Barbie x Balmain, Universal Studios x Gucci, Hype x Sonic the Hedgehog, Mentos x The Lobstars and Black Lives Matter x Fashion United are among the many brands and fashion collabs that will be brought to life on this year’s Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) catwalk.
In respect of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the timing of her state funeral on Monday 19 September, this year’s opening times are now:
- Tuesday 20 September: 12:00 – 18:00
- Wednesday 21 September: 08:00-18:00
- Thursday 22 September: 09:00-16:00
BLE’s 2022 theme is fashion and visitors can enjoy nine live, 15-minute fashion shows across three days. Catwalks relevant to kidswear include:
Tuesday 20 September
14:00: Kids, featuring:
- Cry Babies Magic Tears (from IMC Toys), displaying their latest ranges with Poetic Brands and R.J Bags
- Karma’s World (from 9Story Media) from hip-hop artist Ludacris. Offering streetwear-inspired daywear with Poetic Brands and a new exclusive range launching at George at Asda.
- PlayStation from Sony Interactive Entertainment with a collection of ‘night to day’ styles
- Universal Brand Development with clothing inspired by Jurassic, from Molo, M&S, New Era, Zara, Very, H&M and Sinsay; E.T., from Mini Rodini and H&M; Minions, from Kiabi and Lyrical Lemonade and Gabby’s Dollhouse, from Walmart, F&F and character.com
16:00: Collaborations, featuring:
- The Smurfs. With 96% global brand awareness, the Smurfs are not only loved by kids but also nostalgia fans. Lots of ‘Smurfy’ apparel will be on the catwalk, including some unexpected famous brands.
17:30: Barbie: The ultimate fashion icon: A Barbie runway takeover by Mattel with looks from Balmain, Gert Johan Coetzee, Alessandro Enriquez, Zara and River Island.
Wednesday 21 September
14:00: Entertainment Collabs, featuring:
- Teletubbies x Ellesse x GoGuy will bring their joyful, gender-fluid collection to BLE that launched as part of Teletubbies collaboration with Pride of London earlier this year. GoGuy’s founder and director, Sophie Guy, who designed the Teletubbies apparel will appear on stage.
- The Next Step (from Boat Rocker Studio), showcasing their range at Pineapple
- Universal Brand Development featuring Universal Studios x Gucci, Hot Stuff x Broken Promises, Scarface x Shoe Palace, Kung Fu Panda x Urban Revivo, Universal Monsters x WAAC, Felix the Cat x Levi’s, Felix x Vanson M.C., E.T. x Lazy Oaf, Trolls x Milk Boy, Jurassic x The Hundreds and Richie Rich x Reason.
BLE takes place 20-22 September 2022 at ExCeL London. Tickets to attend are free and available here.
