How a fashion brand can launch a successful licensed product with a celebrity

Why fashion brands should consider licensing as a strategic tool—this is what Natalia Timashova, editor-in-chief of Shoes Report magazine, discussed with Maria Kozeeva, CEO of the Yulia Vysotskaya media holding (part of the Andrey Sergeevich Konchalovsky Production Center) and brand director of the Edim Doma and Julia Vysotskaya businesses.

Maria Kozeeva - CEO of the licensing agency Yulia Vysotskaya, brand director of the businesses "EdimDoma" and Julia Vysotskaya

Maria, in recent years, Russian brands have increasingly collaborated with famous figures. What are the specifics of the licensing market in fashion, especially footwear and apparel?

"Yes, indeed, celebrity collaborations are booming in the fashion industry right now. Before answering your question, let me tell you about the famous person we represent. She's Yulia Vysotskaya, a theater and film actress, Honored Artist of Russia, TV presenter, author of numerous cookbooks, and founder of a pool of gastronomic-related business projects."

Yulia Vysotskaya's business portfolio

• The "Eat at Home!" program on NTV
• 46 cookbooks
• Culinary website edimdoma.ru
• 5 culinary studios
• I Like It! program
• The Sweet and Salty Program
• Sweet and Salty Confectionery

The licensing market certainly has its own specifics; it's a complex area of ​​activity where it's important to consider many factors: the legal aspects of trademark registration and transfer of rights, and reputational risks.

A license is a marketing tool that grants rights to use a person's image and brand for a specified period (on average, licensing contracts are signed for 2-4 years; in fashion, they typically involve a specific number of seasons) with the ability to display them not only on packaging and POS materials, but also in media advertising, outdoor and television advertising, social media, and digital spaces. This is a long-term partnership, not a one-time integration, and a more effective tool for business than simply signing an advertising contract with a person.

Licensing is especially relevant in fashion, as this highly competitive segment is constantly competing for consumer attention. Limited collections create an impression of uniqueness and exclusivity, always generating good publicity and motivating quick purchase decisions.
The domestic licensing market is small, and the licensor community is small, consisting primarily of multi-brand licensing agencies. The licensing market in Russia is still immature and is only just gaining momentum. In the West, licensing is a well-established marketing tool. Major brands like H&M, Zara, and Uniqlo have dedicated licensing departments, and we see licensed innovations in every collection.

According to experts, the annual growth rate of the licensing segment in our country is around 15%, while in Europe this figure is lower—around 5%—because, again, the market there is well established. The licensing market is divided into two categories: children's licenses and adult licenses. The children's segment, both in Russia and internationally, accounts for 90% of the licensing market, consisting of cartoon characters. Due to constant content updates, this market thrives: with the release of a new cartoon or episode, sales rise. One successful example of a children's license is the collaboration between Geox and the Russian animated series "Masha and the Bear," created by Animaccord Studios.

The adult segment includes licenses with sports brands and personalized licenses. The latter is our agency's specialty, and we are pioneers in this area: we signed our first licensing contract in 2007, and today we see many of our stars actively using this tool.

Your licensing agency has experience working with two footwear brands, Ekonika and Geox. Both have released collaborations with Yulia Vysotskaya. Tell us more about them.

Yulia Vysotskaya released two capsule collections with Ekonika: Spring/Summer 2020 and Fall/Winter 2020/21. To create Yulia's conceived shoe style, the Ekonika team purchased shoe lasts from a renowned fashion house. All the bags sold out within the first few days, and the entire capsule collection sold out within the first week, compared to the planned three-month run. Yulia's editorial team continues to receive inquiries from fans aleatherg where to buy this collection.

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Geox is a major international player with a unified production process: shoe lasts, boxes, and packaging are all produced in a single run for their entire market. The Italian brand took a creative approach to the collection, adding a two-color trench coat, a bold statement that perfectly captured Yulia Vysotskaya's style.

Two collections were created with Geox—spring/summer 2023 and 2024. Geox & Julia Vysotskaya is the brand's first collaboration with a famous celebrity. The company's headquarters in Italy closely monitored sales, as the team had previously only acquired children's licenses, including Disney, and was interested in understanding how the model would perform in the Russian market.

— What other fashion projects on the Russian market are worthy of attention?

"In my opinion, Igor Chapurin's collaboration with Smeshariki and Lamoda was particularly vibrant and fun. This example demonstrates how unexpected yet meaningful partnerships can generate demand. I can't help but mention the Ekonika collection with Alena Akhmadullina, which captured her magical, poetic style. Projects like these confirm that when a person's personality and a brand's identity align, the result is not just a product, but a truly emotional story that sells itself."

— Many brands would like to try collaborating with various famous people, but they don't quite know how to approach this topic—where to start?

The first step is clearly defining the goals of acquiring a license and understanding its purpose, for example: attracting the attention of a loyal or new audience, increasing brand awareness, introducing a premium product line, differentiating from competitors on the shelf, or creating a stronger emotional connection with consumers. The second step is researching and analyzing the target audience. Here, it's important to understand what your customers want and determine which celebrity they trust. The third step is assessing the alignment of the values ​​of your target audience and the celebrity. Therefore, before beginning the search for a partner, the brand needs to define its goals and objectives for the future collaboration, develop a profile of its target audience, and clearly understand which celebrity they trust.

— What is the minimum budget for obtaining a personal license?

"It all depends on many factors: the category, market size, margins, and the volume of interactions with the individual. We first assess interest in the product and its market prospects. The decision to collaborate doesn't always depend on the budget of the company approaching us. For us, the most important thing is the product's alignment with Yulia Vysotskaya's theme and values, and the partner's reputation in the market."

— What are the most common mistakes brands make when trying their hand at celebrity collaborations for the first time?

The most common mistake is underestimating the depth of a person's involvement. Some believe that simply slapping a name on a brand is enough, but it's their involvement in choosing the styles, designs, colors, and packaging that creates the emotional connection between the celebrity and the brand that drives sales. In the collaboration with Ekonika, it was Yulia's insistence on choosing a bright yellow color for the bag that became the key driver of demand.

Why should footwear brands consider licensing as a strategic tool?

Because fashion is an emotional category where image and personality can play a decisive role. A limited-edition collection creates a sense of exclusivity in the consumer, attracts media and blogger attention, and stimulates demand not only for the collection but also for the main line. Our experience shows that even if a consumer doesn't buy a piece from a collaboration, they'll remember the brand and are more likely to choose it next time. In a highly competitive market, this is a strategically important advantage.