As we head into the summer, we’ve seen another busy week of brand collaboration. The new Adidas “Home of Classics” campaign is sparking rumors of a Blackpink collection, while Aimé Leon Dore and New Balance are dropping Brown and Taupe 550 sneakers on May 10.
Other highlights of the week include Diesel stocking 300,000 Durex condoms to give out for free across their stores worldwide; Gucci executive Robert Triefus moving to Moncler Group-owned Stone Island on June 1; and Wales Bonner revealing a new Adidas Samba for SS23.
But this week, we look at celebrity-led collections, from American icon singer-songwriter Erykah Badu’s Marni collection, to Dua Lipa x Versace, and Kendrick Lamar’s Gucci-clad vinyl collectible. To receive these updates every Tuesday to your inbox, subscribe here to the Collabs & Drops newsletter.
Dua Lipa x Versace
The British popstar will co-design a Versace collection for the first time. Photo: Versace
Date: May 23
Verdict: As exemplified by Louis Vuitton’s appointment of Pharrell Williams as its men’s creative director, fanbases sell fashion. From Kendall Jenner being the creative director of FWRD, to ex-Love Islander Molly-Mae Hague heading up Pretty Little Thing, KOLs have been taking the place of fashion designers for a while, so the Dua Lipa-designed ‘La Vacanza’ collection comes as no surprise.
The fact it’s being sold immediately after the Versace show in Cannes later this month proves just how much the house plans on leveraging the online hype of the superstar’s name being associated with the collection. It comes at a good time, following Dua‘s long-term relationship with Versace, having even walked for the brand back in 2021. Insofar, the official Versace post has 341,986 likes on Instagram, which is on the upper end of the brand’s engagement spectrum.
Erykah Badu x Marni
Marni continues to connect with consumers culturally through collaboration. Next up: Erykah Badu. Photo: Marni
Date: May 3
Verdict: After teasing the collaboration by wearing a white Marni dress to the 2023 Met Gala, Erykah Badu had dropped her official collection with the Italian luxury house. The capsule is made up of ready-to-wear, accessories and footwear, tapping the guest-designer trend that leverages the easy capital of celebrity fans. The social media campaign has just 42 organic posts under the hashtag #erykahbaduxmarni, but the feedback has been wholly positive.
American singer Erykah has 6.1 million followers on Instagram, having been active on the music scene since the late 1990s when she became known as the Queen of Neo Soul. Through this partnership with her, Marni is able to continue building cultural capital, following its Carhartt and Uniqlo collabs earlier this year.
Gucci x Kendrick Lamar
The “To Pimp A Butterfly” vinyl. Photo: Interscope
Date: May 12
Verdict: An instant collector’s item, the Grammy-winning To Pimp A Butterfly album vinyl features a cover specially created by American contemporary artist Lauren Halsey and a custom jacket designed by Gucci. There are just 100 units available and each is being sold for $2,500 (17,300 RMB). They haven’t sold out yet, though all net profits are going to the Iovine and Young Foundation.
In both 2021 and 2022, Kendrick sold the most vinyls in the world, according to statistics shared by Billboard, so the star deserves to have a Gucci-clad collector’s vinyl more than anyone right now. He has 44.9 million monthly Spotify listeners, and Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers won the trophy for Spotify’s most streamed rap album of 2022.
