Twenty years ago, the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone movie hit the theatres for the first time. Of course, the eponymous book it was based from, written by J.K. Rowling, was already a global bestseller. But no one can deny that it was the movie that really catapulted the magical world and its characters into billions of households, enthralling people of all ages.
Now, 20 years later, the Wizarding World franchise is worth billions of dollars. It has crossed over from the big screen and expanded to video games, theme parks, and more. There’s no denying that it’s here to stay and we’ll be enjoying it for a long time coming.
This year, Difuzed has had the privilege to welcome the Harry Potter brand, under the umbrella of Warner Bros, into our ever-growing entertainment license portfolio.
According to Difuzed Senior Licensing Manager Jeanne Ang:
“As the brand manager for the entertainment portfolio, I felt that there was a missing piece in the picture. We really wanted to have the Warner Brother’s license. And of course, Harry Potter is one of the biggest brands in that portfolio. So when we acquired the license, it felt like the picture for Difuzed has finally felt complete.”
Indeed it feels as if the final piece in the puzzle has been placed. Difuzed has had the Warner license before, so having it returned into our hands feels like coming home. What’s different this time, and what’s in store for Harry Potter and Difuzed in the future, is something we can promise will shake things up.
A unique spin on Harry Potter
What makes Difuzed a worthy licensor of the Harry Potter franchise, and perhaps what makes us stand out from our competitors, is exactly what has made us an industry leader in the licensing world for the last 20 years.
Jeanne adds:
“The relationship with the NLC and Warner team has definitely started on the right foot. They love our products, and we have always had a different and unique design handwriting, so the collaboration process and feedback on our collections have been really good so far.”
But how do we apply this unique design handwriting in creating apparel and accessories for such a distinct and popular brand?
According to Difuzed Creative Director, Sara Allwood:
“Here at Difuzed we are creative rebels on a mission. (If you say you are cool, you are not. We act like creative rebels we don’t say we are 😊 ) We always like to push ourselves to deliver great designs. Our designers have an affinity with gaming and entertainment, so they love working with all the cool licenses. Innovation and creativity are at the heart of what we do. Working with the Harry Potter franchise allows our design team to really enter that magical world to be able to come up with magical designs!”
This deep passion and affinity for brands is exactly what drives Difuzed designers to be creative rebels. For Nazan Taylan, Apparel Designer at Difuzed, the experience of designing a collection inspired by the Harry Potter world came natural but also a challenge.
“This was my first opportunity as a designer to channel my love for Harry Potter. I’m super dorky and a huge Harry Potter fan. So I was extremely happy and flattered when they asked me to do it. But designing for such a huge brand has its challenges. As you can imagine, there’s so much in the market so we really wanted to stand out. We wanted to do something different from what’s currently out there, which is mostly on the sweet side, and go for something edgier.”
It is indeed clear in the collections that Difuzed has launched so far this year, that we are unafraid to push the boundaries and explore what hasn’t been done before.
In fact, our latest collection is the embodiment of that. Nazan adds:
“In this collection, we decided to explore the dark side of Harry Potter. This was definitely an edgier take, focusing on Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and how they leave smoke trails behind.”
View our Dark Wizard collection here!
A fearless creative take
If there’s one thing the Harry Potter franchise embodies, it’s being true to who you are and being brave about it.
At Difuzed, we are extremely proud of who we are and that is evident in everything we do. We are not afraid to take risks and explore what hasn’t been done before. Our newest collection, Dark Wizard collection is proof of that.
According to Nazan:
“We took a risk with this collection and we believed in our creative vision. We’re never coloring inside the lines and in the end, Warner loved our creations.”
And we’re not stopping anytime soon!
What’s in store for Harry Potter and Difuzed
It is wonderful to represent a brand that is so far-reaching and touches the hearts of billions of fans around the world. And this is something that we always take to heart when creating our collections.
Difuzed Sales Manager Michiel de Ruyter shares perspective on exactly how Difuzed understands this more than anyone:
“What makes this franchise so successful is the cross-generation aspect of it. The first Harry Potter movie was released 20 years ago. People who watched it then are already in their 30s. They have kids and are now slowly but surely watching the series with them, too.
You see that piece of an older generation sharing it with a much younger group of people. It’s a cross generation thing that’s not going away and it’s the same with brands like Pokémon, every kid picks it up. It’s just there, it attracts them and it’s that way with Harry Potter, too.”
So what’s in store for Harry Potter and Difuzed?
More unique and edgier collections of apparel and accessories, designed by a company who knows how to create fashionable and fan-focused items that will resonate to every hardcore fan.
According to Michiel:
“We have at least 3 new Harry Potter collections dropping in the next 9 months. And there’s also something exciting that’s coming up. Difuzed is big on gaming, and there’s a new Hogwarts Legacy game being released next year. So we can combine Harry Potter with what we’re best at: gaming. That combination is going to be big for us, and you can expect to see some very explosive collections.”
Are you excited to see what’s in store? Stay tuned for more industry news on licensing, fashion, and the best brands in entertainment and gaming!
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