RHS and George at Asda bring second kids’ clothing collection to retail

Following the success of its initial collaboration with the George at Asda brand, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has announced the arrival at retail of a second collection, again highlighting children’s apparel and accessories for 1-7-year-olds.

As well as being a hit at retail, the first RHS collection from George at Asda won the Best Brand Licensed Children’s Product or Range at the 2022 Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards. This second collection is set to build on that success, and focuses on a carefully selected mix of apparel for wearing out and about, including shirts, t-shirts, hoodies, dresses, shorts and backpacks, as well as sweatshirts, joggers, dungarees, cardigans, clogs and trainers.

As before, the George design team has collaborated with the RHS to create a unique print direction featuring hand-drawn illustrations of colourful plants, vegetables and insects – there’s even a friendly bumble bee-shaped backpack. Slogans encouraging kids to reconnect with nature and grow plants and veg, such as “My hobby is making garden friends”, “Plant some seeds to save the bees” and the collection’s tagline “Let’s go and grow” are highlighted throughout the collection, which can be found in back neck prints, back neck tapes and packaging.

To further underline the joys of gardening, swing tags have again been designed in the shape of flower pots. The RHS branding, highlighting the RHS tree and shield, is clearly visible on the sew-in tags and packaging.

The range is now available in 86 Asda stores and online at George.com, and selling through at an amazing speed, underlining the continuing appeal of the RHS/George collaboration over a year after the first collection hit the shelves.

Launched in 1990, George is now sold in over 580 stores and through George.com with over two million customer transactions per week combined, making George one of the largest fashion retailers in Britain.

Estella Arroyo, Product Design Profession Lead at George, says: “The positive challenge of this latest collaboration was to build on the appeal of our first collection but offering something new and exciting. The response so far has been fantastic! We are thrilled to be collaborating once again with the RHS on this and the clothing and accessories brilliantly combine style, fun and practicality – perfect for getting outside, exploring and growing!”

Cathy Snow, Licensing Manager, RHS, says: “As one of our earliest forays into children’s products – and our very first collaboration on children’s clothing – the RHS collection from George at Asda was an unqualified success, delighting children and parents and brilliantly underlining our key message – to encourage everyone to ’get growing’. We were understandably eager to develop a second collection with the talented George team, and yet again they have excelled themselves.”

George at Asda partners with Animal Planet for children’s clothing range

George at Asda, one of Britain’s leading retailers, has partnered with Animal Planet, a member of the Warner Bros Discovery family of brands, to launch a range of children’s clothing made from responsibly sourced materials.

The kidswear collection, which went on sale both online and in 450 selected Asda stores in the week preceding Easter, is suitable for all age ranges across baby, boys, and girls and comprises 26 SKUs. The partnership reinforces George’s commitment to providing customers with sustainable products and each item is sourced with more responsible fibres including cotton and recycled polyester.

The partnership was brokered by Warner Bros Discovery’s UK licensing agent, IPR Licensing, and the range was designed and manufactured by Poetic Brands, which specialises in licensed apparel and sustainable fashion lines.

The clothing itself features slogans encouraging kids to reconnect with the planet and animals, such as “Love Our Planet”,Be Kind” and “Wild One”, with all products designed using illustrations depicting various animals.

The launch has been supported by both partners including an on-air ad campaign on Animal Planet, a feature in the monthly issue of Animal Planet magazine, social media outreach and POS activity in stores where the range is on sale.

Jade Snart, Sustainability and Compliance Expert at George, says: “We’re extremely proud to have partnered with Animal Planet to launch an incredible range of children’s clothing this spring. It was clear from the beginning of the partnership that both George and Animal Planet share the same business values – trying to make our world greener!

“All of the products within the range have a sustainable element to them because at George we’re committed to doing the right thing by our customers and the planet.”

Ian Woods, SVP International Consumer Products at Warner Bros Discovery, adds: “We are extremely proud of this collaboration with George at Asda because it’s been a true partnership in delivering a clothing range that meets the objectives of both teams. The designs are fantastic, and we have high hopes this is just the beginning of a strong collaboration between Animal Planet and the George at Asda team.”

The George x Animal Planet collection is available online at george.com, and in selected Asda stores, with prices starting from just £4.

River Island and Barbie launch Just Be EXTRA! collection

Barbie – the world’s number-one fashion doll – and high street retailer River Island have teamed up for the second time for another fashionable kidswear collection.

The new collection is inspired by the Barbie EXTRA bold statement fashion dolls, with a range of apparel that includes playful and over-the-top slogan t-shirts, iconic matching lounge sets and more.

The ‘Just Be EXTRA!’ collection marks the second collaboration for the brands, following the sell-out success of their first partnership.

River Island says: “Let your little girl reach for the stars and rock her own unique style with our second RI X Barbie collection. Being a girl has no limits and neither do her clothes. More is always more!”

The collection campaign includes an influencer takeover on River Island’s social channels.

Barbie x River Island is available in 67 stores and online. The range is aimed at girls aged 3-16 years, with prices starting from RRP £15.