Apparel brands get Classic treatment

Eight months after purchasing competitor Top Heavy, licensed apparel company Classic Sports is looking to breathe new life into its newly-acquired brands.
Those up for an overhaul include the Family Guy, Porn Star, Norton, Mighty Atom, and Pocouna brands, all of which will be have new colours added and made to look more commercial - in particular Porn Star which Classic has stated will be made to appear "less rude and crude".
The move is a significant one for the company, which in recent months has sought to step away from its reputation for licensing only sporting brands by signing up a number of new deals for ranges including Southpark, Little Golden Books as well as developing a new maternity T-shirt line.
However Classic sports director Tony Magnus said the company was not looking to disengage from its successful sport licensing business and was in fact keen to continue the momentum of its successful sports range having recently been awarded the merchandising licence for Nine World of Sport - a deal that covers cricket as well as both the NRL and AFL footy shows.
"It doesn't have to be strictly one or the other. I think there's more than enough room to accommodate both," he said.
Magnus said while there was a lot happening within Classic, his top priority at present was overseeing the relaunching of the ranges inherited from the Top Heavy acquisition.
This was an important step for the company to ensure it had "new stuff coming through while the old stuff was still selling". A process which had been overlooked in the lead-up to the buy-out, he said.
The first to undergo the 'Classic' treatment is an apparel range by motorcycle brand Norton. The range, traditionally targeted at motorbike enthusiasts, has been given a commercial makeover by Classic's inhouse design department in an attempt to widen its appeal.
Magnus said the design team, led by former Top Heavy employee Geney Melek had begun by focusing its attention on "sexing up" the brand to target female consumers.
Selling at price points of between $45 for a T-shirt and $500 for a leather jacket, Classic had also introduced new colours to the collection's summer range including burnt orange and bloody red. New fits have also been designed.
The company had also released a major marketing and public relations campaign to support its reinvigoration, Magnus said.
The new Norton range is expected to hit shelves in October.

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