Vans skates the extra mile for Qinghai’s youth

Returning to Qinghai province, skateboard brand Vans last week continued its charity project, taking 2,700 sneakers to teachers and students from four schools. Home to a picturesque mountainous landscape, Qinghai is largely made up of nomadic pastureland. It’s also home to areas of poverty, with one of the cities visited by Vans, Yushu, generating GDP of 7.4 billion RMB ($1 billion) in 2023. For context, Shanghai’s GDP was 4.7 trillion RMB ($661 billion). Other highlights this week comprise Bosideng connecting with London’s young fashion set through the student-led launch of its MSGM collaboration, and Xander Zhou revealing Bose headphones at his Shanghai Fashion Week show. Subscribe here to the Collaborations newsletter. Vans x schools in Qinghai province Details: Charity project, gifting 2,700 Vans sneakers and teaching students how to skate, October 14 and 15 Social context: On Xiaohongshu, #vans has 51.7 million reads. Verdict: Touring from Xining to Yushu, to Nangqian County, Vans focused on schools that consist of mainly single-parent families or orphans – it’s a heartfelt way to contribute to the community, which is at the core of skate culture, while spreading awareness of skateboarding in China. Vans took the information of each recipient student across the four schools, where children board subsidized by the state, in order to gift the correct size shoes, then proceeded to host painting workshops and skate lessons. Vans has hit on a stellar authenticity-focused domestic strategy. This has been an ongoing project for Vans for the past eight years, encouraging children to express themselves, and giving back to the local community in China. MSGM x Bosideng Details: Puffer jacket collection, October 18 Social context: On Instagram, Bosideng has 566,000 followers and MSGM has 740,000. On Weibo, MSGM has 7,971 fans, and Bosideng has 6,014. Verdict: Combining Chinese and Italian design, MSGM x Bosideng is a first-of-its-kind initiative for the local outerwear powerhouse. Along with the outerwear offering, the collaboration includes a promotional documentary film created in collaboration with Brunel University of London. The tie-up highlights the brand’s quest to break onto the global stage. The collab enables MSGM to enter a product category that Bosideng is an expert in, while the puffer jacket maker borrows MSGM’s vibrant Italian fashion design craft, solid reputation, and expertise. Bosideng has long been focused on appearing more as a fashion house than just an outerwear manufacturer, and collaboration has helped that rebrand over the past five years, from a Jean Paul Gaultier collection, to appearing at London Fashion Week in February, 2020. Xander Zhou x Bose Details: Bose Ultra headphones, October 14 Social context: On Instagram, Xander Zhou has 133,000 followers, and Bose has 1.3 million, while on Xiaohongshu, #xanderzhou has 1.3 million views, and #bose has 1.7 million. Verdict: As one of the most established Chinese designers on the schedule at Shanghai Fashion Week, Xander Zhou is the ultimate gateway for a global brand like Bose to connect authentically with the style set. The Xander Zhou show in Shanghai presented the label’s latest collection at System nightclub, followed by an after-party at the same location, emphasizing this collaboration further with the synchronization of music and fashion. From Volvo cars to Kith, Bose has a plethora of collabs under its belt. Earlier this year, the brand partnered with Chinese fashion hub Labelhood with designers reinterpreting the Ultra Open earbuds.

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Vans skates the extra mile for Qinghai’s youth