Celebrities are for sale - on the Internet

They know perfectly well how to make the most of their five minutes. A career in show business is capricious, and it's hard to predict when the spotlight will turn in another direction. That's why many prudent stars, being on the wave of popularity, decide to start a business, such as their own online store.

Examples of foreign artists and people associated with the broader pop culture can be multiplied. It turns out that some celebrities have a unique business vein. A leading representative is Kim Kardashian. She owns several brands, including a spectacularly successful one - KKW Beauty. The company's first cosmetics, worth $13.5 million, were sold the day they went on the market. KKW Fragrance, Kim Kardashian's second project, also brought the celebrity impressive profits. On the first day of sales, customers bought the perfume at a price of $10 million!

Fragrance brands are a popular trend among celebrities. Antonio Banderas, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Sarah Jessica Parker and our native fashion icon Anja Rubik, among others, boast their own perfumes.

Global names do not stifle their creativity. They create brands and rule in e-commerce in various industries. Jessica Alba's company, Honest Co., produces natural products for children, from eco-friendly diapers to non-allergenic cosmetics. Actor Ryan Reynolds decided to get involved in the alcohol industry and became co-owner of Aviation Gin, and the most famous stand-up, Ellen DeGeneres created the clothing and home furnishings brand ED by Ellen.

What do Polish celebrities sell?

Polish celebrities are not lagging behind and are also opening their own online stores. Many of them are not limited to selling autographed T-shirts and gadgets. An example is singer and songwriter Honorata Skarbek. In her Sunsetshop.pl store, built on the Shoper platform, she sells clothes that reflect her girlish and trend-following style.

Other trend-setting celebrities are models Rafal Jonkisz and Sebastian Chlodnicki. The men own the streetware brand Balmora. Their e-store offers clothes for men who appreciate casual looks and great quality. The men go to great lengths to ensure that every piece in the collection is refined down to the smallest detail. All clothes are created in Poland.

- The Balmora brand was born out of our interest in streetwear fashion and our desire to prove ourselves in this industry. We decided on an online store because it gives you the opportunity to purchase our products from anywhere in Poland. We ourselves are mainly responsible for the design and marketing of the company. At the very beginning of creating the Balmora brand, we assumed that we wanted to build a 100 percent Polish brand. That's why we decided to work with our domestic sewing factories and Polish designers. We are pleased that interest in our brand is growing. For now, we are focusing on developing online sales, but we are receiving more and more inquiries about stationary stores. Opening them will be a natural continuation of our activities ," say Rafal Jonkisz and Sebastian Chlodnicki, creators of the Balmora store.

The Mannei sisters are also succeeding in the online business. In their store Sin by Mannei sisters sell jewelry. The store's founders are known for their keen sense of prevailing trends, so their jewelry collections are well suited to a modern style that suits young and confident women.

- The media is fond of portraying the lives of celebrities as a never-ending party, while in reality many stars of stage or screen work very hard. Running a business online, contrary to appearances, also requires commitment. However, by opting for software in the SaaS model, the owner has an easier task. Access to the store is remote on a software rental basis. Many tasks including hosting, domain, integration with payment systems, running advertising campaigns are handled by the provider. The seller can focus on the most important element, i.e. sales," explains Oliwia Tomalik, Marketing Manager of Shoper.

Not just fashion

Andrzej Mleczko also runs an online store on the Shoper platform. The artist also has a stationary store in Cracow, but thanks to online sales he can reach fans all over Poland with his works. Mleczko's works can also be ordered autographed by the artist, giving buyers a sense of personalized service and direct contact with their idol.

Poster designer Andrzej Pągowski, creator of, among others, the iconic posters for Kieslowski's films, as well as such films as "Kler" and "Teddy Bear," runs his gallery on the Internet. It features not only a wide selection of the most popular posters, but also prints and paintings by the artist.

Kayah, a popular singer and music producer, founded the Kayax record label with the idea of releasing her own albums there, but quickly began releasing albums by other artists under her label. Her affiliated Sklep z Muzyką offers albums by top Polish performers (including Kasia Nosowska, Monika Brodka, Maria Peszek, Artur Rojek, Zakopower and The Dumplings) in regular, collector's and hard-to-find vinyl versions, as well as artist-related accessories.

- Printed T-shirts usually seem to be the easiest way to monetize the media popularity of an influencer or celebrity, at least at the beginning of an e-commerce business. For this reason, this solution is chosen quite often and, as a result, we slowly have an oversupply of T-shirt businesses with a famous face. In the long run, it turns out to be a more effective strategy to find an assortment that matches the created personal brand , notes Oliwia Tomalik.