How Valentino debuted its Vans collaboration through Jolin’s MV

What happened This Qixi Festival, Valentino partnered with brand ambassador Jolin to release the music video for Pillow. Since its release, the video has kept climbing, with total views across platforms now nearing 10 million — a testament to the Asian pop icon’s singular cultural sway and commercial pull. More than a standard music video, Pillow unfolds as an immersive fashion drama in Valentino’s world of romance. Every look is drawn from the house’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, worn by Jolin and renowned Thai actor “Tor” Thanapob Leeratanakachorn. With six costumes for Jolin and four for Tor, the music video unfolds as a moving runway: two stars embodying the house’s aesthetics, telling a story of love through gesture, gaze, and spectacle. The video racked up views and ignited a social media frenzy, with looks from a cat-embroidered sequin gown to a lace bodysuit and retro ruffled dress all going viral. Yet, the most talked-about piece was a pair of skate shoes from the collaboration between Valentino Garavani and Vans, printed with the “Le Chat de la Maison” motif. Far from a casual collaboration item, the sneaker carries symbolic weight. Le Chat de la Maison, the “muse cat” introduced by creative director Alessandro Michele in his Spring/Summer 2025 debut, channels a mix of elegance and playfulness. It struck a chord in an age of emotional consumerism, serving less as a visual motif than as an emotional medium — embodying the collective desire for softness and comfort. As the symbol moved from runway to popular culture, it gained sharper resonance. In Pillow, Jolin sings the line, “You are my kitty,” turning the cat motif into a metaphor of intimacy and care. That lyrical echo made the sneaker’s early appearance in the MV feel less like product placement than cultural storytelling — a warm, narrative object that mirrored the stars’ on-screen intimacy. The Jing Take When shown on Jolin and Tor in the MV, the skate shoes read less as products than as cultural symbols infused with emotion and narrative. In the pair’s romantic exchanges, the design echoes the mood like a private code between lovers, resonating with the lyric “You are my kitty.” The cat-print skate shoes, originally scheduled for global release on September 12, were instead launched early on August 29 through an exclusive WeChat Mini Program drop — a move that highlights China’s central role and Valentino’s push for content-driven, immediate conversion. The campaign extended into interactive layers: Likes on Valentino’s official Xiaohongshu account transformed into the cat icon, while on QQ Music, tapping “like” on the “Pillow” page triggered an oversized Valentino cat animation. Such gestures turn routine digital actions into moments of brand intimacy, deepening user engagement from passive listening to active participation. According to Accenture’s report on China’s Gen Z consumers, over half expect same-day delivery and are willing to pay a premium for speed. By riding the MV’s momentum, Valentino converted emotional resonance into immediate transactions — a marketing loop that ran from cultural buzz to sales. Through narrative, music, and interactive play, Valentino embedded the cat deeply into consumer consciousness. The Valentino cat motif ceased to be just a print on skate shoes and became a carrier of aesthetics, emotion, and values. Yet, its breakout was only the most visible result; in truth, the entire Fall/Winter 2025 collection was imprinted in viewers’ minds through this content-driven performance. In the MV, Tor makes a surprise appearance at Jolin’s invitation. His presence elevates the film’s artistic texture while also enabling Valentino to achieve effective cross-cultural reach. With his influence across Asia, Tor offers cultural credibility and access, and his pairing with Jolin brings together fan bases and expands the brand’s regional footprint. In short, the “union” of Valentino and Jolin was more than celebrity exposure. It was an aesthetic alliance, grounded in shared values of fluidity, multiplicity, and storytelling. Jolin, with her command of both stage and style, has long transcended the role of brand ambassador. Just weeks before the MV’s release, Jolin appeared at the Tencent Music Entertainment Awards in a Valentino custom gown, instantly dominating Chinese social media. Critics called the look a perfect expression of Michele’s new Valentino: romantic yet rebellious, soft yet strong, a gothic muse come alive. She was also the first Chinese woman to wear a Valentino custom under Michele, a symbolic gesture underscoring the exclusivity of the partnership. Together, these moves show Jolin as more than a face of the brand. She is a mirror of Valentino’s evolving identity and a beacon for its Eastern strategy — with all cultural capital and visibility ultimately flowing back to the house itself. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

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How Valentino debuted its Vans collaboration through Jolin’s MV