Germany’s Studio 100 has recruited licensing veteran Alexandros Visentin as its new business development manager and fashion lead. 

Visentin joined the studio’s licensing team earlier this month and heads up the company’s apparel division. He replaces Ann-Kathrin Hager, who left in November, and has taken on responsibility for brand licensing, third-party rights and apparel-focused projects. Visentin reports to Joachim Knödler, Studio 100’s head of licensing distribution, and is based in Munich. 

Knödler tells Kidscreen that the apparel market will be a critical category for Studio 100 as it looks to extend the reach of its brands at retail, especially CG-animated preschool series Maya the Bee and Vic the Viking and live-action/CG-animated hybrid Mia and Me. 

“In these uncertain times, we are noticing that consumers are interested in the evergreen brands they grew up with more than ever,” Knödler explains. “Fashion is a very important category for us, and we are already working on retro style guides and trend books based on classic looks inspired by the ’90s.” 

Prior to joining Studio 100, Visentin was a licensing sales manager at Bavaria Media, where he represented brands such as Playmobil, The Smurfs and Italian collectibles company Panini in product categories including fashion and home goods.

His short-term plan for Studio 100’s apparel business is to develop new relationships with independent fashion labels and focus on implementing sustainability initiatives in production.