In this week’s brand collaboration news, Pop Mart is trending on Chinese social media thanks to its Crocs collaboration featuring the Crybaby intellectual property (IP).
Plus, the anticipated Sandy Liang-designed Salomon shoes inspired by Pokémon are finally out this week. Meanwhile, Chinese clothing brand-concept store Randomevent has dropped its first capsule collection with leading Canadian bag brand Herschel.
For our verdict on these brand collabs, check out the below. Be sure to subscribe here to receive these weekly updates straight to your inbox via the Collabs & Drops newsletter.
Pop Mart x Crocs#
Date
April 17
Verdict
Pop Mart's iconic Crybaby character is the latest to see itself transformed into a fun jibbitz charm as part of a new collaboration with Crocs. The co-branded blind box campaign is already resonating well with China's digital natives, with the official collab hashtag for the collection, #POPMARTXCROCS联名系列# garnering 19.28 million reads on Weibo.
Playing on the concept of cuteness that runs at the core of both brands, netizens have taken to the tie-up and are already posting their unboxing photos and videos across socials.
Randomevent x Herschel#
Date
April 26
Verdict
Developed using 100-percent recycled materials, the collection offers a lesson in how to successfully execute a collaboration while mitigating its environmental impact. This new drop with Herschel prioritizes everyday comfort and practicality, with a design twist delivered in the form of a new rubber label. As for Randomevent, the Chinese brand is storming ahead with partnerships this year to help bring itself to the forefront of China's fashion scene; a recent collab with Disney, and now this partnership with Herschel, are likely to help do just that.
Sandy Liang x Salomon#
Date
April 28
Verdict
Inspired by Pokémon characters and the "Chinatown grandmas" of New York, the debut drop marries the Chinese American designer's signature aesthetic with Salomon's performance-driven silhouettes. Clearly, Salomon (1 million followers) continues to reign supreme when it comes to sneaker trends. Following collabs with Palace and MM6 (which kickstarted a new era for Salomon during MM6's AW22 show), this latest launch marks a potential move towards more niche, luxury-positioned partnerships as the gorpcore trend begins to die down across China. With big players like Nike and Adidas to contend with, joining forces with emerging names like Liang is a way to expand on its community base, as well as maintain cultural relevance in a heavily saturated market.