I know, you know, we know fashion is and always will be about the clothes. We’re all drawn to the silhouettes, the patterns, the way a single look just says so much. But behind the sketching and stitching, there’s a whole not sexy, but definitely rich world. I’m talking about licensing, something I feel like I should’ve learned about way way sooner than when I did, but I’m glad I know all about it now. I mean, it’s everywhere! We just don’t see it happening as much as we could think we would. It’s the power behind the whole industry. The kind of power that makes a logo worth its weight in gold, even if it’s stamped on a pair of sunglasses that you didn’t really need. And take that in; nine times out of ten, the designer isn’t even part of the creation process of those shades - they’re just the name on the dotted line.
But who’s complaining? I’m sure I’m not speaking for myself when I say fashion, when done right, makes us feel a way nothing else ever could. But so much of it is built on deals made in rooms where people would rather talk spreadsheets than hemlines. It’s basically just the backstage we never asked for, but what keeps the machine going while we focus on the runway. That’s what I find so interesting in fashion. That there’s a whole other side that we just can’t see. There’s a whole balance happening; boardrooms and vision boards, courtrooms and catwalks… And there’s the designers that lend their names to products they don’t even control! I mean, when you spray that designer perfume, Karl, Tom, or whoever didn’t exactly mix those notes by hand. More likely, it’s a big company with a bigger bank account making sure you feel like a million bucks for about $200 a bottle. That’s licensing, where designers are part artists, part moguls, and their real medium isn’t fabric - it’s deals.
But I wonder, does it ever feel like too much? That fine line between staying iconic and becoming, well, pedestrian. Look at Pierre Cardin. In the ’80s, you couldn’t swing your scarf around your neck without hitting something stamped with his name. Clothes, kitchen gadgets, cigarettes - it was everywhere, and the charm? Gone with a puff of smoke. So when does a brand stop being aspirational and start becoming common?
Maybe it’s just part of the dance. For one designer that guards his name from anything you could get at the dollar store, there’s another one that’s just a little bit ruthless that takes the risk. Because, at the end of the day, fashion is a business. It’s contract controls, and maybe a little champagne for good measure. But licensing really is just playing the long game. If done right, it opens doors - to new markets, to new customers, and sometimes, gives a whole new identity to the brand (yes that can be good or bad but that’s a whole other conversation).
We’re in 2024, the age of new brands popping up left and right every day. So it’s not surprising that for some of them, if the opportunity comes, they will leap. They all always have a unique vision and almost never have the funds. For them, a well-placed licensing deal could make or break them. It’s a lifeline, a chance to keep the lights on without stomping all over their dreams with pretty little 7-inch platform heels. Is it a good compromise though? Or is it smart? Because at the end of the day, a deal is only as good as the reputation it protects.
All to say that, yes, you think fashion, you think runways, but the more I sit with it, the more I realize that behind all of it is the whole world of invisible transactions. You think a little black dress is timeless? Try a perfectly crafted licensing agreement. Without it, fashion would be chaos - or worse - mass-market mediocrity. So while deals are being inked and I’m picking which fashion week looks I liked the best, there’s someone out there, on their computers just like I am and you are, expect they’re crafting a deal between a big name and a less exciting one, but one that’ll keep the first one shining.
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