Audemars Piguet's second Marvel collaboration launched on May 25 reminded consumers of Spider-Man's long-standing influence.
Combining universal familiarity, cultural capital and comforting nostalgia, the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon Spider-Man timepiece is limited to 250 pieces, and the unique accompanying design fetched $6.2 million at auction in Dubai yesterday.
While the Spider-Man movie franchise might be rated for teens to watch, the largest luxury watch consumer demographic comprises young adults — recent Bezel data shows that 60 percent of the company's consumer base is made up of millennials or Gen Z. The success of collaborations of this type shows how brands are able to leverage nostalgia, particularly if their target market is at an age when references to childhood classics trigger fond memories.
Nostalgia is the dominating theme of this week's Collabs & Drops. Clinique and Kate Spade have come together on a set of lip glosses, capitalizing on noughties trends, while simultaneously tapping the popularity of the beauty brand's Black Honey shade, which went viral on TikTok.
Meanwhile, the second release of Jacquemus x Nike's sneakers are on their way, with the newly-coined 'JF1' kicks receiving stellar consumer feedback for their design.
For our verdict on those brand collaborations, check out the below, and subscribe here to receive these updates to your inbox every Tuesday.
Audemars Piguet x Marvel#
Date
June 1
Product
Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon Spider-Man timepiece
Social context
The project's first official post gained an impressive 41,200 likes on Audemars Piguet's official Instagram account, while the next most popular posts garnered 16,500 likes and 14,300 likes. The news is yet to hit Marvel’s social channels.
Verdict
Following on from the Black Panther-themed collab of 2021, Audemars Piguet's Spider Man co-design, its second Marvel tie-up, is another collector’s favorite, limited to 250 pieces. Nostalgia sells, after all. The $215,000 watch saw its unique counterpart auctioned for $6.2 million at the launch event, substantially more than the $5.2 million that the Black Panther watch made, though the Spider-Man IP has been around much longer than Black Panther.
Jacquemus x Nike#
Date
June 13
Social context
The joint Instagram post revealing the two collaborators new take on Nike’s AF1 has attracted 116,000 likes, with the second most popular post generating 51,000.
Verdict
In terms of brand collaboration news, this is one of the leading conversations online this week. The Air Force 1 and ACG hybrid shoe has received positive responses across social media. However, some commenters discussed what they deemed to be the poor quality of the first drop, saying that they hoped this new sneaker was an improvement.
The Light Bone Air Humara LX sneakers from their pair's release in 2022 are listed on StockX at a 191 percent price premium. Judging from the comments on this design, it’ll prove to be even more popular.
Clinique x Kate Spade#
Date
June 1
Social context
The brands haven’t launched a social campaign yet, but their combined reach is sure to make this a hit. Kate Spade has 109,600 followers on TikTok and 3.2 million on Instagram, and Clinique has 76,200 on TikTok and 3.7 million on Instagram.
Verdict
Assisted partly by its viral TikTok challenge back in 2021, Kate Spade has surged in popularity among Gen Z consumers. As such, this lip gloss collection is a gateway for Clinique to connect with a younger demographic.
In addition to that, Clinique's trending Black Honey lip gloss is part of this collaboration. It’s not being spotlighted by the brands much yet across social media, probably because it would likely sell out too quickly. Or, perhaps there’s a killer TikTok campaign en route — watch this space.