Superhero merchandise gets haute

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Apart from outfits fans are buying products like shoes, pyjamas, school bags, mugs and toys inspired from superheroes

When we think of iconic cartoon characters like Superman, Spiderman or Batman, we hardly associate them with trends. Interestingly these superheroes are now the new age trendsetters, and young fans can’t get enough of them.

After the release of Hollywood blockbusters like The Avengers, The Amazing Spiderman and The Dark Night Rises the demand for fashion and lifestyle related products inspired by these superheroes has gone up drastically.
One can find interesting graphical tees and merchandise with Spiderman and Batman representations at local markets as well as in regular brands. India French Connection also introduced a limited edition of Batman tees that start at Rs 1,499. These tees are crafted in dark and sinister black, grey and white featuring iconic original comic book illustrations of Batman.
Even online fashion portals have observed a rise in the demand for superhero merchandise in the past few months. Manu Kumar Jain, co-founder of Jabong.com, mentions that superhero products have always been popular with teenage boys and now even adults are enthusiastic about it. He says, “After the release of movies like The Dark Knight Rises and Amazing Spiderman, there is a sudden increase in the sale of the merchandise. We have seen close to a 70 per cent rise in unit sales for superhero T-shirts over the last month. The spike in sales can be attributed mostly to the release of the movies.”
Adds Jain, “We have seen an increase in demand not only in the metros but also from tier II cities, where people are aspirational and have the purchasing power to buy but do not have accessibility to the brands/products.”
Apart from outfits, products like shoes, pyjamas, school bags, mugs and toys inspired from superheroes are also selling like hotcakes. Mattel recently launched an entire series of Batman themed products that are in sync with the latest movie. This toy line includes a range of action figures, vehicles, radio-control, super-sleek Batpod and the flying vehicle called ‘the bat.’ Rahul Bhowmik, head of marketing at Mattel Toys India says, “We worked closely with Warner Brothers to produce some authentic toys with innovative play features. With our astounding array of toys, accessories and role play gear both kids and adults can relive the movie experience and take on the role of their all-time favourite character, Batman.”
Speaking about this trend, Amitabh Thakur, art director at Comic Con India, says, “Superhero movies are doing great in terms of response and fan following in India in recent years. We have seen Batman and Spiderman merchandise and novels doing well at Comic Con India other than what the movies do at the box office. Taking a cue from this we too have launched our series that have been inspired by superheroes.”