Floral Street channels Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in first of its kind fragrance partnership

The independent, sustainable British Brand, Floral Street has struck up a collaboration with the internationally revered Van Gogh Museum in a deal that will see fine art meet fine fragrance for the first time.

Under the partnership, Floral Street has developed a new fragrance that channels the Dutch artist’s passion for the natural world and nature, ‘bringing to life the optimism of one of the world’s most famous masterworks in both scent and floral design,’ taking on the fragrance and artistic appeal of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

Described as a fruity-citrus fragrance, the new launch is both a vegan and cruelty free, luxury eau de parfum that ‘arrives bursting with rays of optimism,’ as intentioned by its creator, the master perfumer, Jerȏme Epinette.

Epinette is known for his mastery of sustainable natural raw materials, which are traceable from source to scent.

“The idea was to capture the vibrance and beauty of the South of France, while also somehow painting the passage of the day. I started with an impactful top where a burst of morning sun comes alive in the citrus and fruits, while the heart brings the heat of the afternoon with a rich and colourful floralcy,” said Epinette. “The back then carries us into early evening with a poppy sweetness and a touch of unexpected warmth that makes it fun, yet truly luxurious.”

Ian Wickham of Licensing Link Europe, said: “This is the first product to launch within the Floral Street range of personal and home fragrances and we are super excited by the reaction the product is getting from retailers around the world.

“What Floral Street has delivered is a superb example of an incredible quality product created through a thorough understanding of the story behind Sunflowers and then delivered in a completely sustainable way – even the packaging cartons that hold the bottle are fully biodegradable and can be reused as seed planters once finished with.”

Among the ingredients used in the fragrance is natural bergamont fro Calabria in Italy to provide a fresh, peppery herbaceous scent “that is lightly sweet and brings a unique sparkle to this citrus composition,” as well as mandarin which brings a bright, summery hue to the fragrance.

The perfume also features a warm honey accord – a nature identical, vegan synthetic blend created to mimic the aroma of fresh honey, and a Bellini accord – described as “a fantasy note that brings an effervescent ‘pop’ to the perfume.”

The new Sunflower Pop fragrance is available from August 1st, 2021, on www.floralstreet.com, in the Van Gogh Museum and retailers worldwide.

Anderson Entertainment launches limited edition silkscreen print collection inspired by its iconic IP

Anderson Entertainment has stepped into the world of wall-art with the launch of a series of limited edition silk-screen prints insipired by some of its most iconic properties. Featuring characters, craft, and scenes from Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, the imagery will be drawn from the popular Anderson comics that appeared in the ’60s and ’70s.

Anderson Entertainment was founded by Gerry Anderson, the man behind iconic shows like Thunderbirds and Space: 1999 as well as more modern hits like Space Precinct and the 2005 reimagining of Captain Scarlet.

In its latest artistic endeavour, the company is launching a series of 50 limited edition prints by the artist John Patrick Reynolds, whose handmade silkscreen prints, inspired by classic cartoon characters, have been popular with collectors and fans all over the world, as well as stockists and art lover in the UK, since 1999.

The prints are now available at the official Gerry Anderson Store, where they will target a growing customer community numbering in the tens of thousands. They will also be available at John Patrick Reynolds’ site, thecomicartwebsite.com.

The silkscreen printing approach is highly suited to comic imagery, a medium that is stylised and that uses strong colours and inks. The silkscreen process highlights and enhances these bold graphics to powerful effect.

Highly regarded by art collectors and fans for over 20 years, John Patrick Reynolds’s handmade silkscreen prints have been featured on TV shows and in newspaper and magazine features. His best-selling titles include Asterix, Dennis the Menace, Minnie the Minx and Alf Tupper. All his prints are limited editions printed on paper from St Cuthbert’s Mill in Somerset – one of the last English paper mills.

The launch of these silkscreen prints comes hard on the heels of a new agreement with rightsholder ITV Studios which allows Anderson Entertainment to expand its ranges of product derived from its classic brands. This agreement will enable a wide range of new and innovative products inspired by the best-loved Gerry Anderson creations.

John Patrick Reynolds said: “As a child I was a big fan of Gerry Anderson’s inventive and exciting shows and I’m not at all surprised that his characters and concepts are still popular today. It’s an absolute delight to be asked to produce silkscreen prints of some of his best-loved properties based on some wonderful and striking imagery.”

