Marcia Dufresne is a New Yorker. She’s also a career woman and mother. So practicality is less a fun little idea than it is a way of life. When her daily commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan became laborious because of the constant exchange of her shoes and sneakers before and after worked, she reacted.
“After work, if she wanted to go out, she found herself toting a separate shopping bag with her sneakers, or worse yet, having to stuff her extra pair of shoes into her purse,” her site explains. “Frustrated, she spent one long weekend sewing up a solution. She wore sneakers to work on her daily commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan.”
The result was Shoe Along, a stylish, convenient, shoe carrier for the professional woman.
“Women can now simply slip their second pair of shoes inside the Shoe Along and very easily attach it to the outside of their own handbag.”
Dufresne has produced a bulk stash of the product, and looks forward to getting her product into retail stores.
So how might licensing benefit her in the short and long term? We asked licensing expert Marty Brochstein, senior VP of industry relations and information for the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association. The 2013 Licensing University Program will take place from June 17-20; the 2013 Licensing Expo will take place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
“Licensing might be relevant to her if she wanted to make Shoe-Along versions under other people’s brand names — i.e. a Skechers brand, or a Coach version in fine leather,” Brochstein said. “Alternatively, if she can establish Shoe-Along as a strong enough brand if her initial product is successful, she could license other people to make other products under the brand. A piece of luggage with special shoe pockets, for instance.”
What are your thoughts? How do you think your idea would benefit from licensing? Share in the comments and be sure to visit LIMA’s website for more information on the 2013 Licensing Expo and the 2013 Licensing University Program.