Coolabi “thrilled” with new appointment as expansion continues across Europe

They may seem cool, calm and collected but Scarlett & Crimson are making a big noise in the international licensing market. Coolabi, the company that co-owns this exciting and original new property for tween and young teen girls has announced the appointment of the highly experienced brand transfer and extension experts Gorian Consumer Products to represent Scarlett & Crimson across both the GAS and Benelux regions.

Scarlett & Crimson were introduced to the world by Coolabi and designer and co-owner Ged Backland just over a year ago. Since then the sassy, smart girls who share the closest friendship and all their secrets have attracted enormous industry interest and media coverage.

Cologne-based Gorian was set up by MD Markus Pottgieser in 2003 and in less than six years has established itself as one of the well-known names in the European licensing business. The company represents properties across a wide range of sectors, including entertainment, publishing, fashion and toys. It’s an impressive list that includes evergreen properties like My Little Pony, Monopoly and Noddy, classics like Flashdance and Top Gun and modern hits like Tropic Thunder and the fashion illustration brand Vision Licensing.

Markus Pottgieser’s many years of experience in the European licensing industry have been instrumental in the success of Gorian. The appointment of Gorian follows hard on the heels of the recent announcement that Coolabi has appointed leading full-service licensing and marketing agency Lisa Marks & Associates, Inc. (LMA) to represent the brand in the North American market. LMA’s client list includes highly successful brands in such fields as art and design, toys, candy, sport and global personalities.

Coolabi specialises in the ownership, development, creative management and exploitation of high quality intellectual property assets. Its success in this field is evident from the impressive list of properties it owns, a list that includes Purple Ronnie and, of course, Scarlett & Crimson.

Coolabi’s appointment of Gorian follows a number of significant licensing agreements for Scarlett & Crimson: a series of books from consumer publishing giant Simon and Schuster for the US, Canada and the UK; a Scarlett & Crimson range of gift cosmetics and toiletries for the UK market developed by beauty industry celebrities Ruby Hammer and Millie Kendall; and a collection of limited edition women’s vests from fashion designer Robert Cary-Williams.

Coolabi is thrilled at the appointment of one of Europe’s big brand management names to manage this important property, says Janet Woodward, Coolabi’s Head of Licensing. “This is a pivotal time for the Scarlett and Crimson brand. It is already attracting a major international buzz and we clearly want to capitalise on that. But we also want to ensure that a licensing agency for this important European region is right for a brand that has a completely new take on the teen and tween girls’ market. That’s why we chose Gorian. It has the background, the experience and the market knowledge that are needed to take this unique property to the next level.”

Markus Pottgieser adds: “Scarlett & Crimson stands out among recent girls’ properties with its themes of friendship and individuality combined with sophisticated, striking design qualities that make it massively appealing to today’s teens and tweens. Like Coolabi, we see Scarlett & Crimson both as a modern brand in tune with the times and one that has the potential to be a long-term classic. We are delighted that Coolabi has asked us to represent this amazing property across both the GAS and Benelux regions.”