Vanessa Hudgens has found two new licensing partners to help grow her contemporary children’s lifestyle brand.
Called A Star Is Born, the actress-turned-entrepreneur’s new label cofounded with brand management firm Cool Brands has signed long-term strategic multicategory licensing partnerships with Centric Brands and Jay Franco & Sons. Retail introductions are slated to begin in 2027.
Hudgens said in an interview that this new venture came about through her new chapter as a mother.
“I am a very passionate person. I am a very creative person. And through this new chapter of my life, as a mom, it’s forced me to kind of take a change of pace in life,” Hudgens said. “I am way more grounded than I ever have been, and I’ve really had to look inwards and figure out other ways I can stay creative. And now as a two-time mom with two under 2, which should be criminal, because it is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, I know exactly what it is that I am using for my children and what I feel is missing in the marketplace.”
The “High School Musical” alum maintained that she is “extraordinarily hands-on” in the creative process. “I am so excited because it’s going to be me creating patterns and painting designs for onesies, and just really having fun with creating something that parents and families can depend on,” she said.
As for what consumers can expect to see next year, the idea is to create a lifestyle ecosystem for newborns through age 8, built to scale across both soft and hardlines offering elevated, thoughtfully designed children’s products for young parents.
To make this a reality, Centric Brands has signed on to serve as the brand’s lead soft-goods licensee producing apparel, soft footwear, bath accessories, and kids’ bath and body products across more than 90 distinct items across these categories.
Rob Smith, president of kids at Centric Brands, said that the team is working to create something that feels both “elevated and deeply personal” within the baby and children’s space.
“This brand is rooted in Vanessa’s sense of authenticity and joy — shaped by her experience as a new mom and her natural connection to a generation of modern, Millennial parents,” Smith noted. “Together, we’re translating that point of view into a lifestyle that feels considered, effortless, and full of heart — celebrating the beauty in everyday moments.”
As for Jay Franco & Sons, it will introduce bedding, bath and home accessories, extending the brand into the home with more than 60 distinct products across these categories.
“A Star Is Born is a natural fit for us, as our approach has always catered to young families,” Joe Franco, president of Jay Franco & Sons, added. “Jay Franco has built its reputation over more than eight decades on delivering quality products and designs that families trust. Our plan to introduce a comprehensive range across bedding, bath and home, combined with Vanessa’s creative perspective, product vision, and highly engaged online audience, creates a compelling opportunity at retail.”
Vanessa Hudgens and Ezra Ashkenazi
Courtesy of Cool Brands
For Ezra Ashkenazi, founder and chief executive officer of Cool Brands, and a principal and founder of iHome Audio, working with Hudgens is a “true pleasure.”
“I’ve worked periodically over the past 40 years with different brand ambassadors and none of them were considered partners nor showed as much product intuitiveness as Vanessa,” Ashkenazi told WWD. “That’s the big difference for us with A Star Is Born, and that’s a very big deal when you have several 100 licensed items that you are forecasting for the first 12 to 18 months to be at the retail floor. And that’s important, because that creates authenticity.”
Ashkenazi’s Cool Brands is in active discussions with additional leading partners across strollers/car seats and travel accessories, nursery furniture, feeding and mealtime, toys and developmental play, publishing, and health and wellness. Additional category announcements and retail partnerships are expected later this year, Cool Brands noted.
“I want [A Star Is Born] to feel whimsical and fun as well as inviting and colorful,” Hudgens added. “It’s not going to be your typical beige brand, you know. It’s going to be really expressive and fun and at times, silly and magical, which I feel like all of those attributes express who I am as a person as well.”