Writer, producer, director, and MD of Anderson Entertainment, Jamie Anderson added: “Limited edition prints are a new category for Anderson Entertainment and one that I’m certain will be welcomed by fans of Gerry’s shows. John Patrick Reynolds’ work is rightly admired, and he has produced some amazing and exciting prints based on classic Anderson imagery that will be much sought-after – by fans and art lovers alike.”

British artist Charlotte Posner to release summer collection with UK fashion brand Never Fully Dressed

The British contemporary artist, Charlotte Posner has landed a new partnership with the UK fashion brand, Never Fully Dressed to launch a summer collection featuring her own hand-drawn illustrations across a range of satin dresses, wrap tops, Jaspre skirts, and organic t-shirts.

The collection will be launched this month and available in stores and online at neverfullydressed.co.uk, the result of a partnership brokered by Charlotte Posner’s UK agency, WildBrain CPLG.

Jennifer Gould, brand and retail manager at WildBrain CPLG, said: “With their use of vibrant colours and versatile styles, Never Fully Dressed is the ideal partner to kick-off our design-led licensing programme for Charlotte Posner. The collection perfectly utilises Charlotte’s unique artwork and has resulted in a wonderful and timeless range.”

Lucy Aylen, founder of Never Fully Dressed, said: “The Never Fully Dressed x Charlotte Posner collaboration was born in 2020, a year where we were in some lights starved of creativity, fashion and fun. Charlotte’s fun prints offer escapism featuring extravagant, glamorous scenes showcased through her beautiful art. We hope our customers can live through the prints whilst feeling fabulous and fun when wearing.”

Posner’s style and popularity exploded onto the public scene in 2014 when she was featured as part of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and was profiled on the BBC’s The Culture Show. The artist has since collaborated with some of the world’s leading luxury brands and retailers, including Brown Thomas, Louis Vuitton, Nicholas Kirkwood, Crème de la Mer, London Fashion Week, and Japanese cosmetics brand Shiseido.

Meanwhile, Never Fully Dressed grew from a range of customised clothing the company’s founder, Lucy Aylen, sampled from her parents’ attic to sell at Portobello Road and Spitalfields markets, and soon developed into a successful online business with a permanent store in the brand’s native Essex.

The brand looks to promote positive dressing by showcasing multi-wears, styling tips and innovative fashion designs to its social community. Never Fully Dressed is also aiming to improve its sustainably journey starting with its pre-loved platform, as well as a Depop profile selling samples and recycled items to encourage a longer clothing lifecycle.

Indie Uncovered | UK artist Meg Hawkins strikes staycation success in SDL Imports gifting partnership

The UK artist and talent behind her self-titled design brand, Meg Hawkins has secured her latest licensing partnership in the gifts and lifestyle sector, teaming with SDL Imports to launch a selection of wooden homeware items.

The deal sees a collection of some of Hawkins’ most popular artworks feature across a portfolio of SDL wooden items, spanning coat hooks, boxes, and key boxes, joining a line up of already established footstools and further household and lifestyle items.

The SDL Imports Natural World by Meg Hawkins collection has been the focus of a long process of product development and a partnership that originally kicked off in January 2020, when the SDL Imports team first discovered Meg Hawkins’ art brand at Exeter’s Giving & Living Trade Show. 

While partnerships were quickly formed and contracts swiftly signed, the pandemic – and knock-on effects from the Suez Canal blockage and subsequent issues around shipping – hampered plans to launch product to consumers until only recently. However, the team have since been encouraged by a strong positive reception from customers and the public alike, with repeat orders across the range already being placed.

“We are absolutely delighted with our new Natural World by Meg Hawkins range. Meg’s designs look wonderful on our products,” said Diana Leadbetter of SDL Imports. 

“We have had a very positive response to this new range. We only received the stock three weeks ago and one line is already 50 per cent sold and many others over 25 per cent sold. Given that our customers have largely been unable to see and touch the products before buying them, that is very encouraging.”

SDL Importants has been supplying the tourist industry with giftware since the 1950s. Its partnership with Meg Hawkins focuses on the artist’s UK wildlife and animals collection, tapping into UK tourist attractions with a range that has proved particularly popular with buyers and retailers based in seaside towns and UK coastal holiday destinations.

