Dan Madsen
Her Universe
dmadsen@araca.com
Dara Meas
Hot Topic
dmeas@hottopic.com
Dayle Dempsey
Disney Consumer Products
Dayle.a.dempsey@disney.com
Her Universe, Marvel & Hot Topic
Team Up for
New Avengers Fashion Collection
Exclusive Collection Features Designs by Winners of the Her Universe
Fashion Show at Comic-Con International 2014
NEW YORK, NY – April 21st, 2015 – Fangirls assemble! In celebration of the release of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Her Universe – the trendsetting geek girl apparel company, and Disney Consumer Products have announced a new fashion line inspired by fan-favorite Super Heroes from the Avengers films. The Marvel by Her Universe collection will be available mid-May exclusively at select Hot Topic stores and hottopic.com, with an online pre-sale starting April 21st on hottopic.com.
The Avengers-inspired line features designs by winners from the first-ever Her Universe “Geek Couture” Fashion Show held at last year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego where attendees Amy Beth Christenson and Andrew MacLaine wowed the audience with their original, handmade creations on the runway and took top honors at the event. As part of the grand prize, Christenson and MacLaine were rewarded the exciting professional opportunity to design an exclusive fashion collection with Her Universe founder, Ashley Eckstein, for pop-culture and licensed apparel destination Hot Topic. To see the making of the collection, from inspiration to sketches to fittings to ready-to-wear, visit hottopic.com/marvelbyheruniverse.
“It’s been such a pleasure to work with Amy and Andrew to create this line from their initial sketches to the final product sold in Hot Topic stores,” said Her Universe Founder Ashley Eckstein. “Geek fashion is a trend that’s here to stay. Fangirls are making a statement in the fashion community and this new Avengers collection is addressing their demand for more fashion-forward designs.”
“It’s exciting to see Marvel’s female fan base grow with the second installation of our collaboration with Her Universe, inspired by one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2015, Avengers: Age of Ultron,” said Paul Gitter, Senior Vice President, Licensing, Marvel at Disney Consumer Products. “This collection brings awareness of the emerging fangirl trend into mainstream fashion by uniting stylish designs with iconic characters to create a strong statement at retail.”
The action-packed Marvel by Her Universe collection consists of stylish dresses and jackets inspired by popular Avengers characters, available in straight and extended sizes. The six piece fashion collection for Hot Topic includes:
– Captain America Halter Dress, $59.50
– Thor Sailor Dress, $59.50
– Stark Industries Bomber Jacket, $54.50
– Black Widow Dress, $44.50
– Black Widow Belted Jacket, $64.50
– Loki Halter Dress, $59.50
“Witnessing two talented designers who truly understand the fans and fan culture win a competition at Comic-Con 2014, and then seeing their spin on Avengers turn into real product at Hot Topic makes what we all do feel genuinely authentic – and so much fun,” said Cindy Levitt, Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing at Hot Topic.
To celebrate the collection, Hot Topic will partner with Her Universe and Styled by Marvel on an Instagram sweepstakes from April 21st through May 5th. Fans will be asked to post a photo of what they will wear to watch Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1st and tag their photos with #HTAvengersSweeps to enter for a chance to win the entire Marvel by Her Universe fashion collection from Hot Topic. Complete entry details and official rules will be available on hottopic.com/marvelbyheruniverse starting April 21st.
In addition to the fashion collection, Hot Topic will offer a wide range of Avengers tees, accessories, gifts and more. The Avengers return to theatres in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1, 2015.
About Her Universe
Her Universe was launched in 2010 by actress and entrepreneur Ashley Eckstein and The Araca Group, a leading theatrical production and brand management company. Ashley and Araca created Her Universe to address the expanding market of female sci-fi and fantasy fans. They entered their first agreement with Lucas Licensing to develop and produce a line of female-centered Star Wars apparel and accessories. The success of that line was followed up with a collection for BBC Worldwide for Doctor Who, CBS Consumer Products for Star Trek, AMC for The Walking Dead, Nerdist Industries, Marvel, Hasbro for Transformers and Studio Ghibli. You can learn more about Her Universe and purchase the current line of fangirl apparel and accessories by going to www.heruniverse.com and by following Eckstein & Her Universe on Facebook (facebook.com/HerUniverse) Twitter (twitter.com/HerUniverse), Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/heruniverse/) and YouTube(https://www.youtube.com/user/HerUniverseChannel?sub_confirmation=1).
