RHS returns to BLE with new style guides, new licensees and new categories

BRANDORA Editorial Staff - September 2019

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is celebrating its return to BLE after a five-year absence – with a striking affirmation of its unique strengths as a licensing partner and a brand.

Visitors to stand B366 can see multiple design assets – including a new RHS style guide for children’s products and amazing new artwork – as well as the astonishing RHS Lindley Collections art that has made the RHS one of the most resource-rich partners in heritage licensing.

Building on its success in outreach for children, families and schools, and the positive response to many product initiatives to date, the RHS is expanding into licensed products specifically for children. Among the main target categories will be toys, games, apparel and tools for young gardeners.

This drive will be supported by the first-ever RHS style guide for children’s products. It will combine existing assets and new designs in a resource that will delight children and inspire licensees. The charity plans a strong focus on children’s products in the coming months, and, with a number of licensees expressing interest already, aims to be announcing the first product partnerships at BLE 2019.

Also on the way is a fabulous collection of botanical artwork, exclusive to the RHS and only available for licensees. This includes a stunning artwork collection by the legendary botanical illustrator Pieter van Kouwenhoorn dating from the early 1600s, and watercolours by Sydenham Teast Edwards, who founded the influential 19th century publication The Botanical Register. The artworks – many never seen before – are still as vibrant and beautiful as when they were first painted, and a real design asset, with strong potential in a number of categories.

These exciting new assets join the recently updated RHS logo and strapline and the much-praised RHS Licensing Geometric Style Guide 2018, last year’s extension to the highly successful RHS Licensing Style Guide. The Geometric Style Guide was created to reflect the current trend for geometric designs – but inspired by formal garden design styles dating from the 1600s and 1700s.

The RHS licensing campaign has enjoyed enormous success in recent years. As well as a very strong gardening offering, the RHS name today graces china, homeware, soft furnishings, picnicware, stationery, toiletries, confectionery, scarves, dresses, bed linen, fragrances, art pottery, gin, chocolate and much more.

BLE’s move to Excel, and the improved access and layout it offers, is an ideal opportunity to show off this award-winning campaign to its best advantage.

Cathy Snow, RHS Licensing Manager, says: “The return of the RHS to BLE could not be better timed. Our already strong offering to licensees is being further enhanced and we are looking to enter new categories and markets. Where better to talk about new opportunities than in a brand-new setting? We look forward to welcoming partners – and potential partners – to stand B366 in the Excel from 1-3 October.”