The SDL Imports team has found that, while the pandemic hampered plans for the range initially, the resultant influx of holiday makers staying within the UK this year, and heading to coastal holiday hotspots, has helped boost sales.

“The increase in staycations has resulted in an extension to the normal UK coastal holidays into late autumn,” continued Leadbetter. “Last year, it was all going well until the November lockdown was announced. This year, as soon as holiday accommodation and restaurants were able to open, everywhere became busy quickly.

“The resultant influx into the traditional tourist towns of people tired of months of lockdown and not being able to visit shops has resulted in increased sales, with some of our customers advising having experienced their best weeks trading ever over the May half term.”

A brand centered around watercolour artwork and photography, the Meg Hawkins brand has been featured on a vast portfolio of products, from greetings cards to footstools, and within five years the brand has advanced form the kitchen table to being sold worldwide.

Hawkins has previously secured licensing agreements with the likes of Widdop and Bingham, Card.com, a fudge range from Gardeniers of Scotland, and 2022 notes cards with the RNLI.

“From the minute I met Diana and Mike Leadbetter at SDL Imports, we hit it off straight away,” said Hawkins. “Communication is key and we seem to be able to go with the flow. I am really pleased the collection has been selling well for them.

“We are a young company and extending our ranges through licensing enables us to gather a larger product range and most importantly, brand awareness. Our goal to be a recognised household brand is showing a glimmer of light, and hopefully all the hard work will pay off.”

Hawkins now plans to see the brand extend across other categories including stationery, as well as further homeware offerings such as bedding and soft furnishings.

“We have just launched a children’s range under Little Joe & Co which has proven really popular. We’re looking for someone to license the images for toys and baby clothes and other children’s products.”

The National Gallery taps ARTiSTORY to grow licensing programme on a global scale

The cultural IP licensing specialist, ARTiSTORY has secured a new, multi-year partnership with The National Gallery Company through which it work to expand its licensing programme on a global scale.

Co-founded by Yizan He and Natasha Dyson, ARTiSTORY is a specialist in IP development working with museums, galleries, science centres, and libraries across the globe as it brings a spectrum of creative design, licensing,and retailing capabilities geared towards helping cultural organisations develop their licensing programmes.

The National Gallery is a home to more than 2,600 of the world’s most renowned paintings including 700 years of work from the late 13th to the early 20th century. Founded in 1824, just 38 paintings started what would become a National Collection of art. The gallery covers 46,396 square metres and is located north of Trafalgar Square in the centre of London.

Inspiration for ARTiSTORY’s cultural themes and design assets will derive form the Gallery’s collection of masterpieces by artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Cézanne, Gentileschi, and Van Gogh. The art movements represented in the gallery are various, from renaissance to impressionism, to rococo and romanticism, there is a wealth of stories to share with licensees, to create a range of product collections.

“We are thrilled to be working with Judith and her team and to finally be able to meet in person after so many months of communicating virtually. Adding the National Gallery’s image collection to our portfolio of IP has given us access to many of the world’s most sought after and iconic masterpieces,” said Natasha Dyson, co-founder and licensing director at ARTiSTORY.

“Our creative team have been busy working on our themes, design assets, including illustrations, patterns and prints, ready for launch in July. We can’t wait to see these design applied to products.”

Judith Mather, buying and brand licensing director at the National Gallery, added: “We are very excited about working with ARTiSTORY to further grow our licensing programme.”

Artifacts and the arts effect | ARTiSTORY explores cultural IP licensing’s current burst of energy

With the reopening of cultural and heritage sites and museums across the globe, so too is the cultural IP licensing space seeing a burst of energy, fuelled by increased staffing and a renewed understanding of its importance towards the success of the sector.

Co-founder and managing director of ARTiSTORY, Yizan He, has told Licensing.biz that increased staff across the licensing arms of many global cultural organisations is ‘an excellent sign of the realisation of the value of IP licensing.’

“Many cultural organisations have realised the potential that a licensing programme can achieve for them in terms of revenue stream and engagement with a wider global audience,” Yizan He explained.

“Many have already set up their licensing programmes in recent months, particularly during the pandemic when most museums were closed. On the other hand, cultural organisations are getting a lot more inquiries from brands, retailers, and licensing agencies.

