Scoop: Charlotte-based apparel brand inks major deal with the Carolina Panthers

Driving the news: The popular Charlotte-based apparel brand will launch an exclusive six-item, officially licensed collection with the team today at 10am. Girl Tribe and the Panthers have been working on this collaboration for the last six months, Girl Tribe owner Sarah Baucom tells Axios.

Why it matters: It’s one thing to sell a team-inspired line, which many local brands already do. It’s another to be an official partner. The partnership gives a global platform to a homegrown, women-led retailer that launched less than a decade ago.

• A deal like this is a first for both Girl Tribe and the Panthers.

Catch up quick: A limited local licensing agreement allows teams to work with individual artists, brands and designers in their respective markets. The NFL began allowing local licensing agreements in June 2020. Teams are allowed one limited local license per year (April 1 to March 31).

Details: The collection will be available at Girl Tribe stores and website, in the Panthers’ team store, on the team’s website and on Fanatics. It includes two crop tops, two T-shirts and two crewneck sweatshirts, all of which will retail for under $100. The collection is a vintage-inspired look with Girl Tribe flair, Baucom tells Axios. 

• Girl Tribe will pay royalties from sales of these items to the league. Fanatics and the team store purchased everything wholesale from Girl Tribe. The apparel brand’s license will end on March 31.
• You’ll also see the collection highlighted on Sunday, Nov. 19, during the team’s Keep Pounding game vs. the Dallas Cowboys.

• Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

What they’re saying: Panthers president Kristi Coleman said Girl Tribe brings “so much enthusiasm to their designs” in a statement provided to Axios.

The bottom line: “It’s such an honor to start here, but it won’t be our last,” Baucom says of local license deals.

What’s next: Girl Tribe plans to open a store in the Charleston-area in spring 2024, and hopes to expand to Raleigh and Washington, D.C. Their holiday pop-up returns to Birkdale Village Nov. 30-Dec. 23 in the former Total Wine space (8709 Townley Road) 12-6pm Thursday through Tuesday.

Take a look at the collection.