Hasbro’s Marianne James on expressing fandom through footwear with TRANSFORMERS

Marianne, thanks for making time for this footwear-focused chat. Why is this category an exciting space to bring your brands into?
In recent years, we’ve seen huge demand from consumers of all ages for fashions that allow them to show off their favourite brands and characters. Footwear, in particular, is a very fun and distinctive way to reflect personal style and individuality – and it completes and complements our overall fashion offerings.

To meet consumer and market needs, we’ve increased our apparel, footwear and accessories offerings exponentially by engaging in strategic collaborations with world-class brands like Skechers and Irregular Choice. We know that footwear is a significant and growing category, so in fulfilling our consumer desires we are also able to make a statement, gain reach and build hype in the market.

What made Skechers and Irregular Choice exciting partners for the TRANSFORMERS brand?
For decades, TRANSFORMERS has maintained its position in the cultural zeitgeist by captivating fans across the globe with its signature action and adventure. Ahead of the brand’s 40th anniversary next year, we’ve sought to collaborate with top brands across the world to give everyone a stylish way to show off their fandom.

We pride ourselves on storytelling and innovation – we would be hard pressed to find a better partner than Irregular Choice to really capture that within the footwear space in the UK market. The creative and craftmanship that goes into the designing of their footwear is really a piece of art, and that matches the spectacle that the TRANSFORMERS franchise is known for.

Additionally, Skechers is a globally recognised brand and has seen great popularity in Asia – where this collaboration is focused – amongst young adults and children. They have successfully launched other bespoke and co-branded lines in recent years, positioning them as a trendsetter and cool brand amongst various consumer targets.

They also expanded the collaboration outside of the regular footwear by adding fun accessories such as socks and tees, as well as bags and caps. To top it off, Skechers went over and beyond in terms of marketing support, creating a full stop motion reel featuring the Hasbro toys also available in the market.

Could you talk us through some of your favourite design details in these collections?
While the entire TRANSFORMERS collection with Irregular Choice is whimsical and unexpected, the Roll Out boot is a strong favourite. The design is bold and features a heeled shoe, offering variety with what has been done in the past on TRANSFORMERS footwear. It also has key branded features like the TRANSFORMERS Autobot shield and an Optimus Prime removable patch.

Signature Skechers styles are outfitted with the iconic branding and colours of fan-favourite TRANSFORMERS characters like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, along with new characters introduced in the recent TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS movie – Mirage and Optimus Primal. Fans in the APAC region can shop the full collection at https://www.skechers.com.sg/collections/transformers

Great stuff. Thanks again Marianne!