What happened
The playful Spanish-Chinese label 13De Marzo has teamed up with leading homegrown art toy company Pop Mart on a ready-to-wear collection featuring the IP Sweet Bean, accompanied by limited edition doll gift-boxes. Launching on May 24, it’s the third collaboration between the two brands. Each design combines Pop Mart’s famous toy IP with 13De Marzo’s experimental expression: think 3D Baby Bears hanging off of denim with cartoonish bubble logos on full display.
Noteworthy collaborations, from L’Oréal to Häagen Dazs and Kiehl’s, have become a regular signifier of Pop Mart’s success — the firm saw 50 percent revenue growth over 2019, which was followed by a solid 2020 with revenue from international markets growing 176 percent, despite the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Jing Take
This marks yet another fashion crossover by the art toy group, following on from a recent Uniqlo release in April 2022 which incorporated The Monsters IP, and the frenzy-fuelling 10000% Space Molly Moncler drop of January 2022. It’s easy to see why these work: Pop Mart’s now-famous IPs offer a seamless vehicle for businesses to connect with the local market in a creative way.
While it’s a great move in terms of marketing, what do mainland consumers actually think? The consensus on Weibo is that Pop Mart is becoming a “fortune code” to drive traffic to its collaborators: most interaction comes from giveaway competitions on the partnering brand’s own account, as well as popular idols wearing gifted looks.
Judging from the popularity of the Moncler, Uniqlo, and 13De Marzo launches, and the consequent marketing potential on domestic social media platforms, we could definitely envision a potential Gucci x Pop Mart drop being in the works. You heard it here first.
For more analysis on the latest collaborations, sign up for the Collabs and Drops newsletter here.
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.