Another Harry Potter Moment
Barbie isn’t the only pop culture figure making noise. Harry Potter is stepping out this summer with a fresh delivery of merchandise.
Harry Potter-themed backpacks, crossbody bags and top-handle bags, 16 styles in all, launch Aug. 15 at Fred Segal, macys.com, BoxLunch and a slew of other specialty stores through a collaboration between Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products and Concept One Accessories. That’s well ahead of the next Harry Potter movie expected to come out next year, and the HBO “Harry Potter” series expected in 2025.
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“It’s a huge fan base,” said Sam Hafif, chief executive officer of Concept One Accessories, a global licensed accessories company with a track record of partnering with major studios on merchandise themed around pop culture and action hero figures, as well as recent tie-ups with FUBU, Brooks Brothers and Smoke Rise.
Hafif said the combination of the Harry Potter-themed elements, together with the Hollywood aesthetic of the Fred Segal brand, has “opened our minds to create unique products” for Harry Potter fans, and that the August drop “is the springboard for future exciting collaborations we have planned over the next year.” Harry Potter and Warner Bros. “has been one of the most fun collaborations we’ve ever had the opportunity to work on,” Hafif said.
The offering, given its price range of $80 to $100, is geared for adults, 18 to 35 years old, who grew up with Harry Potter, or just like the look. The first Harry Potter book was released in 1996, and the first Harry Potter movie was released in 2001.
Separately, last year, Concept One signed a licensing agreement with Fred Segal to produce merchandise, which begins with leather bags expected to launch in October.
Segal, who founded his business in 1961, passed away in 2021. He was a retail innovator who designed his own collection, collaborated with designers, artists and emerging brands to create unique capsules, and elevated the retail experience with denim bars, shops-in-shop and immersive experiences. Fred Segal opened its Sunset Boulevard flagship in 2018, and expanded to Studio City and Malibu, California; Las Vegas, and Asia.
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