“The cultural licensing sector is undoubtedly growing rapidly.”

ARTiSTORY has witnessed the growth first hand, having seen the business establish a fully global presence in the short few months since it was launched in 2020. The firm’s portfolio now includes the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, while it is close to announcing a new partnership with a major London museum, and making preparations to add a leading American museum and a top performing Chinese IP to the mix in the coming weeks.

With the art and cultural IP space proving to be such a rich ground for licensing right now, we caught up with ARTiSTORY’s Yizan He to learn more about the team’s plans.

Hello Yizan, it’s been a while since we last caught up! How has the ARTiSTORY business and portfolio grown and progressed since then? With cultural sites and museums now reopening, what is the mood in the space like right now?

ARTiSTORY has been growing rapidly since we started our business in 2020. Our portfolio includes the National Palace Museum from Taiwan, we’re close to announcing a leading London museum and we will soon add a leading American museum and a Chinese top IP to our portfolio in the next few weeks. 

Our master license rights with these art and cultural organisations cover all key markets such as the EU/UK, North America and Asia. Our creative teams in Asia and Europe are currently developing the 2022 art and cultural IP licensing trends and themes which will be released in July this year. 

With museums and cultural organisations reopening, many organisations are now adding staff to drive the licensing business, which is an excellent sign as cultural organisations have realised the importance and value of IP licensing.

 

How has the art and culture licensing sector performed over the past year? There have obviously been hardships across the live sector, what impact, if any did this have on the licensing aspect? Did it drive demand further, did it fuel a shift to licensing in any capacity?

Driven by the growing demand for art and cultural IP, the cultural licensing sector is snowballing, which has caught many by surprise. As reported by Licensing International in early May 2021, that art and cultural IP has risen from merely one per cent in 2015 to 18.7 per cent in terms of the retail value of licensed merchandise in China in 2020. Art and cultural IP has become the second most important property type.

There is a visible impact as more and more retailers and consumer brands are embracing art and cultural IP licensing as ways to engage shoppers and improve profit margins. Many companies have tapped into art and cultural IP in recent years from luxury brands such as LVMH to global retailers such as Uniqlo and Zara. That will further inspire more brands and retailers to explore art and cultural IP.

 

What role has ARTiSTORY played in the art and culture/heritage licensing space over this period? What is it that ARTiSTORY brings to the culture licensing sector, and how does this differ from the licensing agencies out there?

ARTiSTORY has a unique business model that sets us apart from licensing agencies. First of all, we secure a multi-year exclusive master license agreement covering a full range of merchandise in our markets, and of course, with a commitment to Minimum Guaranteed Royalties. Secondly, we invest heavily in the annual art and cultural theme and design asset development, an essential component in any cultural licensing program and we own the copyrights of the design assets. We then enter into licensing agreements with consumer brands and retailers directly, and support them with versatile forms of marketing and storytelling such as live stream, short videos, social media campaigns on Tiktok, and immersive store windows and installations.    

As a pioneer and innovator in the cultural licensing sector, ARTiSTORY’s founding members have previously developed some of the most successful licensing programs for the world’s top museums such as the British Museum, the V&A, the MET, Museum of Fine Art, Boston, and National Gallery. We hope to bring our new business model to the cultural licensing sector.

What do museums and galleries gain from working with ARTiSTORY as opposed to other licensing agencies? How do you separate yourselves from the competition in this sector?

There is a wide range of tangible benefits that museums and cultural organisations would benefit from a licensing program.  Firstly, there is immediate and recurrent revenue as ARTiSTORY commits financially with advance payments upon signing the master licensing agreement. On top of the advance payments, there are running royalties that we would share with our museum partners every quarter.  

Most importantly, every licensed product comes with a card that illustrates the artefacts from the museum’s collection where the design inspirations come from.  Additionally, all promotional licensing partnerships across a truly diverse array of industries recognise the collaborating museum, which promote the awareness of the museums. Our licensing programmes have expanded the museums’ reach to a much broader global audience, inspiring them to learn more about the museums.   

What role do you think ARTiSTORY has to play in the future of the art & culture / heritage licensing sector? How are you guys innovating in the sector and helping shape a future for licensing within it?