About Hot Topic
Hot Topic, headquartered in City of Industry, CA, was the first retailer to make alternative apparel and accessories available to individualistic teens at malls across the country. Today, Hot Topic offers music and pop culture junkies exclusive collectibles, band merchandise, licensed and fashion apparel and accessories. Founded in 1989, Hot Topic operates 663 stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and an online store at hottopic.com. Find Hot Topic on Twitter (twitter.com/hottopic), Facebook (facebook.com/hottopic), YouTube (youtube.com/hottopic) and Instagram (instagram.com/hottopic).
About Disney Consumer Products
Disney Consumer Products (DCP) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) that delivers innovative and engaging product experiences across thousands of categories from toys and apparel to books and fine art. As the world’s largest licensor, DCP inspires the imaginations of people around the world by bringing the magic of Disney into consumers’ homes with products they can enjoy year-round. DCP is comprised of three business units: Licensing, Publishing and Disney Store. The Licensing business is aligned around five strategic brand priorities: Disney Media, Classics & Entertainment, Disney &Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Princess & Disney Fairies, Lucasfilm and Marvel. Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the world’s largest publisher of children’s books, magazines, and apps, igniting imagination through storytelling in ever-inventive ways. DPW creates and publishes books, magazines, eBooks and apps both vertically in-house and through an extensive worldwide licensing structure. DPW is also committed to the educational development of children around the world through Disney Learning, which includes our flagship learning brand, Disney Imagicademy, as well as Disney English and other Disney-themed learning products. The Disney Store retail chain operates across North America, Europe and Japan with more than 350 stores worldwide and is known for providing consumers with high-quality, unique products. Disney Store operates ecommerce channels in nine countries, which can be found here. For more information, please visit Disney Consumer Products www.DisneyConsumerProducts.com
 |
|
In celebration of the release of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Her Universe has created, with the winners of last year’s Her Universe Fashion Show, Amy Beth Christenson and Andrew MacLaine (seen here with Her Universe founder, Ashley Eckstein), a new fashion line inspired by fan-favorite Super Heroes from the Avengers films available mid-May exclusively at select Hot Topic stores and hottopic.com, with an online pre-sale starting April 21st on hottopic.com. Photo: HOT TOPIC
|
 |
|
This new Black Widow Dress in the Marvel by Her Universe fashion collection (offered exclusively in select Hot Topic stores and hottopic.com) will be available mid-May with an online pre-sale starting April 21st on hottopic.com. Photo: HOT TOPIC
|
 |
|
This new Black Widow Jacket in the Marvel by Her Universe fashion collection (offered exclusively in select Hot Topic stores and hottopic.com) will be available mid-May with an online pre-sale starting April 21st on hottopic.com. Photo: HOT TOPIC
|
 |
|
This new Captain America Halter Dress in the Marvel by Her Universe fashion collection (offered exclusively in select Hot Topic stores and hottopic.com) will be available mid-May with an online pre-sale starting April 21st on hottopic.com. Photo: HOT TOPIC
|
 |
|
This new Loki Halter Dress in the Marvel by Her Universe fashion collection (offered exclusively in select Hot Topic stores and hottopic.com) will be available mid-May with an online pre-sale starting April 21st on hottopic.com. Photo: HOT TOPIC
|
 |
|
This new Stark Industries Bomber Jacket in the Marvel by Her Universe fashion collection (offered exclusively in select Hot Topic stores and hottopic.com) will be available mid-May with an online pre-sale starting April 21st on hottopic.com. Photo: HOT TOPIC
|
 |
|
This new Thor Sailor Dress in the Marvel by Her Universe fashion collection (offered exclusively in select Hot Topic stores and hottopic.com) will be available mid-May with an online pre-sale starting April 21st on hottopic.com. Photo: HOT TOPIC
|
dmadsen@araca.com
646-922-0663