BLE Creative Corner with… Golden Goose’s Adam Bass

Adam, it’s always great to chat. So, what fuels your creativity? What helps you have ideas?
Well, that’s an interesting question. I guess it’s a strange and potent blend of serendipity and really bad ideas. Serendipity is just about being open to information and ideas… It could be visiting a store, browsing the internet, reading the newspaper or just something that occurs to me in a moment of abstraction. If I have a really bad idea and recognise it as such, it can sometimes be a useful stimulus to understanding what’s wrong with it and why. In licensing it’s just as important to know what you shouldn’t do as what you should.

Good point. Now, can you tell us about a recent launch you were involved in that you feel is an especially creative use of a licensed brand?
It’s a happy story with a sad ending! When we developed Oasis Fabric Conditioner, I felt that was particularly creative because no other fashion apparel brand had ever gone into that category. It really kickstarted the whole programme afresh. Unfortunately though, Covid killed the brand which is a shame as we were in our fifth year with them and going from strength to strength.

That is a shame. Lovely idea. And what about a launch you’ve seen – but wasn’t involved in – that you feel is a creative brand extension?
I’m a big fan of all the crazy food collabs of the past few years. There are so many ideas that you just wonder how they work – they’re nuts but a lot of fun.

“If you want to stand out, you need something that turns heads and makes commercial sense, which is really hard.”

What do you feel is key to successful creative collaborations between licensors and licensees?
You need something that turns heads – but doesn’t just turn heads, it also has to be desirable, aspirational and make sense. When you look at the JD & Coke pre-mix, the design is so simple, it’s almost like the product has been there forever. The Lacoste and WWF fashion collab was more short lived, but definitely met these requirements, albeit it was riskier for WWF than Lacoste.

Last question! BLE is coming up. Do you find attending the show is a good means of fuelling creativity? If so, how?
I’d say that all you need to do is walk in the door. BLE is a seething mass of retailers, licensing agents, licensees and brandowners, so if that doesn’t get your juices flowing then I don’t know what will. Hope to see you there on stand C255.

We’ll be there! Thanks again Adam.

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