Outerwear brand collabs-to-know in China

Following London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week’s round of Spring 2024 shows has ended, and yesterday saw the start of the calendar’s final stretch, Paris Fashion Week. This week’s Chinese brand collaboration highlights include Chinese technical-wear powerhouse Bosideng’s sunglasses collection with Italy’s Saturnino Eyewear, as seen on the runway in Milan, and stylishly avant-garde favorite Marrknull’s exquisite Yvmin co-branded jewelry from its Spring 2024 show in London. Finally, Canadian winter clothing brand Moose Knuckles has collaborated with Shanghai-born independent designer label Pronounce on a clothing collection inspired by Chinese bamboo artwork, launched via its Sanlitun boutique in Beijing. Read on for our verdict, as seen in today’s Collabs & Drops newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly to your inbox every Tuesday. Yvmin x Marrknull Details Jewelry collection, Spring 2024 Social context The Instagram post on Yvmin's account has 1,574 likes at the time of writing this. Marrknull’s posts mentioning the collaboration have 5,575 likes in total. Marrknull has 33,000 fans on Weibo, and Yvmin has 37,000. Verdict Local jewelry brand Yvmin is consistently establishing its positioning within high fashion via collaborations with Shushu/Tong, so this collection with Marrknull expands that identity. As a brand that celebrates Chinese culture with a youthful, progressive attitude, Marrknull shares similar features to Yvmin and as a result, its existing consumer base. This is an opportunity for Yvmin to explore avant-garde designs that disrupt its offering and boost its design expertise. Bosideng x Saturnino Eyewear Details Sunglasses, Spring 2024 Social context On Weibo, Bosideng has 12.33 million fans, and the show’s official hashtag #Bosidengdagenqimiaokaixiu (波司登达芬奇妙开秀) has 310 million reads. On Instagram, Saturnino Eyewear has 52,200 followers. Verdict Saturnino Eyewear provides new product opportunities for Bosideng. Crossing into new categories that are not your brand’s forté can be done well via an expert in that field. In recent years, Bosideng has used collaboration to establish itself in high fashion – it launched a collection with local label Annakiki in 2022. Showing at Milan Fashion Week was a way for the Chinese outerwear brand to connect with Italy and show appreciation for the country’s culture as well as be recognized as stylishly prestigious. Moose Knuckles x Pronounce Details Clothing capsule including pet-wear, September 23 Social context On Weibo, #MooseKnuckles×Pronounce has been read 1.17 million times. Moose Knuckles has 170,000 fans on the platform and Pronounce has 32,000 fans. Over on fashion-forward Gen Z-dominated Xiaohongshu, Pronounce has 81,78 followers, and Moose Knuckles has 8,084. Verdict Moose Knuckles is yet to attain the stylish reputation of fellow outerwear names like Moncler, The North Face or Arc’Teryx, yet collaborating with fashion brands is a sure way to move in that direction. Seeing as the Canadian brand is performing well in China, co-designing a collection with independent fashion label Pronounce is a way to authentically connect with its fanbase in the mainland. In turn, Pronounce is supported financially by the inventory possibilities of a huge global cooperation, and able to reach mainstream consumers who might not be acquainted with the brand.

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Outerwear brand collabs-to-know in China