Author: admin

Investing in Creativity Sweepstakes and free financial literacy resources
support educators and parents as part of Crayola Creativity Week 2026

EASTON, Pa., Nov. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Crayola and MFS^® Investment Management announced today a partnership that will leverage the power of creativity to support teaching and learning financial literacy in schools and homes as part of Crayola Creativity Week 2026. Together, the brands will provide free financial literacy resources for educators and families to help children learn creative ways to save, avoid money mishaps, and plan for the future.

More than 13 million students from over 120 countries and 90,000 learning sites participated in Crayola Creativity Week last year. The collaboration with MFS Investment Management, an official sponsor of Crayola Creativity Week 2026, features the Investing in Creativity Sweepstakes, which runs through Dec. 8 and includes opportunities for educators and parents. In total, 10 educators will receive $2,500, along with $1,000 in Crayola arts supplies, for their schools to host a family engagement event that focuses on creativity and financial literacy. MFS Investment Management is supporting family engagement in schools because student outcomes improve when schools host events for their entire learning community.

As part of the sweepstakes, one family also will win $4,500 to establish or contribute to a 529 Savings Plan, along with $500 in Crayola art supplies. A 529 Savings Plan is a tax-advantaged investment account that helps families with qualified K-12 and college education expenses.

“At MFS, we believe financial literacy and creativity are powerful tools for helping young people reach their full potential,” said Maureen Bryan, VP, Director of Corporate Citizenship. “Through our partnership with Crayola Creativity Week, we’re inspiring students to think boldly, build confidence, and make meaningful connections between imagination and their financial futures.”

In addition to the sweepstakes, educators and parents have access to free financial literacy resources including activity sheets, a family engagement event guide, and a learning video featuring actor Michael Rainey, Jr. As part of the 2026 Creativity Week line-up, Rainey will share creative ways to build financial literacy skills and vocabulary and read aloud a selection of pages from the book A Quick History of Money (published by Quarto). The book’s illustrator, Rob Flowers, will help kids make their thinking visible by showing them how to illustrate the money smart words they’ve learned and imagine themselves as savvy-shopper detectives.

“Creativity is a critical life skill that helps children reach their full potential. Using creativity to help kids become money smart brightens their future,” said Cheri Sterman, Senior Director of Education, Crayola. “Our partnership with MFS underscores a shared commitment to empowering students with both creative confidence and financial literacy skills.”

The partnership comes as Crayola approaches the fifth year of Crayola Creativity Week, taking place Jan. 26 through Feb. 1, 2026. The free, week-long educational event provides schools, families, and libraries with inspiring and interactive content delivered by world-renowned creative talent to support creative learning across subject areas. The annual virtual event gives educators and parents resources to help nurture children’s creativity and supplies children with the tools to bring their ideas to life, encouraging imaginative expression and innovative thinking.

Through engaging, standards-aligned activities and resources, Crayola Creativity Week integrates hands-on experiences with literacy, STEAM, and social-emotional learning. The brand partners with companies, education associations, artists, actors, authors, and entrepreneurs to bring this program to life through hands-on videos from celebrity talent, downloadable handouts to follow and create along, daily prizes, and a livestream virtual school assembly. The daily themes address embracing ideas, reaching goals, empowering communities, and more to make creativity an essential part of the classroom, which extends beyond the week.

Crayola Creativity Week is a signature activation of Crayola’s Campaign for Creativity, the brand’s advocacy initiative that reframes, champions and celebrates creativity as a mindset essential to lifelong growth and wellbeing, and provides resources and inspiration to encourage more creative moments at home and in school.

Entries for the Investing in Creativity Sweepstakes are being accepted now. For more information about Crayola Creativity Week, visit Crayola.com/CreativityWeek.

About Crayola
Crayola LLC, based in Easton, Pa., and a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Incorporated, is a global leader in creative experiences. Through its innovative and vibrant portfolio of products, content and experiences, the iconic brand has unleashed imaginations and enabled colorful self-expression for more than 120 years. Crayola is committed to nurturing creativity as a lifelong journey. From sparking a child’s first artistic adventure and helping parents and educators raise creatively alive children, to inspiring adults to embrace their creative spirit, the brand empowers individuals of all ages to explore, discover, celebrate and connect through the joy of making. Learn more at www.crayola.com or join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/Crayola.

About MFS^® Investment Management
In 1924, MFS launched the first US open-end mutual fund, opening the door to the markets for millions of everyday investors. Today, as a full-service global investment manager serving financial advisors, intermediaries and institutional clients, MFS still serves a single purpose: to create long-term value for clients by allocating capital responsibly. That takes our powerful investment approach combining collective expertise, thoughtful risk management and long-term discipline. Supported by our culture of shared values and collaboration, our teams of diverse thinkers actively debate ideas and assess material risks to uncover what we believe are the best investment opportunities in the market. As of September 30, 2025, MFS manages US$658.7 billion in assets on behalf of individual and institutional investors worldwide. Please visit mfs.com for more information.

SOURCE Crayola

Launched in Asia earlier this year, and in around two dozen stores in Europe and the U.S. since September, the Blue Tab range of higher quality jeans and shirts is part of an ongoing push to broaden the Levi’s brand and attract more women.

Sign up here.

“We’re coming back with a larger scale in ’26, because it’s done really well,” said Singh, dressed in a shirt and jacket from the new line inspired by heavier and stiffer Japanese selvedge denim.

PREMIUM DENIM GROWING FASTER

In Europe, Blue Tab jeans sell for between about 250 and 350 euros ($290-410), compared with between 70 and 130 euros for its Red Tab line. Blue Tab jackets sell for around 700 euros.

Levi’s, which currently sells mostly mid-market denim under its Red Tab range, as well as a mass market range for outlet stores and Walmart, faces a delicate balance to cater to both budget and premium markets.

While premium denim accounts for about 10% of the roughly $100 billion global denim market, it is growing faster than the mid-single-digits of the regular jeans category, Singh said.

“The price point is one thing, but it’s also the quality of the product. So Japanese denim inspired, selvedge,” Singh said in an interview in the group’s Paris showroom.

Selvedge denim is woven on traditional looms that produce self-finished edges and a tightly woven, denser fabric.

Design is also key with a stronger pipeline planned for next year across men’s and women’s ranges, he said.

TARIFFS AND INFLATION CAUSE HEADWINDS

The maker of 501s, which reported sales of $6.4 billion last year, had set a target of reaching $10 billion in revenues and a 15% operating earnings margin by 2027, but scrapped the timeline during the pandemic as high inflation slowed growth.

Levi’s is expecting a strong holiday season, said Singh, with the company currently selling more full-priced product this year compared with a year ago.

“The consumer has largely been resilient. And we’re not seeing any demand contraction,” he said, adding that Levi’s would limit discounts as much as possible.

Expanding into non-denim fabrics that attract new customers and collaborations with brands like Barbour and Nike is helping to sell at full prices, said Singh, while a lower cotton commodity price this year has helped keep down costs.

Later on, Levi’s could buy a new brand to drive faster growth, said Singh, adding to its $150 million Beyond Yoga business, acquired in 2021.

“Right now, we have two brands. We have left the door open for another brand,” said Singh.

While “anything that could accelerate our tops business faster is something we’d look at,” an acquisition is not needed right now, he said.

($1 = 0.8575 euros)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab