License This! winner Sophie Jonas-Hill strikes t-shirt deal with Trade Mark Products and HMV

Illustrator Sophie Jonas-Hill – one of the winners of last year’s Brand Licensing Europe License This! competition – has signed a deal with Trade Mark Products for a line of t-shirts featuring her designs.

The Dead Time Stories range – launching under Sophie’s apparel design label The House of Inky Moon – features dark twists on fairy tale characters and will be available in 30 HMV stores by July.

“What struck me straight away about Sophie’s graphics was not only the detail, but also the versatility and how they could be successfully applied to various product categories,” said Trade Mark Products’ Phil King.

“The designs could naturally expand and adapt as trends change; HMV fee this could be one that can keep working into the future and expand into further product categories.”

Sophie added: “Like so many Gen X-ers, hanging out in HMV was a key part of my teenage years, loitering by the new releases and hoping to connect with fellow fans. It’s so exciting to see my own work in such an iconic High Street brand. Knowing how selective they are about who they attach their name to, it’s also a massive vote of confidence!

“I’m a champion for hand drawn or analog art, and I think the vinyl resurgence we’ve seen over the last few years is all part of this – and why my work struck a chord with them.”