Tara Ryan is head of design for childrenswear at M&S and frequently partners with brands when creating new ranges. We talked to her ahead of Brand Licensing Europe – Europe’s leading event for licensing and brand extension – where retailers and manufacturers can discover thousands of brands ready to license. The event takes place from 20-22 September 2022 at ExCeL London and is free for CWB readers to attend.

 

How long has M&S been working with licenses?
Tara Ryan: I think our first kids’ license was the David Beckham DB07 range, which was in 2002, so 20 years ago.

You’ve currently got a brilliantly eye-catching Jurassic Park campaign in-store. What other licenses are you working with?
TR: Jurassic has been great because Universal was a really strong partner and it all came together quite smoothly. We have Harry Potter, too. That’s a big one for us as well, and we brought our first range out in 2020. We launched Smiley in the spring. That was a collab for older areas of childrenswear and has been great and, for us, quite unique.

We then have the hardy perennials like Frozen. Many of these are Disney brands and we continue them season after season. So, Frozen, the Disney Princesses, Mickey and Minnie, Spiderman, Batman, the Marvel franchise and Looney Tunes. We launched Space Jam last year and that was very successful.

We often work alongside movie launches. They’re landed in a big way commercially with support from the studio and they do work really well. So, Space Jam launched last year, and we are continuing to do more with Looney Tunes to keep the momentum going.

Peppa Pig is also perennially successful with girls and boys. And we’re working with Snoopy again, which is more of an independent brand, plus Star Wars – and we launched Buzz Lightyear to acknowledge the launch of the film. We continue working with those brands pretty much season in, season out, with a peak at Christmas where you get the gifting opportunity.

Are movie lines the most successful brands for driving sales?
TR: Yes. They tend to be shorter and sharper moments around the launches. However, Frozen has been pretty continuous. That’s down to that nursery age group where they’re so compelled by these characters and once they are in a group of kids the same age, they decide they have to have princesses, or they have to have Spidey.

The other successful movie brand is Harry Potter. This is aimed at an older age group starting from seven when they begin reading the books. It seems to really light a fire in certain kids’ imaginations. They stick with the storyline until they’re in their 20s and become Harry superfans, so it’s quite a different license – more lifestyle almost.

 

 

Why do you work with licenses and what’s the benefit to retailers of collaborating with brands?
TR: I think a huge benefit now is that you can tell different stories if you collaborate with a strong partner brand. We can weave their IP and their style and DNA into the M&S DNA to create something new, reach a new audience, and tell a slightly more surprising story. It’s really about brand fit.

We are careful to pick brands our current customers will love, as well as push the boundaries to bring new demographics through the door. We choose highly commercial licensing partners where we know that they can consistently bring a revenue stream. Then we have inspirational partners where they’re a bit more head-turning or are in the Zeitgeist

Do you experiment when working with licenses? Perhaps using your ecommerce site to trial brands and ranges before committing to a full install range?
TR: Yes, we do that a lot. So, you might see a new show on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel, and we can test that IP through assets online in a small way as a trial. That gives us the confidence to go deeper and bring them into store then what we do in-store is create really fun and imaginative experiences for customers to shop in.

How do you think licensing has changed?
TR: It has changed a lot. The licensees are now far cooler. Whether it’s sportswear or trendy high street shops, it’s definitely a cooler dynamic now.

It used to be just for kids and driven by children. However, I think you now get that fashion layer because you get cool youth and teens wearing a look. And they are often a bit more exclusive, as well. For example, if you get a cool trainer collaborating with a brand, that’s a great reason to buy it and often at a higher price point.

As a designer, how do you prefer to work with brands? That process has changed a lot as well, hasn’t it?
TR: Yes, it absolutely has. I think the best partner relationships we have are where the partner has an eye for innovation, for moving forward, and can flex their handwriting and bring new asset styles into our style guide but are also happy for us to bring in our colour palette and make it sit with our trends.

So, with Jurassic Park, it was our palette and our all-over print, but it still felt like Jurassic Park. There are other licenses where we bring them into a trend story, and they sit with a pretty dress or a pair of jeans and become a lifestyle look.

What are your top tips for childrenswear retailers who are yet to take the plunge with licensing?
TR: Choose carefully, because I think your first collaboration with a licensing partner is going to speak volumes. So, you want to make sure that you can differentiate your product from what else is out there. And also, very obviously, make sure that the commercials are right for both partners. It’s quite complex. You need to work with third parties at every step along the critical path.

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