While there aren’t any viral moves in China’s brand collaboration realm to report this week, the diversity of crossovers is newsworthy.
In the homeware segment, incense favorite Yeenjoy joins Line Friends on playful burners made for Gen Z. Also tapping the younger demographic is 13DeMarzo’s Looney Tunes clothing collection.
For our verdict on these releases, along with Aplasticplant’s first major fashion collection with a Chinese label, check out the below. Subscribe here to receive Collabs & Drops newsletter updates straight to your inbox.
Clot x Aplasticplant#
Date
April 28
Verdict
Known primarily as an anonymous Instagram account, curating cultural archives and boasting 448,000 followers, Aplasticplant is surrounded by a niche, loyal community. Therefore, it’s a great platform for Clot to connect with pop culture fanatics.
It’s the first big collaboration for Aplasticplant, which suggests it has plans to enter the streetwear end of fashion with clothing drops. In merchandise fashion, the ready-to-wear collection is made up of logo-stamped tees, hoodies, windbreakers, shorts, and pants.
So far, the post on Aplasticplant's Instagram has attracted 19,328 likes, which is impressive engagement, and sentiment is 100 percent positive. On the other hand, Clot's post has clocked up 1,631 likes, which implies that the brand’s consumerbase is not entirely familiar with Aplasticplant — though, this level of engagement could also show just how loyal and engaged Aplasticplant’s followers are.
Line Friends x Yeenjoy#
Date
April 28
Verdict
South Korean Line Friends is the latest in a long list of brands like Adidas, Porsche, Staple, Clot, Stayreal, and Li-Ning to collaborate on Yeenjoy’s signature incense burners.
The combination of Asian influences, both traditional and contemporary, is an effective way to engage young local consumers who express growing national pride. It’s a solid bet for Yeenjoy, too, with Line Friends boasting a global fan base.
Yet, above all, China’s fanbase is the leading component of the South Korean brand’s target consumer segment, making this collaboration a gateway for it into trendy Chinese homes. The fact that the brands’ have decided to make just 140 pieces makes this an immediate collector’s item, boosting the cultural capital created on both sides of the partnership.
13DeMarzo x Looney Tunes#
Date
May 12
Verdict
Shanghai-based, Spanish-Chinese label 13DeMarzo is leveraging the popularity of nostalgic IP for a capsule collection. Three-dimensional teddy bear detailing is one of the brand’s biggest trademark designs, and this Looney Tunes collab extends the playful brand identity that consumers are familiar with.
Those 3D signatures are present in the collection, too. T-shirts feature Bugs Bunny plush toys hanging off them — a wonderful example of how to combine personal codes in a fashion collaboration.
Seeing as 13DeMarzo has just 13,000 fans on Weibo, it’s still considered an emerging name in the local market. In contrast, Looney Tunes is one of the most world-famous IPs in the cartoon-sphere.
Following in the footsteps of the likes of Scotch & Soda, Moschino and MCM, 13DeMarzo is not the first, nor will likely be the last, to team up with this valuable franchise.