Cherokee Inc. announced that its client, Bee Line Inc. has entered
into an exclusive license agreement for the Laila Ali Brand for beauty and personal care products with International Beauty Brands. Laila Ali is the daughter of the Muhammad Ali and a former professional boxer.

Tony Eluck, President, International Beauty Brands, said, “We are excited to be part of Laila Ali’s consumer product strategy. Our initial responses in the marketplace have been terrific and we look forward to having product in the market within the next six months.”

Laila Ali said, “The Cherokee Group is the premier global licensing and brand management company around the world. They have worked tirelessly and hand-in-hand with my team at Premier Sports and Entertainment to develop a comprehensive consumer products division and strategy. Developing my own line of licensed products has been a goal of mine for a long time; so to be able to create and produce my inaugural line, and to do so with such a tremendous team of professionals is really exciting. And, this is just the first step in our collective vision developing into category and product reality!”

Jay Kester, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Cherokee Inc., said, “Laila Ali is a powerful and marketable franchise. This is only the first step in our global consumer products strategy for the Laila Ali Brand. We are currently in discussions for the development and distribution of additional merchandise categories including nutrition, health & wellness, sporting goods and apparel to compliment beauty and personal care.”

Eric Kaufman, President, Premier Sports & Entertainment, said, “We are thrilled to be working with a team of proven experts in their respective fields in growing Laila’s brand and launching her licensed consumer products division. As a world champion athlete, television personality, mother, wife, and daughter, she’s emblematic of today’s well-rounded, on-the-go woman, establishing a firm foundation for the expansion of her licensing program into many more categories in the near future.”

Cherokee Inc. owns the Cherokee, Sideout, Carole Little and other brands and represents others. Premier clients for the Cherokee brand around the world include Target Stores (U.S.), Tesco (U.K., Ireland and certain Central European countries), Zellers (Canada), Pick n Pay (South Africa), Grupo Pao de Acucar (Brazil), S.A.C.I. Falabella (Chile and Peru), Arvind Mills (India), Shufersal LTD. (Israel), Comercial Mexicana (Mexico), Eroski (Spain) and RT Mart (Peoples Republic of China). Premier clients for Cherokee’s other brands include the TJX Companies (U.S., Canada and Europe) for the Carole Little brands, and Shanghai Bolderway (China) for the Sideout Brand. Cherokee also placed the Norma Kamali brand with Wal-Mart.

Xx