A leading brand collaboration trend in China throughout 2023, global sportswear brands are continuing to work with local streetwear names on collections.
From Fila’s youthful diffusion line Fila Fusion announcing a tie-up with Hong Kong rapper and singer-songwriter Jackson Wang’s brand Team Wang, to streetwear store Costs joining Asics to co-create another sneaker.
Read on for our verdict on these collaborations, as well as Beams branding Pop Mart’s Space Molly figurines. Subscribe here to receive these updates straight to your inbox via the Collabs & Drops newsletter.
Fila Fusion x Team Wang#
Details
Collection, November 29
Social context
On Weibo, Team Wang has 156,000 fans. On Xiaohongshu, #TeamWang has amassed 167.3 million views, #FilaFusion has 21.5 million, and #FilaFusionxTeamWangDesign has 156,700. Jackson Wang’s posts on Instagram about the collaboration have garnered 879,000 likes.
Verdict
- Recognized as one of China’s homegrown brands that is successfully driving hype, Jackson Wang’s namesake label Team Wang has built a cult following, and often sees queues outside the locations of its drops in the mainland. This is a great collab-choice for Fila to connect with the local streetwear crowd.
- The first Chinese artist to perform at Coachella, Wang’s fan base ensures that every drop is met with consumer enthusiasm, and this Fila Fusion collection is no exception. It is a diffusion line that has been created to target Fila’s young consumer demographics – Wang’s fans are predominantly Gen Zers.
- Posts about this collection on Wang’s personal Instagram account have amassed almost one million likes, showing how instrumental his fan base is in propelling Team Wang’s popularity, and it’s being utilized for this collection, too.
Costs x Asics#
Details
GT-2160 “Shao Ji" sneaker, November 28
Social context
On Xiaohongshu #costsxasics has 25,700 views, and Costs’ official account has 2,652 followers. On Weibo, #costsxasics has 16,000 reads.
Verdict
- Shenzhen fashion store Costs has collaborated once more with Asics, demonstrating how global sportswear brands are connecting to streetwear fans via popular retail spots.
- Southern China’s “Shao Ji” print is adorned on the sneaker’s insole, championing local culture and tradition, with the lettering of words shaoji and "粲箕.” Asics could not present this kind of authentic heritage Chinese design without the help of an external designer.
- Local collaboration is a common way that sportswear brands are connecting with streetwear fans, tapping into the rising national pride of consumers in China, supporting homegrown brands, and earning relevance in the market.
Mega Space Molly x Beams#
Details
1,000% and 400% Space Molly figures wearing Beams, November 27
Social context
#SpaceMolly has 10.37 million reads on Weibo. Space Molly-owner Pop Mart’s account has 630,900 followers on Xiaohongshu and #Beams has 7.1 million views.
Verdict
- A leader in China’s toy market, Pop Mart’s Mega Space Mollys have become hot property for collaborators, from Moncler to Care Bear. Japanese streetwear brand Beams is able to gain major mainstream attention via this tie-up, delving into the toy market, which it isn’t part of.
- Creating a collector’s item like Space Molly figurines adds a level of cultural capital to a brand such as Beams via enabling it to enter the homes of fans.
- In return, Space Molly feeds Beams’ reputation among its stylish consumers, instantly making the rest of its solo collections cool, too.