Trending over the past week in brand collab news was Balenciaga and Supreme's canceled collection. From shiny plastic red slippers, to hoodies, fake plastic bags, and dramatic outerwear, consumers don't seem too sad to have missed out on it.
Other headlines include British music artist Kano's clothing collab with C.P. Company, available exclusively at multi-brand retailer Flannels, as well as Ugg's meme-worthy toe-shaped slides with Victor Wong.
This issue spotlights another Ugg Rising Voices designer AlienAnt, whose designs went on sale in China on April 3. We also delve into the seemingly controversial Palm Angels x Barbour launch. Can contrasting brands always connect their consumer bases seamlessly? Apparently not.
Prada x Harrods#
Date
March 31 to January 7
Verdict
Prada’s temporary café allows fans to immerse themselves in the brand, drinking Italian wines and Negroni-based aperitifs while enjoying an interior sporting Prada’s signature green. Opening a café at a location where consumers already shop is a great way to welcome them to spend more time with the brand and cultivate a deeper relationship.
Furthermore, Harrods is known for being a tourist hub, attracting a population of high-spenders. The Instagrammable interior is easy marketing when people post about it across social media platforms too.
Dr Martens x BT21#
Date
March 30
Verdict
Koya, RJ, Shooky, Mang, Chimmy, Tata, and Cooky — the BT21 characters designed by world-dominating Korean boy band BTS — have hit Dr Martens. On Weibo alone, BT21’s official hashtag has 400 million reads, and the official Instagram account has 5.8 million followers. Just how influential is the BTS “Army” (Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth)? Between January 2013 and December 31, 2022, they drove almost 2 billion mentions of BTS online, with an average of 547,945 mentions daily. As a brand that celebrates youth culture as an intrinsic part of its DNA, Dr Martens has won big time on this.
Palm Angels x Barbour#
Date
March 31
Verdict
Fashion forward-labels such as Palm Angels can reinvigorate heritage brands like Barbour. Just as the Ganni x Barbour collaboration positioned the British wax jacket name among It-girl womenswear, this release now allows it to embrace streetwear.
Palm Angels has brought its trademark bold color palettes to the well-known waxy jacket silhouettes — Barbour pieces really are the perfect blank slate for anyone to work their magic. However, reviews have been mixed online. Some people expressed distaste towards Barbour entering the streetwear segment, suggesting that the consumer bases might still be worlds apart. Is this shaping up to be the collaboration that nobody asked for?