Disguise Inc. — the costumes and seasonal division of Jakks Pacific — announced two new costume hires to its growing sales team. Kim Lucas and Nathalie Ferrier will lead the two largest dress-up markets in EMEA, the U.K., and France.
As business development manager for the U.K. and Ireland, Kim Lucas will be overseeing the development of U.K. business alongside the senior management team. Nathalie Ferrier will lead as business development manager for France and Benelux, aiming to develop the French and Benelux markets via direct-to-retail. She will work with local distribution partners and accounts to build upon Disguise’s growing business in these countries.
“The U.K. and France are Europe’s strongest dress-up markets, so it is critical we have a talented and experienced staff running the development and local sales there — and Kim and Nathalie are the cream of the crop. Their backgrounds and their personalities are the perfect fit for the Disguise culture,” says Disguise President and General Manager Tara Hefter. “We look forward to Kim and Nathalie growing some key and soon-to-be-announced major licenses in EMEA.”
Lucas previously worked at Christy’s by Design, where she was pivotal in growing the company’s costume business. Ferrier has more than 20 years of experience in the toy and dress-up industry, including many years at Amscan.
In the past few months, Disguise has announced multiple expansions and renewals of its licenses, paving the way for the company to continue to grow domestically and abroad. This year, the company inked deals to create costumes and accessories for Ghostbusters, G.I. Joe, Bluey, CoComelon, the Universal Brand Development portfolio, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, PAW Patrol: The Movie, Nintendo’s Kirby, and Moonbug’s Blippi, in addition to a partnership with Funko to produce a line of Pop! Masks.