BaubleBar Launches Collegiate Collection at 12 Universities to Drive Year-Round Fandom Sales

Quick Facts

BaubleBar launched a Collegiate Collection across 12 universities, with prices starting at $20, available on BaubleBar.com and select campus bookstores.
Licensed products now account for 15% of total sales, with the licensing division growing 100% year over year and adding 3,000 new points of distribution.
More than 65% of customers who buy a licensed product also purchase from BaubleBar’s non-licensed collection, with the average customer picking up three items per order.

BaubleBar is expanding its sports licensing business into college campuses. The New York-based accessories brand launched its first Collegiate Collection, featuring products tied to 12 universities and priced between $20 and $48.

The collection includes bag charms, charm bracelets, earring sets, hair clips, and custom cluster charms. Schools in the launch include the University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan, University of Alabama, Penn State University, Clemson University, and University of Tennessee, among others.

BaubleBar co-founders Amy Jain and Daniella Yacobovsky started the company in 2011 after leaving investment banking. The brand now has more than 7,500 points of distribution across 25 countries and generates revenue in the hundreds of millions. Its retail partners include Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, and Target, which carries an exclusive Sugarfix by BaubleBar line.

The collegiate launch follows a licensing strategy the brand built through partnerships with Disney, the NFL, the NBA, and the WNBA. Licensed products now represent 15% of total revenue, and many collections sell out within days of launch.

The cross-sell data is notable. According to the brand, more than 65% of licensed product buyers also purchase from BaubleBar’s non-licensed assortment. The average transaction includes three items, which points to strong basket size in this category.

Jain and Yacobovsky identified a gap in the market when they moved into sports. ‘We knew we wanted to design for the sports fan given how many there were in our community,’ Yacobovsky said. ‘We felt there was a gap in the market for fashion-forward accessories that you could proudly wear to show off your team spirit.’

The collegiate push is designed to extend fandom purchases beyond football season. Accessories like charms and earrings can be worn daily, turning school spirit into a year-round category rather than a fall-only one. BaubleBar has used the same logic with holiday collections, birthstone shops, and limited drops tied to specific occasions.

The brand’s NFL business got a significant lift in 2023 when Taylor Swift attended a Kansas City Chiefs playoff game wearing a BaubleBar x Chiefs necklace. BaubleBar’s site saw a 50% spike in traffic, and the necklace sold out by Monday afternoon. The brand had launched its NFL collaboration three years before that moment. Its top-selling NFL teams are the Chiefs and the Bills.

Brittany Mahomes also contacted the brand directly to request a custom number necklace using BaubleBar’s bubble font. That kind of organic celebrity engagement has reinforced the brand’s positioning in the female sports fan market, a segment that had been underserved by both the sports merchandise and jewelry industries.

BaubleBar said it plans to expand the Collegiate Collection to additional schools. The brand’s SuperFan by BaubleBar line handles its fandom-specific products, while its core line and Target-exclusive Sugarfix products serve different price and retail segments.

For operators watching the licensing space, BaubleBar’s model offers a clear case study: licensed products pull in new customers, those customers convert on full-price core products, and the average order climbs. The collegiate channel adds a new acquisition layer with a built-in, multigenerational audience of students, alumni, and parents.