Carnaval de México

What Carnaval de México does

Carnaval de México is a private, Mexico-based clothing manufacturer and distributor founded in 1960, specializing in licensed character apparel for the entire family. The company holds manufacturing and distribution licenses for a broad portfolio of entertainment intellectual property, including Disney properties (Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Disney Princess, Disney Villains, Lilo & Stitch, Avengers), Sanrio (Hello Kitty, My Melody), Star Wars/Lucasfilm (including The Mandalorian), Marvel (Spider-Man, Spidey and His Amazing Friends), Pixar (Toy Story), Universal (Minions, Jurassic World), Sesame Street (Plaza Sésamo), Bluey, Peanuts, Jaws, and Gabby's Dollhouse. The product range is organized across four categories: Niños (boys), Niñas (girls), Juniors, and Damas y Caballeros (women and men), with no proprietary technology platform disclosed.

The company's business model is B2B licensed-apparel manufacturing and wholesale distribution. Carnaval de México does not sell direct-to-consumer; instead it distributes its products through Mexico's largest national retail chains — Liverpool, Sears, Sam's Club, and Suburbia — covering the entire national territory. Revenue is generated primarily from one-time license-driven apparel sales to these retail partners, with consumer pricing set by the retailers themselves. The company's 60+ years of operating history, its tenure-based relationships with both licensors (Disney, Sanrio, Lucasfilm, Marvel/Universal, Pixar) and retail partners, and its nationwide channel penetration constitute the structural backbone of the business.

Carnaval de México is headquartered in Cuajimalpa, Mexico City, and operates as a privately held family business with no disclosed parent company, subsidiaries, institutional investors, or external funding. Its digital presence is limited to Facebook and Instagram profiles that direct traffic to retail partners rather than a proprietary e-commerce channel. The company holds no disclosed patents or trademarks of its own and reports no app, API, or digital product surface. Visibility into financial performance (revenue, headcount, margins) is non-existent in public sources, and competitive moats are concentrated in licensing depth and retail incumbency rather than technology.

Name

Carnaval de México

Legal name

Carnaval de México

Website

https://carnavaldemexico.mx

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Carnaval de México is a privately held, 60-year-old Mexican clothing manufacturer and distributor specializing in licensed character apparel — Disney, Sanrio, Star Wars, Marvel, and others — for children, juniors, and adults, sold wholesale through Liverpool, Sears, Sam's Club, and Suburbia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Licensed Apparel Manufacturing

NAICS

Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159)

SIC

Retail-Family Clothing Stores (5651)

akta.pro primary industry

Entertainment Memorabilia Retail (Film/TV/Music) (CRALAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pop Culture, Licensed & Fandom Gifts Retail (CRALAJAK)

Keywords

• Licensed apparel manufacturing
• Family clothing brands
• Character clothing line
• Mexican fashion manufacturing
• Licensed character merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Mexico City

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Licensed Apparel Manufacturing and Distribution: Carnaval de México generates revenue by manufacturing and distributing clothing products featuring licensed intellectual property from major entertainment brands. The company designs and produces apparel for the entire family and distributes through established retail partnerships across Mexico.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Carnaval de México manufactures and distributes licensed character clothing for the entire family (children, juniors, men, and women). The company produces apparel featuring popular entertainment franchise licenses including Disney, Sanrio (Hello Kitty), Star Wars, Marvel, Toy Story, Minions, Sesame Street, Bluey, Peanuts, and others, and distributes these products exclusively through major Mexican retail chains such as Liverpool, Sears, Sam's Club, and Suburbia.