Our business model has been proven unique and compelling. We will continue to ride on the momentum, beef up our storytelling and marketing capabilities, and expand our licensing program in new markets such as the EU/UK and North America. We aim to become a truly global player.

To stay ahead of the competition, we are already working on various storytelling as an additional dimension to engage more audiences more effectively. For example, our immersive team is working on immersive store window designs, immersive pop-up stores, and installation that our licensees and retailers can leverage for better shopper acquisitions and conversion. We’ve gained an excellent response from our licensees and now offer these immersive components as part of our licensing package.

 

When it comes to licensing, why is this an important sector to get right? What can good licensing do for the heritage or narrative of a cultural brand? Also, when working with brands steeped in history and heritage, what sort of pressure is there to get the licensing tone right first time? 

This is a very good question. The core mission of a museum is about conservation, research, and education. During the development of the licensing themes, artefact selection, and content creation, we work closely with our museum partners so that we can maintain a high level of accuracy in terms of the narratives that we develop while staying sensitive about different cultures and markets. 

We enjoy outstanding support from all our museum partners. For example, the licensing team at National Palace Museum has provided us with their curatorial advice and suggestion of artefacts when we jointly work on the upcoming 2022 themes.  

In the future, we will also be developing art education programs that in one way, extend cultural organisations’ core mission of educating the public and in another, leverage the value of art and culture in key education systems and markets. 

What are some of the most exciting partnerships (your own or others) in the heritage licensing space at the moment? What inspiration do you or can you draw from these?

I am glad that there are more and more inspirational art and cultural IP licensing programs in recent months, such as Spanish fashion retailer Pull & Bear taps into modern and contemporary art as their licensing program with the Tate feature artworks by Kandinsky. 

Uniqlo has already launched many programs with MoMA and recently with the Louvre. In the Far East, National Palace Museum has a wide range of well designed and crafted licensed products. The list goes on…

Is the cultural licensing sector heading in the right direction?

Yes, many cultural organisations have realised the potential that a licensing program can achieve for them in terms of revenue stream and engagement with a wider global audience. Many have already set up their licensing programs in recent months, particularly during the pandemic when most museums were closed. 

On the other hand, cultural organisations are getting a lot more inquiries from brands, retailers and licensing agencies.  The cultural licensing sector is undoubtedly growing rapidly.

And before we let you go, what’s the next step for ARTiSTORY?

ARTiSTORY has assembled a sales team covering various European markets, and sales training is already underway. Our next step is to establish our head office in the US and build a sales network there. It is our strategic goal that we would achieve our coverage on three key markets – the EU/UK, North America, and Asia – making ARTiSTORY a truly global player offering full market coverage to our museum partners as well as our clients.  

Thank you, Yizan. Is there anything you want to leave us with?

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with the audience about my company. ARTiSTORY looks forward to contributing more to the cultural licensing sector. 

RHS celebrates opening of RHS Garden Bridgewater with limited edition Moorcroft pottery

The Royal Horticultural Society is celebrating the opening of its fifth Garden – RHS Garden Bridgewater – with the launch of two new collections of limited edition art pottery from its licensing partner and renowned producer of heritage art pottery, Moorcroft.

One collection is inspired by the new garden itself, while the second collection – the RHS Fiori Bottan Collection – is inspired by 45 extraordinary 17th century Italian watercolours that are part of the 25,000 superb images in the RHS Lindley Collections of botanical art.

Two vases have been made to mark the opening of RHS Garden Bridgewater. The first, called Bridgewater’s Bounty, celebrates the strong link that the newest RHS garden has with the former residence on the site, Worsley New Hall, which had a rich history of growing fruit – in particular pears – and a wide variety of flowers.

The vase fittingly depicts pears in varying shades of green and yellow, ripe for the picking, surrounded by delicate white pear blossom, with soft golden centres.

The rich brilliance of a joyous flower coming from the warmth of Southern Africa, ranging in colour from pure white to purple, is the inspiration for the name and design of the second vase, called Nerines. This is marked as another appropriate design for RHS Garden Bridgewater where the RHS holds a national collection of nerines within its Walled Garden. 

Both vases were designed by Emma Bossons, a member of the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts, who has been responsible for many successful Moorcroft limited editions over the years.

The RHS Fiori Bottan Collection is based on 17th century watercolours depicting cultivated plants including daffodils, anemones, irises, tulips and lilies. Preserved in the RHS Lindley Collections of botanical art, the watercolours have inspired three vases (called Forsaken Love, Potter’s Garden and Italian Iris), a jug (Spring Squill), a plaque (Turk’s Cap Lily) and a coaster (Blue Mist).

These artworks, all based on the extraordinary work of an anonymous watercolourist, are by designer Nicola Slaney, whose creations range from affordable pieces to highly priced, rare collectable limited editions.

Both collections are available to order at the Moorcroft Heritage Visitor Centre, online at www.moorcroft.com and also at the RHS shows that Moorcroft will be attending, including RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival (5–11 July), RHS Flower Show Tatton Park (21-25 July), RHS Chelsea Flower Show (21-26 September) and Malvern Autumn Show (24 – 26 September). 

Moorcroft and the RHS have collaborated a number of times in recent years, notably through the RHS Rose Bouquet Collection, the RHS Beatrix Stanley Collection, Chelsea’s Choice, (a vase celebrating the extraordinary snow-white hydrangea that was awarded RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2018) and the 2019 RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year collection of four vases, a jug, a plaque, a coaster and a limited edition ginger jar that encompassed many of the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year flowers all in one piece. 

Situated near Salford, RHS Garden Bridgewater is the fifth RHS garden and the largest gardening project undertaken in Europe in recent years. The transformation of this 154-acre green space has already begun to enhance the lives of local communities and their environment for the future.

Moorcroft managing director, Elise Adams, said: “Moorcroft’s RHS collaborations are always special but helping the RHS to celebrate the opening of its wonderful new garden has been a real honour. The RHS can always offer strong artistic inspiration and RHS Garden Bridgewater and the treasures of the RHS Lindley Collections have certainly inspired two truly memorable collections.

“At a time when so many of us have been affected by the global pandemic, to enjoy nature in all its forms, whether by gardening or with art pottery in our homes, is more important than ever before.”

Cathy Snow, licensing manager, RHS, said: “These collections again highlight the skill of the Moorcroft design team through a synthesis of nature and craft in perfect harmony. We are delighted to be continuing this association with Moorcroft, which continues to surprise and delight.”

ARTiSTORY teams with Brand Licensing Studios to build retail and partner base across Italy

Brand Licensing Studio is the latest sales agent to join ARTiSTORY’s growing European team in a partnership that will see the European outfit focus on securing retail and brand partners in Italy.

Brand Licensing Studio will look for partnerships to feature designs from ARTiSTORYs’ biannually refreshed creative themes across its growing portfolio of art and cultural IP.

Italy is home to the largest number of luxury brands in the world, many of which are looking to expand their presence internationally and appeal to new audiences.  ARTiSTORY is creating designs to appeal to these consumers and content to engage them.

Established in 2018, Brand licensing Studio is a boutique licensing agency specialising in creating brand extensions and merchandising programmes for artists, design brands and iconic retro characters (like Astro Boy). 

Natasha Dyson, co-founder and licensing director, at ARTiSTORY, said: “Having spent 13 years working as a brand and licensing consultant, working for well know companies in Italy, Ambra is well connected and experienced in the key categories we will be developing in Italy across both retail and brands. We’re very happy to have Ambra join the team and excited to work togther to develop long-term partnerships in Italy.” 

Ambra Farioli, managing director at Brand Licensing Studio, said: “When Natasha invited me to join the amazing team of ARTiSTORY, I really felt honored.

“I have been working with several art IPs and I can say it is a growing trend, especially for the luxury industry. However, there are some difficulties in working with art pieces which ARTiSTORY overcomes as they have been able to perfectly translate artefacts for licensing. I am really looking forward to starting work with these IPs across multiple categories.”

ARTiSTORY taps Marcrom Licensing as sales agent for Iberian market

ARTiSTORY has appointed Marcrom Licensing as its sales agent for the Iberian market, a move that sees the art and culture licensing specialist position itself for further growth across Europe and beyond.

Under the deal, Marcrom will focus on securing retail and brand partners to feature designs from ARTiSTORY’s biannually refreshed creative themes across its growing portfolio of art and cultural IP.

Recognising that appealing designs are key to the success of any product, ARTiSTORY’s dedicated creative team works to identify themes and research appropriate artefacts from its mainstream museum partners, before developing design assets such as prints and patterns.

