boohooman brings Art of Drag to t-shirts for the first time
Hard on the heels of its recent deal with Flametree Publishing, art licensing and design company The London Studio has announced another major licence award for its playful, funny and ever-so-slightly-subversive new brand, Art of Drag.
Art of Drag has been licensed onto T-shirts for major UK retailer boohoo and boohooMAN. The t-shirts, made using sustainable fabrics, will be on sale from 26 May at boohoo.com and boohoooMAN.com. The deal was brokered by licensing consultant Maggy Harris on behalf of The London Studio when she brought Art of Drag to the attention of BioWorld, a major supplier for the Boohoo Group.
But that’s not all. The new t-shirts are being designed and produced in time for a very special – and very appropriate – event. They will be ready in time for this year’s Pride in London. The UK’s biggest, most diverse Pride is expected to attract over 500 groups and 30,000 participants for its march From Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall Place on 1 July 2023.
Art of Drag takes inspiration from famous artworks and cultural female icons, which it replaces with drag artists – to stunning and memorable effect! Each original Art of Drag artwork features a beautylicious drag queen, created by an award-winning independent art house of LGBTQ+ artists and allies.
These works subvert famous artworks and genres – Art of Drag’s reimagining of iconic art stretches from the Renaissance to street-art and everything in-between. They serve unique, provocative, glamorous art… and like the queens themselves, every single one is a MASTERPIECE!
This is another highly significant deal for Art of Drag. Independent publisher Flame Tree Publishing has already printed Art of Drag 2024 calendars and is now working on jigsaws and foiled embossed notebooks, all of which will reach retail in September. They will be distributed globally by Flame Tree and its distributors, including Simon & Schuster for the USA.
A number of other Art of Drag deals are in the pipeline, with more announcements planned soon including celebrity-coveted clutches by a Parisian fashion brand that is known for its exquisite hand-embroidery and red-carpet appearances.
All these products target a core market of young adults, but The London Studio expects a strong secondary market among teens and tweens, for whom drag is now very much part of mainstream British culture.
The Boohoo Group has become one of the fastest-growing fashion businesses in the world and aims to empower people to look and feel confident. Empowering people is also an ethos for Art of Drag, which promotes and celebrates diversity and inclusivity, and values freedom and equality.
Maggy Harris from BlueSkye Licensing, which consulted for and managed this deal on behalf of The London Studio, alongside Kirsty Guthrie from KJG Ltd, comments: “This deal brings Art of Drag glam and fabulousness to mass-market, affordable apparel aimed at a young audience the first time. It’s absolutely ideal for summer – and perfect for Pride 2023.”
Founder and director of The London Studio, Soula Zavacopoulos, adds: “We’re enormously proud of our brilliant visuals for Art of Drag and want as many people as possible to see them. And now they will – and wear them too! Our thanks to boohooMAN for the quick turnaround of these wonderful t-shirts in time for Pride – an event totally perfect for the wit, style and celebration that is Art of Drag!”
Awareness of The London Studio and its work is growing fast. Its success in greeting cards and gifts now extends to a fast-growing list of international retailers and licensed publishers. It has also launched a number of specially created lifestyle brands appropriate for apparel, gifts, homeware, stationery and more.