Product overview

Carnaval de México is a clothing manufacturing and distribution company with over 60 years of experience in the Mexican market. The company operates as a multi-brand licensed apparel business, offering clothing for the entire family across four main product categories: Niños (boys), Niñas (girls), Juniors, and Damas y Caballeros (women and men). The product portfolio centers on licensed character clothing featuring major entertainment franchises including Disney properties (Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Disney Princess, Disney Villains, Avengers), Sanrio (Hello Kitty, My Melody), Star Wars, Plaza Sésamo, Toy Story, Jurassic World, Minions, Lilo & Stitch, Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Gabby's Dollhouse, Bluey, Peanuts, and other popular brands. Products are distributed through major Mexican retail chains including Liverpool, Sears, Sams, and Suburbia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Niños (Boys) Clothing Boys' clothing line featuring licensed characters and designs from major entertainment franchises including Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, Toy Story, Minions, and others. Distributed through major Mexican retail chains.
• Niñas (Girls) Clothing Girls' clothing line featuring licensed characters and designs from major entertainment franchises including Disney Princesses, Hello Kitty, Minnie Mouse, and others. Distributed through major Mexican retail chains.
• Juniors Clothing Juniors-size clothing line featuring licensed characters and designs from major entertainment franchises for teenage consumers. Distributed through major Mexican retail chains.
• Damas y Caballeros (Women and Men) Clothing Adult women's and men's clothing line featuring licensed characters and designs from major entertainment franchises. Distributed through major Mexican retail chains.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DisneycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarnaval de México licenses Disney's intellectual property including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Disney Princess, Disney Villains, and other Disney characters for manufacturing clothing products.
• Sanrio (Hello Kitty)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarnaval de México holds a license to produce clothing featuring Hello Kitty, My Melody, and other Sanrio characters.
• Star Wars (Lucasfilm)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarnaval de México manufactures Star Wars and The Mandalorian branded clothing for the Mexican market.
• MarvelcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarnaval de México produces Spider-Man, Avengers, and Spidey and His Amazing Friends branded apparel under Marvel licensing.
• Sesame StreetcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarnaval de México licenses Sesame Street characters for manufacturing children's clothing.
• Pixar (Toy Story)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarnaval de México produces Toy Story branded clothing featuring characters like Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
• Universal Pictures (Despicable Me/Minions)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarnaval de México manufactures Minions branded clothing under Universal Pictures licensing.
• BlueyminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarnaval de México produces Bluey branded children's apparel featuring the popular Australian animated character.
• PeanutsminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarnaval de México holds license to produce Peanuts (Charlie Brown, Snoopy) themed children's clothing.
• Lilo & Stitch (Disney)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarnaval de México manufactures Lilo & Stitch branded apparel under Disney licensing.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Mattel: Global toy and licensed character products company that manufactures apparel and accessories under licenses including Disney and other entertainment franchises, sharing the same character-licensing business model as Carnaval de México.
• Sanrio: Japanese IP owner and licensor of Hello Kitty, My Melody, and other characters that both licenses to Carnaval de México and sells its own branded apparel and merchandise globally, including in Mexico.

Direct peers

• Perugia: Mexican children's and family apparel chain that competes in the same licensed and value-oriented family clothing segment as Carnaval de México, selling through its own stores and other Mexican retail channels.
• Cklass: Mexican multi-segment apparel brand competing for the same family/middle-class discretionary spend across juniors and women's categories, sold through Mexican department stores and stand-alone boutiques.

Broad incumbents

• H&M Mexico: Swedish fast-fashion retailer with broad Mexican operations, including children's and family apparel lines that compete directly with Carnaval's licensed offerings at overlapping price points.
• Coppel: Mexican mass-market retailer with an extensive own-brand apparel offering sold nationwide; competes for the same family apparel dollars and shelf space as Carnaval de México.
• Zara (Inditex Mexico): Global fast-fashion leader with significant Mexican presence; competes for family apparel share in the same physical retail channels where Carnaval de México products are sold.
• Liverpool (El Puerto de Liverpool): Mexican department store chain that is simultaneously Carnaval de México's largest retail customer and a competitor through its own private-label licensed family apparel lines.

Emerging players

• Distroller: Mexican fashion brand built around licensed and original character merchandise (including Frida Kahlo-licensed products), with a similar fandom/character-merchandise positioning to Carnaval's Disney/Sanrio lines but a younger, design-forward brand.
• SHEIN Mexico: Chinese fast-fashion DTC platform aggressively expanding in Mexico with licensed and unlicensed character apparel at low price points, competing for the same family and kids' apparel budget.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CarnavaldeMexico
• Instagraminstagram.com/carnavaldemexico/?hl=es-la
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carnaval-de-mexico

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carnaval de México