Founded in 2015, and based in Barcelona, Marcrom is headed up by Ivan Marco.  The company represents a selection of corporate, entertainment and lifestyle brands such as fashion brand Munich or the television series Peaky Blinders.

“Home to several global retailers the Iberian is a key market for ARTiSTORY and our clients. We believe local expertise is very important when building a global business which is why we’ve chosen to work with Marcrom,” said Natasha Dyson, co-founder and licensing director, ARTiSTORY.

“Ivan instantly understood our business model and his wealth of experience, connections and ideas really impressed us.  We welcome this new partnership together to bring art and cultural IP to the Iberian market.”

Ivan Marco, ceo of Marcrom, added: “It is a pleasure to be part of the ARTiSTORY team. From the first time I discussed this project with Natasha I fell in love with the idea of working with art and cultural IP. Art has always been part of our lives and thanks to the partnership between ARTiSTORY and Marcrom we will now be able to bring art even closer to people through various product categories such as home, apparel and accessories and gift, among other.”

The Van Gogh Museum and Royal Talens pay homage to the artist with new painting and drawing collection

The Van Gogh Museum has partnered with the international art supplies specialist, Royal Talens to create a collection of painting and drawing materials that pay homage to one of modern art’s most iconic figures.

The new collection of creative materials, spanning brush pens, water colour sets, and coloured pencils – takes inspiration from the colour palette of several masterpieces at the Van Gogh Museum, and invites users to follow in the footsteps of the artists himself.

The Royal Talens x Van Gogh Museum creative collection caters to amateurs and professionals, and to burgeoning and experienced artists. The colours selected for the products are based on works by Vincent van Gogh, such as the iconic Sunflowers, Irises and Almond Blossom, which are all in the permanent collection at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

The creative collection will be available soon at retail partners of Royal Talens and in the Van Gogh Museum webstore.

The range kicks off with the Ecoline x Van Gogh Museum Brush Pens, a set of five Ecoline brush pens for illustration and calligraphy that takes its lead from the vivid colour palette in Irises (1890). In this work, Van Gogh experimented with powerful colour contrasts. By placing the purple flowers against a yellow background, he made the decorative forms of the irises stand out even more strongly.

Van Gogh x Van Gogh Museum Water Colour Pocket Box is a compact water colour set featuring 12 colours inspired by the colour palette in Vincent van Gogh’s dynamic Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat (1887), in which he used complementary colours.

This special edition of the Van Gogh pocket box is bright orange, like the short stripes of orange paint in the halo around Van Gogh’s head in the self-portrait.

Sakura x Van Gogh Museum Pigma Micron Fineliners are based on Van Gogh’s masterpiece Flowering Plum Orchard (after Hiroshige) (1887) as it marks the perfect link between the Japanese brand Sakura, which celebrates its centenary this year, and Van Gogh, who was greatly inspired by Japanese printmaking.

Van Gogh made three paintings after Japanese prints from his own collection, which gave him a chance to explore the Japanese printmakers’ style and use of colour. The four colours selected for the fineliners are inspired by the colour palette in the painting, and are amongst the most popular colours for writing and decoration.

Sakura x Van Gogh Museum Gelly Roll Gel Pens sees Vincent van Gogh’s Almond Blossom (1890) ties in with Sakura’s mission to allow everyone’s creativity to flourish. The painting shows one of Van Gogh’s favourite subjects: large blossom branches against a blue sky. For this painting, which symbolises new life, Van Gogh drew inspiration from Japanese printmaking. Illustrate, draw and write in the colours of Almond Blossom with this set of five gel pens.

Bruynzeel x Van Gogh Museum Coloured Pencils arive in a luxury storage tin featuring the iconic painting Sunflowers (1889), one of Van Gogh’s world-famous masterpieces. Van Gogh was one of only a handful of painters to give the sunflower the lead role in various flower still lifes. In contrast to traditional, darker floral compositions, his Sunflowers were explosions of colour. The tin contains 12 coloured pencils with high-quality pigments.

The Royal Talens x Van Gogh Museum collection of creative materials will be available soon at retail partners of Royal Talens and in the Van Gogh Museum webstore.

The Bruynzeel x Van Gogh Museum Coloured Pencils will be available in early Augustus 2021.