Thanks to Pitti Uomo, fashion month, and Lunar New Year product launches, it’s been a busy week for brand collaboration. At the Pitti Uomo 103 Guest Designer show in Florence, Martine Rose debuted a new heeled Shox MR4 sneaker in an electric blue shade. Meanwhile, in Milan, Dhruv Kapoor revealed a Godzilla collection, Jonathan Anderson showcased his Wellipets collab on the runway, and menswear label JordanLuca featured co-branded pieces with nostalgic British sportswear brand Lonsdale.
Plus, for the first time, Blackpink’s Lalisa Manobal, better known as Lisa, has designed a Bulgari watch. Read our verdict on some of the best brand collaborations of the week below, and subscribe here to receive the weekly newsletter straight to your inbox.
Mulberry x Miffy#
Date
January 3
Trend:#
Luxury Brand x Nostalgic IP
Verdict
As frequently touched on by Jing Daily, nostalgia marketing is a winning strategy in luxury so Mulberry x Miffy makes perfect sense. Furthermore, the Lunar New Year is a time for family and for appreciating loved ones, drawing in themes of familiablackpinkrity which makes childhood signifiers work wonders. The collab might be great, but this isn’t Miffy’s first fashion rodeo. Sanrio’s nostalgic Dutch bunny IP has been adopted by the likes of Baccarat, Tommy Hilfiger, and Chinti & Parker over the past year alone. We’re seeing a trend of cartoon IPs bouncing between brands. This is actually beneficial for every luxury name involved. Once upon a time, Miffy might have cheapened a premium brand, but now, consumers are accustomed to seeing the cute bunny across various collections.
Jean Paul Gaultier x Dover Street Market#
Date
January 13
Trend:#
Retail x Brand
Verdict
Retail x designer crossovers are always a great way to reach a really targeted consumer base. The fact that these Jean Paul Gaultier (JPG) pieces are only stocked at Dover Street Market makes them more covetable, which encourages footfall into the store while hyping up JPG as a brand. With a heavy focus on collaboration, JPG has managed to refresh its signature items by reworking their designs with other brands. The latest Y/Project collection for Fall 2022 went viral, largely down to ASAP Rocky sporting it, alongside streetwear influencer Joel Mcloughlin (355,000 followers) posting an outfit inspiration video about it. Either way, collabs are a great springboard for Dover Street Market to get involved with designers.
Bulgari x Lisa#
Date
January 16
Trend:#
Luxury Brand x Music Artist (Major Key Opinion Leader)
Verdict
Categorically one of the most powerful influencers of the moment, Blackpink’s K-pop queen Lisa (86.6 million followers on Instagram) has designed a Bulgari watch. However, the social media campaign hasn’t entirely taken off, with #bulgarixlisa currently at 431 posts and #lisaxbulgariwatches at just 35. On Twitter, where K-pop stans are extremely active, the most-liked Bulgari tweet about the collaboration has 24,600 likes. The Roman jeweler-watchmaker has created collector’s items out of the limited edition watches, releasing just 700 pieces in the 33mm diameter model, and 300 pieces in the 23mm diameter model. It’s a collaboration that leverages the lucrative power of fandom among Generation Z and millennial luxury consumers.