Start Licensing’s Ian Downes reports back from the CHSI Stitches show for the creative craft industry at Birmingham’s NEC this week.
It was a case of another week another trade show for me.
I attended the CHSI Stitches Show at the NEC. The show was celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It is billed as the ‘UK show for the creative craft industry’. It attracts exhibitors including companies which produce fabric, yarns and crafting accessories. Visitors are drawn from a range of retailers servicing the sector and also the associated design community. It was my second visit to the show. Last year I was invited to talk about licensing alongside licensee The Makerss, while this year I joined a panel entitled Licensing Made Easy with Susan Bolsover, Sarah Hurley and Susan Balfour.
Before the panel discussion I called in on a few exhibitors to take a straw poll on their views on licensing in the sector. Although unscientific in nature, my poll did reveal some interesting insights that I thought were worth sharing here and on the panel. The companies I talked to didn’t currently feature any licensing in their product ranges. One reason given for not using licensing was that companies perceived licensing to be expensive and also complicated. A further reason given was that companies felt they could create their own designs and didn’t see any ‘value in licensing’.
It is always worthwhile taking time out to think why companies aren’t getting involved in licensing. I think the first two observations are not uncommon and can be put into context – of course every agent and rights holder will have their own policy on the cost of using their brand, but maybe there is something to be said for the industry being more open about costs. Likewise it was a concern that people felt licensing was complicated – this was related to the contractual process and also approvals. Again I think there is a job to be done to break this down and, of course, during the licensing process maybe there needs to be a greater emphasis on making things easier for companies. My counterpoint to this assertion was that in my experience we have worked a lot with ‘first time’ licensees which have gone on to build successful licensing portfolios. Along with our clients we have worked on making the ‘on boarding’ process as straightforward and simple as possible.
It was also interesting to consider the point about companies preference to use their own designs. In part, this was a point around ongoing ownership of designs and also approvals. A strong counter argument to this is that licensing can give companies a competitive edge and a degree of exclusivity in a sector. Walking the show I did feel that there was definitely a role for licensing to play, not least in giving companies an opportunity to stand out from the crowd. In the context of education and shifting perceptions, the organisers of the CHSI Stitches Show should be applauded for giving licensing a platform at the show. I think this is all part of an education programme to break down barriers and misconceptions about licensing – licensing made easy indeed!
It is important to say that I did see some licensing on show at CHSI Stitches. The Crafty Kit Company is a great example of a crafting company which has embraced licensing and blended it with its own suite of designs. It produces needle felting kits and has made great use of licences such as Peter Rabbit, Miffy and Moomins. The product is well presented, beautifully designed and offers a great representation of the characters it has licensed.
I think The Crafty Kit Company is seen as a ‘go to’ company for licensed kits in the industry. It has been very circumspect in its brand choices and has tried to develop a licensed portfolio that sits well together, with an emphasise on classic brands. I know it has been offered a lot more licensing opportunities, but has been circumspect about its choices – there is a capacity issue plus it has to be aware of the retailer’s appetite for licenses as well. It also wants to maintain its own identity through its own designs. From the outside, I would assess The Crafty Kit Company as a licensing success story.
Another licensee that was exhibiting was Manchester-based company Visage which develops fabrics for the crafting market. Its licensed offer included Peter Rabbit and the V&A. Again carefully chosen licences that suit the market well, but also ones that offer a clear point of difference. Heritage brands with well curated archives are well positioned to make an impact in this market, but it is important to note that they have to offer designs that can’t be sourced elsewhere.
I am sure there were other examples of licensing within the show, not least art licensing with companies licensing work from artists and illustrators. Art licensing is a part of the licensing mix that goes unheralded, but in markets like this one there is a healthy economy for art licensing. Indeed, one of my fellow panellists Sarah Hurley has built a very successful business in part by creating art-lead designs for licensing and working with companies to create bespoke designs. Sarah’s success shows how a market focused approach to licensing built on an understanding of a sector can be very effective.
The panel discussion was a success I think, with some great insights and learnings shared about licensing followed by some good questions from the audience. I was pleased to be part of the panel and to do my bit to tell the licensing story in a market that is a little wary of our industry. As noted earlier, it was good of the organisers to give licensing a platform at the CHSI Stitches. I have long believed for licensing to keep growing we need to be prepared to be more open and engaging about the business of licensing beyond our ‘safe zone’.
Licensing made easy is probably a good mantra to remember in our day to day work.
Ian Downes runs Start Licensing, an independent brand licensing agency. His X handle is @startlicensing and on Instagram he is @iandownesphotos – he would welcome your suggestions for what to look out for.
