Sandy Liang x Baggu and Heytea x Barbie: China's internet-breaking collabs

Off the back of a chaotic sellout drop in August this year, American-Chinese it-girl brand Sandy Liang is returning with a new Baggu design, ready to break the internet once more. Other brand collaboration highlights include South Korean brand Ader Error’s concept sneaker co-created with Malaysian-Chinese artist Edmond Looi, and Heytea’s Barbie-themed collection. Read on for our verdict on these, and subscribe here to receive the Collabs & Drops newsletter straight to your inbox every Tuesday. Edmond Looi x Ader Error Details The fourth object of the 'Draw Your Line' project, presented through collaborations with various artists, November 12 Social context #drawyourline has 3,046 likes on Instagram, while #adererror has 4,852, as well as 37.7 million views on Xiaohongshu. Verdict South Korean brand comprising a design collective, Ader Error is one of today’s leading high-end streetwear brands to come out of Asia. Having carved out an artistic aesthetic, collaborating with innovative designers comes naturally to this label. Selected as the co-creator of the fourth object of the 'Draw Your Line' project, Malaysian-Chinese artist Edmond Looi produces designs that look as though they are cartoonish AI concepts, and his Ader Error sneakers are no exception. Utilizing brand pieces as a slate for artists to imprint their creative identity is a great way to accentuate the strength of collaborating brands’ image, on both sides of the equation — the blue associated with Ader Error is instantly recognizable, for example. Sandy Liang x Baggu Details Mini Bow Bag in Candy Apple, November 14 Social context On Xiaohongshu, #sandyliang has 3.1 million views, whereas over on Instagram, the brand has 377,000 followers. Baggu's post announcing the new product has over 17,300 likes. On TikTok, #bagguxsandyliang has 4.1 million views. Verdict Combining their fanbases, Sandy Liang and Baggu launched one of 2023’s buzziest collabs over the summer, and they’re back with a new bag. August's release sold out so quickly that it triggered the brands to publish an apology. As a result, the Cloud Bag by Sandy Liang and Baggu that retailed at 58, is now listed at over 200 (1,460 RMB) on eBay. Consumer comments suggest this new Mini Bow Bag is going to be another product that instantly sells out. Online comments include: "I hope you made a million of these," "How hard will this be to get?" and "There better not be presales again, and if so where do I sign up?" Heytea x Barbie Details Barbie Powder Narcissus drink, limited edition cups, and paper bags, October 30 Social context One of the collaboration's hashtag #Xichababifen (#喜茶芭比粉) has 5.53 million reads on Weibo, while another #HeyteaBarbiecollab (#喜茶和芭比联名了) has a whopping 71.39 million reads. On Xiaohongshu, the dedicated hashtag has 3.4 million views. Verdict This drop might have missed the boat as Barbiecore hype has been and gone, but Heytea has proven otherwise with another internet-breaking release. According to Heytea, the business sold over three million cups of “Barbie Pink Narcissus” within the first week of launching. One of the Chinese brands with the best social media presence, Heytea often encourages consumers to take photos of its products, which creates a huge knock-on social media campaign, generating hashtags that rack up millions of views as a result.

Sandy Liang x Baggu and Heytea x Barbie: China's internet-breaking collabs

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Published November 14, 2023

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Sandy Liang x Baggu and Heytea x Barbie: China's internet-breaking collabs