Is demand for ugly sweaters at an all-time high? Based on sales figures provided by trinket and treasure manufacturer Forever Collectibles, it at least appears so based on sports-related purchases alone. The Somerset, New Jersey-based company says it has sold out of all 300,000 sports team sweaters it manufactured in the United States this year, including sweaters for both college and professional franchises. Its plan is to expand its sports ugly sweater selection to Europe next year and already has contracts with all of the major British soccer programs.
"There is a profound business opportunity in sports apparel," explained Forever Collectibles CEO Michael Lewis. "We are undergoing a sea change in sports licensing, back to the loud and proud era of the early to mid-90's. In recognizing this opportunity, we released these sweaters for the first time this year. While they have done extremely well, we have not even scratched the surface on what we can sell of these items. People perceive these as only tied to Christmas, but we will continue to sell these in large numbers throughout the year."
Unsurprisingly, ugly sweaters surrounding National Football League (NFL) teams and players are of highest demand. According to Lewis, Seattle Seahawks-related ugly sweaters are the best selling item.
Forever Collectibles has licensing deals in place with every major sports organization in the U.S., including the popular leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, 200 colleges and every players association connected to major American professional sports.
"Sports licensing is such a powerful sales driver, because it is built on an emotional connection between the fans and the team," said Marty Brochstein, SVP Industry Relations and Information for the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association (LIMA). "In the apparel category, it seems is if we are moving to an era of getting loud and making a strong statements through the clothes your wear. You have seen it on the field uniforms, such as the University of Maryland the Oregon Ducks, and now it is moving off the field into licensing. These sweaters are capitalizing on the fans' desire to make the same kind of statement off the field that the players are making on it."
According to figures reported by LIMA, sports licensing has reached its highest levels since 2008 and boasted its fourth consecutive annual increase. The total retail sales for professional sports and collegiate licensing in the U.S./Canada reached $16.6 billion according to the latest numbers (the sports category, including the four major professional sports leagues, was $12.8 billion while the collegiate category was $3.88 billion).
"It's not that this year is so vastly different, it's just that companies are continuing to appeal to the tastes of the sports fan," added Brochstein. "Like in any industry, they want to continue to adapt to the needs of the marketplace and provide new and unique categories that fans will crave. I think companies are seeing that fans want to make a definitive statement with their apparel and we will continue to see that showing itself at retail."
Sports fans are not often recognized for making strong fashion statements. However, the ugly sweater trend is catching on in the realm of sports and appears to be inching toward becoming one of the most popular gifts this holiday season.
Darren Heitner is a lawyer and the Founder of South Florida-based HEITNER LEGAL, P.L.L.C., which has a focus on Sports Law and Entertainment Law.
