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To get a clearer picture of this world, we spoke to Manuela Giola, licensing specialist of the WE Licensing
group and to Omar Carano, Jessica Prunotto and Roberto Zito of the Design For Licensing group
Why is licensing so important for the
homewares market?
“In Italy it brings in 4 billion euros and
involves many top licensors and
licensees”, say Manuela Giola and Omar
Carano. It all began in the world of fashion,
where the big names realised the
power brand names has on people in
everything from fragrances to footwear. It
has since spread to other areas, most
notably cartoon characters (Disney, not
surprisingly, heads the list of the world’s
top 125 licensors, with revenues from
sales of 37 billion dollars), TV programmes
(Ben10, Gormiti, Winx), toys
(the ever-popular Barbie, who is now also
appealing to adults through the vintage
market) and brands like Hello Kitty, which
has even been used to sell the famous
Italian flatbread piadina romagnola. The
success of licenses is based on one
inescapable value: their emotional appeal.
Anyone who chooses a branded rather
than unbranded product does so
because the image of a brand, its colours
and associations makes us feel good –
something children know very well. And
fitting out the home is certainly an area
that stirs our passions: our home furnishings,
tableware and kitchenware, livingroom
ornaments, bedding all need to do
something for us. We might want them to
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make us feel we are keeping up with the
times or we might want to generate a
cosy “hearth and home” feeling. So the
links with brand licensing are easy to
imagine. Many licenses have already successfully
been added to home products,
enhancing their appeal”.
What themes are best suited to this
sector?
“Some subjects (including ones derived
from children’s storybooks) transfer to
design items very well,” says Manuela
Giola. “Examples include plates decorated
with the Seven Dwarves, the pastel
shades of Peter Rabbit on Wedgwood
porcelain, and Winnie the Pooh. But
works of art can also bring colour and
emotional appeal to simple household
objects. Take, for example, the artistic
decorations Illy added to its espresso coffee
cups. There is plenty of scope for
more: there is some great contemporary
art out there demonstrating that Italian talent
and savoir-faire are the envy of the
world. There is also a completely innovative
brand-space, in which the value of
the license is equal to the product’s ability
to understand it and transform it. Who
would have thought ten years ago that
Pantone colours would become a
licensed product for the home? Now
everyone wants it. And some merchandise
categories and themes are better
suited to licensing than other. Bedding
and tableware both lend themselves well
(table linen being a very similar category
to bed linen) as does cookware. Licensing
has recently also been entering the world
of electrical appliances.”
So licensing is not just about products
for kids
“Not at all! There is a growing demand for
furnishings with a vintage touch,” say
Manuela Giola and Design For Licensing.
“The iconic image of Audrey Hepburn on
a Vespa in Roman Holiday looks great on
a tray or as a wall hanging, as does the
Japanese cartoon detective Lupin III.
Licensing also exerts an incredible influence
on adults. Amazingly, 70% of
Warner Bros. products are actually aimed
at adults! However, the licensing sector,
has also been a victim of the recession
and efforts are being made to come up
with new appealing ideas, such as from
the world of art.”
How does a license give high-level
products added value?
“A license, a brand can certainly bring
added value and generate a high-level
image, especially when that brand already
SPODE Paddington KARTELL Ghost Barbie