Last weekend’s Mid-Autumn Festival was more of a solo affair, sticking in-house for the luxury offerings of Marni frisbees and Fendi mooncake boxes. The past week instead saw China’s brand collaboration news dominated by hit beauty deals.
Following on from the Spring 2023 runway show at New York Fashion Week, avant-garde Chinese independent label Windowsen released a China-exclusive Mac Cosmetics line. It contributes perfectly to the beauty household name’s artistic brand identity, always championing colorful experimentation.
Luxury French brand Lancôme was also an online sensation this week for its Bearbrick collection. Meanwhile, streetwear drops included Clot’s latest Gallery 1950 rugs, Vans’ collaboration with the Singularity Plan festival, and Randomevent announcing an upcoming Fall capsule with Lacoste.
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LANCÔME X BEARBRICK
LAUNCH DATE: September 1
TREND: Beauty x Art
VERDICT: China still loves Bearbrick. The collaboration went viral last week on Weibo, though some fans did say that it was because they misread “Bearbrick” as Blackpink. Popularity is due to both Bearbrick’s constant selling-power in the APAC region, and Lancôme working with Emily in Paris actress Lily Collins for a second time in China.
MAC X WINDOWSEN
For Windowsen’s NYFW show, the team used the Alien Baby palette. Photo: Mac Weibo
LAUNCH DATE: September 10
TREND: Beauty x Independent Designer
VERDICT: A lesson in how to connect with the market via local talent. Mac has previously released cosmetics with Chinese designer Angel Chen (2019) and Guo Pei (2015), making this one a solid next step in their local strategy. Windowsen has a loyal following in China and the rest of the world as a disruptive Gen Z label.
VANS X SINGULARITY PLAN
The Vans x Singularity pop-up space. Photo: VansChina WeChat
LAUNCH DATE: August 1 to September 10
TREND: Global Name x Local Event
VERDICT: Local events are engaging collaboration opportunities. Footwear brands have a good track record of collaborating with local events, shops, and talent to connect with the domestic market. Vans has recognized a niche subcultural opportunity by tapping this creative festival in China and running a competition for artists, which sparked above-average engagement.
CLOT X GALLERY 1950
One of the rugs in the Clot x Gallery 1950 collection. Photo: JuiceStore
LAUNCH DATE: September 9
TREND: Streetwear x Homeware
VERDICT: Hypebeast homes are unsurprisingly even more popular as a result of pandemic lockdowns. Consumers want their abodes to reflect their identity, so the second Clot collaboration with Japan’s stylish Gallery 1950 is sure to be a hit among fans of luxe homeware and streetwear.
LACOSTE X RANDOMEVENT
Randomevent and Lacoste are yet to announce the release date of their Fall 2022 capsule. Photo: Screenshot of Lacoste Weibo promo film
LAUNCH DATE: September 20
TREND: Global Sportswear Name x Local Streetwear Designer
VERDICT: Native collaboration is evidently a core part of Lacoste’s strategy, as this collection follows on from one with Shanghai-born, LA-based C2H4® in April 2022. Randomevent is a spearheader in China’s streetwear scene, and has previously collaborated with names such as Dickies, Giramicci and Bearbrick, making it a reliable option for Lacoste. It’ll be interesting to see whether there will be a pop-up that lives up to the exhibition-like retail spaces that Randomevent is known for.
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