Disney Home has forged partnerships with numerous retailers in the two years it has been open, releasing sell-out character-themed collections with Primark, George at Asda and even premium décor brand Sanderson.
Retail Week caught up with Disney vice president, fashion and home, Sonia Samra to talk about what’s driving demand, how Disney partners with retailers and which characters will be on the next bestselling collections.
The Disney Home division was only launched a couple of years ago, talk us through why it was needed
“We launched the brand in 2022 because home became such a prominent category during the pandemic, as people were spending a lot more time inside.
“Historically we’ve had an established home business, but it’s been very kid-centric. Covid really opened up the opportunity across the different channels but also allowed us to reach consumers that we do really well with through our fashion division. We realised there was a big opportunity here for us to talk to our existing audiences, but also build them out, whether that’s across mid-market, luxury or value.”
Disney fans are very vocal, how do you collect that feedback and use it?
“We do a lot of social listening to stay very close to what the audience is saying, whether that’s across the film slate or our product ranges.
“We also try and understand which characters we hear about most. Stitch from Lilo & Stitch is a great example of that. Over the last few years, Stitch has become an extremely important character for us across our business whether that’s through fashion or home.
“As it started to bubble up, we did some test-and-learn products and now it’s just become this huge phenomenon in the market. Most retailers now are stocking Stitch. When you’re managing a portfolio so broad, you’re constantly trying to understand which characters are next and which ones are the fan favourites that will create the buzz and excitement. So those tools are key to that.
“We also get a lot of feedback from the retailers,. They’re seeing sales live and know what’s performing and what isn’t, so we take lessons from that and evolve our approach.”
Which characters do you think will be the next biggest thing in home?
“Fan favourite Grogu [Baby Yoda] from Star Wars is one that works really well in the home space, so I think that’s one to think about. Within our classics portfolio, there are many characters. We have a special anniversary of Toy Story coming up, so it’s 30 years of the first film next year and those characters are cult favourites so there’s definitely scope to have fun there within the home categories.”
What trends are driving a division like Disney Home?
“‘Kidult’ is a driving trend, particularly in that Gen Z space. When we were looking at trends and product development, nostalgia is really important, but it’s also become quite a tight window. You’ve got Gen Z whose cycle of nostalgia is probably between 15 to 20 years, or even something that’s 10 years old can become nostalgic for them.
“Then you’ve got kids whose parents are shopping for them, who look up to trends and want that trickle down into their space, particularly when they hit that tween age group. I think it’s that combined effort across both ages that then creates ‘kidult’ trend.
Which collections stand out to you most?
“For me, the Sanderson collection is very special because of the history attached to it.
“We found prints from the 1930s to create that collection and you don’t come by those opportunities often. The products have done justice to the partnership and our team worked tirelessly to touch up some of those old artworks and recolor them so it’s been incredible. It’s also really helped put a spotlight on our premium home collections, and also open doors to other opportunities.”
Are there any areas you’d like to build on?
”We’ve got a very strong infant business and I think infant at home is something that we are looking to build on going forward.
“The home space for newborns or toddlers is such a key focus and I think we do such an incredible job on the apparel and accessory side, but coordinating the home ranges is a definite opportunity for us.”
Are you actively seeking new partnerships?
“The ambition is definitely to look at more branded proposals. We’re early in the journey of Disney Home and I think there is so much more to deliver. We’ve got very ambitious plans in terms of where we want to get to over the next three to five years, so we are very much open to working with new brands.
“We’ve got some exciting plans in the pipeline that we’ll be launching in the next 12 months that I think will just take the brand from strength to strength.
“There are also some home market leaders that we don’t work with at the moment, so there’s an opportunity to open discussions there as we build the strategy and evolve it over the coming years.”
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