5 January 2025
Samii Ryan New Drop Spreads Joy with Brand New Sesame Street® and Smiley® Mash Up
Fashion and apparel designer Samii Ryan is thrilled to announce her most joyful collaboration to date – a brand-new, limited-edition mash up collection in partnership with Smiley® and, for the very first time, the beloved world of Sesame Street®. The exclusive capsule drops May 27th, 2025 bringing together three cultural icons in a celebration of nostalgia, positivity, and streetwear.
Building on her long-standing creative partnership with Smiley® – which is now entering its fifth year – Samii Ryan continues to champion the shared values of happiness, optimism, and authenticity. This new project expands that vision, merging Smiley’s world-recognised icon with the timeless joy of Sesame Street’s cast of characters: Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Ernie, and more.
A Capsule Where Joy Meets Style
The 26-piece collection with pieces ranging from $40-$160 includes:
This is the first time Smiley and Sesame Street have collaborated, opening up new possibilities for more unexpected, expressive brand mash ups in the fashion space. The collection will be available online at Samiiryan.com.
Samii Ryan, Founder and Designer said, “This collection is all about celebrating joy, nostalgia, and the power of positivity. Sesame Street and Smiley are both iconic symbols of happiness, and bringing them together through fashion felt like the perfect way to spread smiles across generations. As a mom, founder, and creative, this collaboration is incredibly close to my heart—it’s playful, meaningful, and made to make you feel good.“.
Ross Wilson, Chief Product Officer for Smiley said, “We’re thrilled to see the new Samii Ryan, Sesame Street, and Smiley collaboration go live. It was an amazing opportunity to have three like-minded brands that truly showcase optimism and positivity come together to create something special and unique.”.
This collection also comes separately to the Samii Ryan Spring/ Summer Collection, which launched earlier in the year.
As featured by LicenseGlobal.com. Read their full coverage of the Smiley x Samii Ryan x Sesame Street: Mash-Up
About Samii Ryan
Samii Ryan believes in the importance of imagination and creativity. Through pastel colours, fun graphics, and memorable characters, Samii Ryan brings people back to their childhood. The brand ethos is centred on kindness, positivity, and self-love, while making fashion accessible and approachable to everyone.
Over the years, Samii Ryan has collaborated with like-minded partners such as Smiley, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, The Hundreds, Sneaker Politics, SUPRA Footwear, and female artists like Dessie Jackson and Esther Kim. The brand has been spotted on celebrities and trendsetters such as Hailey Bieber, Chiara Ferragni, Halsey, Saweetie, Karol G, Lil Nas X, and Noah Cyrus. By Samii Ryan is currently stocked across the US, including major retailers such as Revolve. In the past 18 months, the brand has sold over 200,000 t-shirts, sweatpants, and hoodies.
SAMII RYAN
Founder, CEO, Samii Ryan
Samii Ryan’s career in fashion began when she started selling earrings at concerts to help pay for school. Her breakout moment came at 19 years old when singer Ke$ha credited Ryan as the designer of her earrings. Shortly after, the collection was being sold at Nordstrom.
In 2013, Samii moved to Los Angeles, where she met her now fiancé and business partner, Evan. Together, they decided to create apparel, and By Samii Ryan was officially launched in 2017.
Growing up in the ’90s and early 2000s, Samii has long been inspired by the styles and graphics of those times. The brand playfully incorporates graphics and references from toys, commercials, and movies in its collections.
Samii was named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2021 as one of the top young entrepreneurs in Art & Style.
About The Smiley® Company:
The Smiley Company is a global leader in licensing, renowned for its iconic Smiley brand that spreads positivity and happiness across various products and collaborations. With a commitment to innovation and excellence, The Smiley Company continues to inspire joy in the hearts of consumers worldwide through its diverse range of licensed offerings.
Smiley has been spreading joy and optimism to generations since French journalist Franklin Loufrani created the trademarked brand in 1972.
Originally a gesture to urge readers of the newspaper France-Soir to ‘Take the Time to Smile’, soon this ubiquitous symbol of happiness became the most recognised and important icon in graphic design.
In 1996 Nicolas Loufrani, son of Franklin, took over the helm, steering Smiley into the digital revolution. Creating a whole new way of communicating, he added a variety of facial expressions to the original Smiley – his emoticons are now sent around the world infinitely.
Continuing to influence modern culture, Smiley is one of the world’s top global licensing enterprises collaborating on high-profile activities spanning fashion, art, homeware, food and beverage. Major partnerships include Loewe, Moschino, Raf Simons, Eastpak and LA-based Market, who produce the Market Smiley Basketball – a cultural icon.
Maintaining Smiley’s friendly mantra, Loufrani created Smiley Movement in 2017. The non-profit community works across multimedia platforms aiming to inspire positive change in society addressing urgent societal and environmental problems.