Nelvana And The Clifford Ross Company Partner With Rowing Blazers On A Premium Lifestyle Fashion Collection Featuring Legendary Literary Character Babar
December 3, 2020
NELVANA AND THE CLIFFORD ROSS COMPANY PARTNER WITH ROWING BLAZERS ON A PREMIUM LIFESTYLE FASHION COLLECTION FEATURING LEGENDARY LITERARY CHARACTER BABAR
Collection of Menswear and Womenswear Line Launches This Month, Kicking Off Early Celebrations for Babar’s 90th Anniversary
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For Immediate Release
TORONTO, December 3, 2020 – Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor and licensor of children’s animated and live action content, and The Clifford Ross Company, are pleased to announce their partnership with New York apparel brand and retailer, Rowing Blazers, to launch an apparel and accessories collection featuring the beloved children’s literary character, Babar. The collaboration, launching globally on Rowing Blazers’ website on December 3, will see menswear, womenswear and accessories in the first collection. The collection comes ahead of Babar’s milestone 90th anniversary in 2021.
“Babar has always been known for his dapper style and his iconic green suit, making it the ideal brand to elevate with New York apparel brand and retailer, Rowing Blazers,” said Mellany Masterson, Head of Nelvana Enterprises. “Given Rowing Blazer’s innovative and authentic approach to launching high-end products and their genuine passion for reinventing classics, this is truly the perfect collaboration as we head into the brand’s 90th anniversary.”
The Rowing Blazers x Babar Fall/Winter 2020 collection features 20 SKUS inspired by the original Babar character illustrations, including a green suit, as well as shirts, sweatshirts, pants, jackets, t-shirts, hats, totes, and ties. In addition to Rowing Blazer’s website and New York flagship store, product from the collection will also be available at Selfridges and End in the U.K., and Maiden’s Usonian Goods Store in Japan.
“I’ve loved Babar since I read the books as a child. He helped me to learn French (mostly forgotten now), but he also taught me about the world. The Babar books are a potent mixture of glamorous, mid-century jet-set travel; family dramas and diversions, feasts and parties; and, of course, occasional matters of state.” said Jack Carlson, Founder of Rower Blazers. “Babar has a perfect wardrobe; great adventures; and he always travels in style: whether he’s skiing in Switzerland, picking up an honorary degree at Harvard, or surveying Egyptian ruins. I’ve wanted to release a Babar collaboration since I started Rowing Blazers, and I’m so proud and excited that it’s now a reality.”
Babar originated in the 1930s as a bedtime story told to Laurent de Brunhoff and his brother by their mother, Cecile, and first came to life through the art of Laurent’s father, Jean, a painter, who produced seven books about the character. When Jean passed away at the young age of 37, Laurent, who studied at the same art academy, built on his father’s work, creating many lively adventures for the elephant family. A remarkable success story with humble beginnings, today Babar continues to reign as the king of children’s literature. The lovable elephant has appeared in more than 75 books in 27 languages, as well as multiple television series, specials, and films.
Based in SoHo, New York, Rowing Blazers is known for its youthful, self-aware, and ironic take on “preppy” style; its highly sought-after limited-edition and often irreverent capsule collections and collaborations with legendary brands like Barbour, Sperry, Puma, Noah, Lands’ End, Eric Emanuel, J. Press and Beams; and, most importantly, its sense of community – which manifests itself in partnerships with artists, musicians, student organizations, iconic eating and drinking establishments, and charitable causes, including their primary charitable partner, Row New York.
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About Nelvana
Entertaining kids for nearly 50 years, Nelvana is a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content. Nelvana produces a stable of award-winning and globally renowned brands that focus on comedies, preschool and boys action series and ancillary consumer products programs. Nelvana’s content airs on Corus Entertainment’s kids channels in Canada and in over 160 countries around the world. The Nelvana library has well over 4,400 episodes of programming and has received over 70 major international program awards including Emmys® and Canadian Screen Awards. Visit the Nelvana website at nelvana.com.
About Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. Engaging audiences since 1999, the company’s portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 34 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a suite of digital assets, animation software, technology and media services. Corus is an established creator of globally distributed content through Nelvana animation studio, Corus Studios, and children’s book publishing house Kids Can Press. The company also owns innovative full-service social digital agency so.da, and lifestyle entertainment company Kin Canada. Corus’ roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, Adult Swim, National Geographic, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Global News, Globalnews.ca, Q107, Country 105, and CFOX. Visit Corus at www.corusent.com.
About The Clifford Ross Company
Founded in 1985 by multi media artist Clifford Ross, The Clifford Ross Company focused on three classic properties during its early years: the works of Edward Gorey, Tom Swift and Babar. After optioning the rights to Babar in 1986 directly from Laurent de Brunhoff and the de Brunhoff family, CRC entered into a working relationship with Nelvana on all aspects of the property. For over 30 years, the companies have worked together producing both television and feature-length movies featuring the Babar characters and developing a worldwide licensing program.
About Rowing Blazers
Rowing Blazers is a youthful, irreverent clothing brand dedicated to the classics. Known for its casual jackets, rugby shirts, and dad hats, Rowing Blazers has garnered industry praise for its thoughtful, inclusive, and slightly subversive take on traditional American style; and for its simultaneous dedication to authenticity, employing vintage construction techniques in many of its pieces, and outfitting many of the world’s top rowing and rugby clubs.
For media inquiries, please contact:
April Lim, Publicist, Kids & Nelvana
Corus Entertainment
(416) 860-4216
april.lim@corusent.com
Michael Williams, ACL & Co.
mw@aclandco.com
Mariele Berkowitz, ACL & Co.
mariele@aclandco.com
For licensing inquiries, please contact:
Izabella Pantos, Licensing Manager
Nelvana
(416) 479-7264izabella.pantos@corusent.com
