Discover more about Britain’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and its award-winning licensing program at booth #2527 at SURTEX® 2018.
The V&A signed its first license agreement over 20 years ago; and today the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance has over 80 licensed partners. The global program includes soft furnishings, homeware, stationery, apparel, accessories, jewelry and gifts. Voted the best Art and Design Brand at the LIMA International Licensing Awards last year, the V&A has been nominated in two categories for 2018.
Founded by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria in 1852 to make works of art available to all and to champion creative industry, today the V&A has an amazing archive of over 2 million objects. It’s this almost infinite source of design inspiration that attracts manufactures and retailers around the world to collaborate with the museum. The experienced team at the V&A provides a tailor-made research service and supports licensees through the design process to create beautiful ranges for the contemporary market, authenticated by the compelling stories from the rich archives.
Lauren Sizeland, Head of Business Development and Licensing says “We put many resources into developing products collaboratively with our licensees, and we look to build long-term relationships. Some of our long-standing licensees have been on board with us for more than 20 years.”
From personalized stationery, sustainable fashion, and even a paint collection of 40 distinctive colors inspired by the museum’s architecture and decorative interiors, the latest product launches demonstrate the V&A’s ability to diversify across categories and drive innovative product ideas in the market place. The collaboration with tech giant Samsung illustrates this pioneering approach, offering V&A licensed artwork on The Samsung Art Store platform for owners of The Frame TV to enjoy at home.
This year has seen a buzz of activity in the U.S., with licensees making the most of the V&A brand to appeal to a quality conscious consumer. Following the best-selling debut collection, quilting fabric specialists Moda Fabrics are working on product development for three future collections inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement. Long-standing licensee Wild & Wolf have also developed a range exclusively for the U.S market, expanding on their offering of gardening accessories to include stationery and gifting. Meanwhile, Caspari have developed new paper tableware products, adding a fresh colorway to the Alice in Wonderland range, and will be previewing a new winter range at the National Stationery Show, running concurrently with Surtex.
The V&A also has deep and long-standing relationships with museums and audiences across America. The recent exhibition, Ocean Liners: Speed and Style, was co-organized by the V&A and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, where it ran between May and October 2017 before making its way across to London in February 2018. After a five-year world tour, V&A exhibition David Bowie Is has made its final stop in Brooklyn where it will run until July 2018 and is set to be the Brooklyn Museum’s most successful exhibition.
Visit the V&A team at booth #2527 at SURTEX® between 20-22 May 2018 to discover more about the licensing program.
About the V&A
The V&A is home to 5,000 years of human ingenuity in art, design, and performance. We champion creative industry, inspire the next generation and enrich everyone’s imagination.
For further information please contact:
licensing@vam.ac.uk
Connect with us on social media:
@vamuseum with the hashtag #vaminspired
Discover more at:
vam.ac.uk/licensing