Inside the New York Liberty’s year-round merch machine

Experiential Marketing // August 7, 2026 Inside the New York Liberty’s year-round merch machine By Julia Waldow New York Liberty It’s game day at Barclays Center in New York City, and the arena is bathed in a sea of seafoam green.

The New York Liberty, the city’s WNBA team, are about to take to the court, and fans are on their feet — cheering, clapping and sporting the latest merch. Everywhere you look, there are Liberty colors and logos: on jerseys, on baseball caps, on foam fingers, on varsity jackets, on backpacks.

Throughout the stadium, kids clutch plushies of Ellie the Elephant, the team’s mascot and a fashionista in her own right. Other fans wear Liberty-themed bandanas and tear open Ellie “blind boxes” that house bag charms. It’s merch mania, and it’s proving to be big business for the Liberty franchise.

Team Store sales are up more than 80% year-over-year, both online and at physical outposts at Barclays, per data shared with Modern Retail. Each Liberty game, hundreds of people cycle through the main store, with some sizes selling out before halftime.

The Liberty’s 2026 “Pride Night” shirt had a 100% sell-through rate, and the new Ellie bag charms are “selling like hotcakes,” said Chief Brand Officer Shana Stephenson. Overall, there’s so much demand for Liberty swag that the team brought on a dedicated VP of merchandise and retail, Jamillah Davis Hernandez, from Saks Fifth Avenue earlier this year.

Now, there’s more to come as the Liberty work to establish themselves as a team that people think of year-round. The WNBA regular season runs from May to September — with playoffs going through October — but the Liberty organization is really “a 12-month business,” Stephenson told Modern Retail.

As a result, the Liberty will be creating more merchandise for the off-season, including the team’s first foray into holiday and stocking stuffers. The main Barclays store will also be renovated this year to allow for more SKU capacity and to install a Liberty section that people can shop year-round.

With moves like this, the Liberty franchise is trying to become a full lifestyle business, Stephenson said. “It was always my goal for people to wear Liberty gear, not just to come to our game, but when they’re out walking their dog or going to the movies on a Saturday night,” she explained.

But this philosophy applies to anyone, basketball aficionados or otherwise, Stephenson said. “We want to make sure that we’re creating merchandise for casual fans that might not have been to a game,” she said. “I love that we’re at a place where we can deliver on that.” Image via New York Liberty So far, partnerships have been key to this effort.

The Liberty runs its Team Store in tandem with Fanatics, and the two work together to plan merch and work with local licensees. The organization also sells items from official brand partners like luggage company Away.

In 2023, the team began creating special-edition shirts with local designers and artists for themed nights like “West Indian Night” and “Noche Latina.” Also, this year, the Liberty launched a much-anticipated capsule collection with the streetwear brand New York or Nowhere.

Spurring interest from a major brand like NYON “was always a goal” for Stephenson, who joined the franchise in 2018. “I think it speaks to the growth and the evolution and the respect that brands have for women’s sports teams, … and understanding that there is huge commercial opportunity there,” she said.

Collaborations with local designers and brands have driven more than 30% of total merchandise sales, per the Liberty. Image via New York or Nowhere / New York Liberty There’s also the Ellie of it all.

Ellie, who became the Liberty mascot in 2021, has become a viral sensation on social media, thanks to her elaborate dance choreography, red carpet appearances and full repertoire of outfits. Today, Ellie merchandise — which includes hats, T-shirts and an attachable “Ellie braid” — represents 21% of in-venue sales.

The Ellie plush dolls are consistently a bestseller. They sold out the first day they were available in 2024, leading the franchise to increase its order quantity by more than 1,000% for 2025. The “Ellie braid” was also popular right off the bat. Together with the plushie, “We could not keep them in store,” Stephenson said.

“We realized that it wasn’t just children that wanted it — adults were buying it, as well, and there was tremendous opportunity.” Image via New York Liberty This year, after witnessing the Labubu craze, the Liberty introduced five Ellie “blind boxes” that are popular among all ages. The items are only available at the Barclays store, an