Trends International is no stranger to fan-fueled home decor — The merch maker offers (literally) thousands of posters, calendars, bookmarks, and other paper goods featuring characters and scenes from across the pop culture landscape. But this year, the company has entered into a new category, launching a series of laser-engraved wooden wall art pieces.
The line initially launched in time with Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC), starting with the movie poster for Star Wars: A New Hope. Since then, the company has expanded the line with a map of Gotham City and the poster for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, which made its in-person debut at New York Comic Con (NYCC).
According to Dave Barckholtz, vice president of business development at Trends International, each piece takes about three hours to make. The 15-by-22.5-inch pine board gets one coat of paint, then it goes through the laser engraver, which adds dimension and intricate details, such as impossibly small, etched building shapes and street names that comic book fans will recognize.
“You get these fans who are asking, ‘Well, where’s the asylum?'” Barckholtz says. “And so it’s even a conversation piece. … It expands the fan experience, which is what you want in a licensed product.”
The Trends International team is working with a company called Fire and Pine to create these pieces. They initially found Fire and Pine at the Atlanta Gift Show, where they were drawn to the company’s creativity in making engraved wooden maps and other decor items. While Fire and Pine re-creates real places in their original pieces, Trends International saw the licensing potential.
And Barckholz believes there are endless possibilities to further expand the line, naming The Death Star and the Iron Man schematics as some dream designs.
On top of looking cool, this art also gives back. Thanks to a partnership with the nonprofit One Tree Planted, five trees are planted for every one tree used in the making of these pieces.
Overall, Barckholz says the wooden engravings stand out because, especially in the case of the Gotham City Map, they are high-quality pieces that even non-fans can appreciate.
“People who know it’s Gotham City, know. And then it’s a great nod,” he says. “But it’s also a great piece of art. So if you’re not a fan of Batman, it’s still cool.”
These pieces are available to shop now for $150 each at shoptrends.com. The Gotham City map and the A New Hope designs are shipping now, while the Empire Strikes Back piece is available for preorder.
