to have come from collaborating with some of the industry’s leading designers, retailers and licensees worldwide.
“With a focus on Sonic the Hedgehog, we are looking to wow the audience with a great show and to use the event as a platform to shout about the world of ‘Sonic Fashion’. We have had great success in this category across mass, mid-tier and high-end luxury retail. Sonic’s undisputed status as a leading global entertainment brand, as well as a long-standing gaming icon, gives a real edge to the collections we have helped create and we’re excited to show this to the world. We’ll be showcasing a cross-section of some of the best fashion programmes developed over recent times.”
Also commenting is Phillipe Glorieux, head of marketing and communications, IMPS The Smurfs.
“We have Smurfy news for you! You have certainly not yet seen a fashion show with very beautiful Smurfing collections, including the most emblematic brands on the market – and that’s because it’s a world premiere exclusively on the BLE 2022 catwalk. So, see you on 20 September to admire these beautiful collections. You’re going to love it, we’re sure of it. Happy Smurfy summer to all of you.”
Visitors can register for BLE for free here.
