The Cubs last season made "Fly The W" its playoff slogan, and this year the team is "turning the W into a lifestyle clothing line," according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS. The line "debuted at the expanded Cubs team store inside Wrigley Field" during Game 1 of their NLDS against the Giants on Friday night. With Levy Retail "taking the lead in design, the Fly the W collection is designed to give fans a way to show off their uber-Cubs pride without sacrificing fashion." With 17 pieces of clothing, the line is "touted as a limited-edition collection that can only be purchased at the ballpark" during the postseason. Some of the items "specifically mention" the '16 playoffs. The W used in the collection is "different from what fans are used to." Levy and the Cubs "stepped away from the white background and solid blue letter in favor of a distressed pattern in the letter, a darker blue and a gray background." A resurgence on the field has been the "catalyst for everything the Cubs and Levy are doing with the W." The Cubs last year filed applications with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to "drastically expand the team's ability to cash in on the W." The move was "intended to give the team licensing rights to put the W on scores of new items from clothing and jewelry to clocks, golf club bags, poker chips and more." On the clothing front, the Cubs "ran into opposition" from N.Y.-based women's luxury apparel company the Worth Collection, which claims a trademark on a W similar to the Cubs' W for its W by Worth line. The Cubs' application is "still pending" (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 10/10).
