Melting Sadness goes global and Moncler goes local: China collabs

As Double 11 shopping festival approaches, related brand collaborations have started to emerge. Luxury fashion house Moncler, for one, has gone local with a collection co-created with Beijing-based outerwear brand Christopher Raxxy. Known for bringing traditional Chinese craftsmanship and symbols to down jacket design, Christopher Raxxy is a great vehicle for Moncler to engage fans in the mainland for a shopping festival that brands cannot afford to miss out on. Also in the Collabs & Drops spotlight this week is MM6 Maison Margiela x Chen Peng and Melting Sadness’ first global collaboration with Adidas Originals and Sean Wotherspoon. Read on for our verdict on these, and subscribe here to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox every Tuesday. Moncler x Christopher Raxxy Details 11.11 capsule collection, November 4 Social context On Weibo, Christopher Raxxy has 19,000 fans, and Moncler has 1.04 million — the hashtag #MonclerWorld, tagged in each associated post, has 280 million reads. Verdict As a Chinese brand that similarly champions artistic outerwear, Christopher Raxxy is a fitting choice for Moncler's 11.11 offering. Via this China-exclusive tie-up, Moncler is connecting with its crucial consumerbase in the mainland while showing support for domestic talent. In turn, Christopher Raxxy is able to reach an extended audience and burnish its reputation for innovative creativity. Chinese actress Zhou Yutong and Chinese actor Wang Anyu star in the campaign, which has boosted online engagement for this collection. MM6 Maison Margiela x Chen Peng Details Faux leather gilet, cropped jacket, and nylon-textured parka-length coat, October 18 Social context Chen Peng’s Instagram posts about this collection have garnered over 25,000 likes in total. Verdict Following on from a collection with 24S and Robbi, Chen Peng is evidently adopting a brand collaboration-focused strategy to grow as an emerging label. MM6 Maison Margiela’s latest collaborative line with Salomon is stealing the limelight from this collection, proving that the timing of releases is often crucial. However, as a global sportswear brand and niche independent label, Salomon and Chen Peng’s fan bases differ. The collection has yet to sell out, which is largely down to its luxury price-point. Melting Sadness x Sean Wotherspoon x Adidas Originals Details Superstar sneakers, November Social context The collaborating brands are yet to post on social media about this initiative, though Melting Sadness founder Zhang Quan’s teaser Instagram post has over 200 likes. Verdict Chinese brand Melting Sadness is signaling its global growth ambitions with the launch of this collaboration – Sean Wotherspoon and Adidas Originals are both protagonists in global streetwear. Melting Sadness' trademark 3D design creations are present in the sneakers’ designs, with floppy bunny ears and playful badges representing the brand’s characters (five members: Karoro, Babo, Kuak, Messy, and Best). Whether or not the unusual aesthetic will win over the West in the same way it does China, is yet to be seen.

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Melting Sadness goes global and Moncler goes local: China collabs