Hela Brands

What Hela Brands does

Hela Brands is a UK-based private fashion company headquartered in Huddersfield that operates as a multi-solution strategic licensing partner for sports, fashion and lifestyle brand owners. Founded as a private limited company (Companies House number 1461548) and operating under Hela Apparel Holdings, the company runs three service tiers — Full Brand Licensing, Partial Licensing and White Label Licensing — covering design, product development, sourcing and manufacturing, wholesale and marketplace sales, and end-to-end direct-to-consumer execution for its licensors. Its portfolio includes flagship partners Reebok, Nautica, ellesse, Patrick and AVX, alongside core partners such as Farah, Henleys, Fenchurch, Certifed London, Misskick and Peter Worth.

The company's core operating stack is its in-house creative organisation, led by a Creative Director and supported by a dedicated marketing and content team that delivers brand-DNA design, social media strategy, photography, videography and creative campaigns. Underlying this creative layer is a mapped manufacturing network of over 60 audited factories across 4 countries, supplemented by an owned factory in Sri Lanka that provides vertical capacity and quality control. Distribution and sales infrastructure comprises internal sales teams plus external sales agents and distributors, a dedicated Brand Distribution Centre in Biggleswade, and physical showrooms in Huddersfield, London, Munich and Berlin to support European trade.

Name

Hela Brands

Legal name

Hela Brands

Website

https://helabrands.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hela Brands is a UK-headquartered private fashion licensing and white-label manufacturing operator serving brand owners across sports, fashion and lifestyle, with flagship partners including Reebok, Nautica, ellesse, Patrick and AVX.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Licensing and Apparel Manufacturing Services

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Apparel Sourcing, Buying Houses & Trading Companies (CRAAAAAN)

Keywords

• Brand licensing services
• Apparel design and manufacturing
• White label fashion
• Sportswear licensing
• Brand management solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Huddersfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Full Brand Licensing: Comprehensive licensing services covering design, product development, sourcing, shipping, wholesale and marketplace sales, and all direct-to-consumer activity from e-commerce to physical stores.
2. Partial Licensing: Targeted expertise and support for specific key areas with considerable potential for growth and expansion.
3. White Label Licensing: White label solution enabling expansion into new key product categories or adding depth to existing collections.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hela Brands is a strategic licensing partner for sports, fashion, and lifestyle brand owners, delivering design, product development, sourcing, manufacturing, wholesale, and direct-to-consumer services under three engagement models: Full Brand Licensing, Partial Licensing, and White Label Licensing. The company manages licensed brands including Reebok, Nautica, ellesse, Patrick, and AVX across apparel, footwear, and accessories, leveraging an owned factory in Sri Lanka and a network of 60+ factories across four countries.

Product overview

Hela Brands operates as a multi-solution strategic partner for brand owners and businesses, offering three distinct service tiers: Full Brand Licensing (complete end-to-end management), Partial Licensing (targeted expertise), and White Label Licensing (new category expansion). The company manages a portfolio of licensed and owned sub-brands including AVX (streetwear), ellesse (sports/fashion), Nautica (lifestyle), Patrick (football/sportswear), and Reebok (sportswear), providing design, development, manufacturing, wholesale/retail support, and marketing services across clothing, footwear, and accessories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Brand Licensing End-to-end management of a brand owner's apparel, footwear, or accessories business, covering design and product development, sourcing, shipping, wholesale, marketplace sales, and all direct-to-consumer activity from e-commerce to physical stores. Designed for sports, fashion, and lifestyle brand owners seeking a 360-degree licensing partner.
• Partial Licensing Targeted licensing support in specific high-potential areas such as design, manufacturing, distribution, or marketing where Hela Brands provides expertise to help brands achieve growth and expansion. Designed for brand owners that need focused support rather than full end-to-end management.
• White Label Licensing White label manufacturing and design solution enabling brand owners to expand into new key product categories or add depth to existing collections without committing to full brand licensing. Designed for brands seeking category extensions or product range broadening.
• Reebok Licensed Apparel and Wholesale Support Licensed design, development, manufacturing, and wholesale support for British sportswear brand Reebok (an Adidas subsidiary) across specific Spring/Summer and A/W categories, plus product photography including lookbooks and e-commerce content.
• Nautica Licensed Apparel and Brand Management Full-spectrum apparel design, development, and manufacturing for Nautica across men's, women's, and junior collections, alongside wholesale support, product photography and videography, and social media strategy management for global markets covering 70+ product categories.
• ellesse Licensed Apparel and Brand Management Product design, development, and manufacturing for Italian sports, fashion, and lifestyle brand ellesse across UK and specific international markets, covering men's, women's, and junior collections, seasonal sales books, creative campaigns, and brand building support.
• Patrick Licensed Footwear and Apparel Management Product design, development, and manufacturing of men's footwear and apparel for French sportswear brand Patrick, plus wholesale support, product photography and videography, lookbooks, campaign imagery, e-commerce content, and Instagram social media management.
• AVX Sub-Brand Apparel Management Design, development, and manufacturing of men's apparel for Hela-owned streetwear sub-brand AVX (evolved from Avirex), plus wholesale and retail support, product photography, creative campaigns, video content, lookbooks, e-commerce assets, and Instagram social media strategy.

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pentland Brands: Pentland owns ellesse, one of Hela's flagship licensing partners, and operates a portfolio of sportswear and lifestyle brands (Speedo, Berghaus, Canterbury) using a similar brand licensing and product stewardship model.
• Li & Fung: Global apparel sourcing, design, and supply chain management group — the most direct comparable to Hela's combination of apparel sourcing, design services, and global distribution for brand owners.
• G-III Apparel Group: Designs, sources, and distributes apparel under licensed and owned brands (DKNY, Karl Lagerfeld, Donna Karan, etc.), mirroring Hela's model of operating licensed apparel brands across multiple categories.
• Delta Galil Industries: Global designer, manufacturer, and licensor of branded and private-label intimate, activewear, and sportswear — closely comparable to Hela's combination of in-house design, owned manufacturing, and brand licensing for sportswear/lifestyle partners.
• Crystal International Group: Global apparel manufacturer with factories across multiple geographies serving major brand owners — directly comparable to Hela's owned Sri Lanka factory plus 60+ partner factory network for sportswear/lifestyle brands.

Broad incumbents

• Authentic Brands Group: Owns Nautica, one of Hela's flagship partners, and operates a global brand licensing platform across 50+ brands — represents both a counterparty and a broader-incumbent comparable in brand licensing economics.
• PVH Corp: Multi-brand apparel platform operating Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger globally with integrated design, sourcing, wholesale, and DTC — a broader-incumbent comparable to Hela's full-stack brand operating model.
• Tapestry, Inc. Multi-brand house operating Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman — a broader-incumbent comparable in operating lifestyle brands through integrated design, manufacturing, wholesale, and DTC channels.
• Iconix Brand Group: Brand management company that acquires and licenses apparel and lifestyle brands — comparable in licensing-driven economics, though operating on the brand-owner side of the relationship Hela supports.
• Hanesbrands Inc. Vertically integrated apparel manufacturer with owned production facilities and a portfolio of licensed and owned consumer brands — broader-incumbent comparable in combining owned manufacturing with multi-brand licensing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hela-brands

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hela Brands