Celebrities As Licensees

Celebrities are well known to be active property owners, extending their personal and brand names in a variety of ways. One of those is to launch their own companies to market their products, in lieu of signing licensees, which gives them more control over their signature or branded merchandise. And, as they become product marketers in their own right, it follows that a growing number of them are serving as licensees.

Following are some examples of companies—owned, partly owned, and/or founded by celebrities—that have assumed this role recently:

• In February of this year, The Rock’s Project Rock brand, a long-term license with Under Armour, became the official footwear partner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Project Rock replaced Reebok as the sports entity’s exclusive master footwear licensee.

• Also in February, Kanye West (now known as Ye) and his Yeezy Gap brand, an ongoing collaboration with the retailer that has led to several limited collections, paired with luxury brand Balenciaga for an eight-piece Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga collection.

• Tyra Banks teamed with Lionel Richie last fall for a limited “All Night Love” flavor of her SMiZE Cream ice cream brand, which incorporates some of his childhood favorite tastes. This marked the first collaboration for SMiZE. The product was available at the SMiZE Cream shop in Los Angeles and through DoorDash in Los Angeles and New York.

• Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie Jenner’s makeup brand now majority owned by Coty, paired with Dr. Seuss Enterprises for a collaboration centered on The Grinch for Holiday 2020, followed by a partnership with Warner Bros. for a Nightmare on Elm Street collection timed to Halloween 2021. The assortments included eyeshadows, lipsticks, and other cosmetics. Kylie Cosmetics has also forged collaborations with several celebrities, including all of Jenner’s sisters in the Kardashian-Jenner clan as well as some of her famous friends.

• Speaking of Kardashians, Kim Kardashian West’s Skims brand of shapewear paired with luxury label Fendi for a co-branded capsule that sold out quickly in November of 2021. It was available on both brands’ websites and in Fendi stores. The line included a variety of bodysuits, with all the pieces featuring the logos of both companies.

This is not a completely new phenomenon, of course. Michael Jordan’s Jordan brand got its start in 1984, working with a variety of athletes and more recently musicians including Drake, J Balvin, Travis Scott, and now Billie Eilish. NFL player Drew Pearson launched his headwear and apparel company in 1985, and it has worked with licenses including the pro sports leagues along with properties owned by Warner Bros. and Disney/Lucasfilm. And Alyssa Milano formed her Touch brand of women’s clothing with G-III in 2008, securing licenses from all four leagues and a number of colleges.

The practice is proliferating rapidly these days as more celebrities found their own companies to handle at least some of their own—and others’—brand extension operations.

A reminder that Raugust Communications’ monthly e-newsletter comes out tomorrow, May 17. The Licensing Topic of the Month focuses on the growing trend of makers as licensees. And the Datapoint research spotlight takes a look at retailers’ outbound licensing strategies. If you have not yet signed up for this free publication, you can subscribe here.