It’s been a busy week of brand collaborations in the mainland with Chinese consumers reveling in the nation’s reopening and Shanghai Fashion Week making a bold return.
In a bid to boost its revenue in China, Estée Lauder launched its first line with London-based Royal College of Art alumni Feng Chen Wang. Turning to another global powerhouse, Ugg unveiled its Yu Prize collaboration with dreamer label AlienAnt; it follows the Ugg Feel House pop-up, which ran in Chengdu during the last quarter of 2022.
Other stand-out brand collaborations include the streetwear debut of The Rap of China’s Ai Fujieni, who is working with Heyday Studio on some wavy sneakers.
For our verdict on these brand collaborations, check out the below and subscribe here to receive weekly updates straight to your inbox.
Feng Chen Wang x Estée Lauder#
Date
March 31
Verdict
American cosmetics leader Estee Lauder continues to build on its China collaboration strategy with its latest tie-up, which follows the announcement that it slashed its 2023 financial forecast due to Covid-19 restrictions in China. Net sales fell by 11 percent in the prior-year period to $3.93 billion in the third quarter of 2022. Feng Chen Wang's collection comes hot on the heels of a collaboration with fellow London-based Chinese label Shushu/Tong, which partnered with Estee Lauder in 2021 and again in February this year.
A key name on the global collaboration scene, Feng Chen Wang is one of the world's most established Chinese designers. On Weibo, the collaboration’s official hashtag #雅诗兰黛xFengChenWang# generated 19 million reads and 1 million organic posts on the day of this writing — that’s stellar engagement, considering it’s been less than a week.
Heyday Studio x Allume-Feu x Fuqi Century#
Date
April 2
Verdict
Chinese hip-hop record label FuQi Century, founded by Ai Fujieni (4.44 million followers on Weibo), Allumefeu and Heyday Studio, partnered for a three-party collaboration to create “Triple Wavy” limited-edition sneakers. This is The Rap of China star Ai Fujieni’s first collaboration with a fashion brand.
The artist is hosting a pop-up event to launch the collection, and also to promote his new album, Alpha A, likely making this an immediate hit with his existing fanbase, while fueling the rapper x streetwear brand collaboration trend that's going strong in the mainland. Thanks to the power of fan culture in China, supporters will likely be lining up for this.
Ugg x AlienAnt#
Date
April 3
Verdict
New York-based, Chinese designer Yuchen Han was one of the winners of the Yu Prize Rising Voices Awards in 2022, so he is able to launch his official Ugg collaboration: the Oh Yeah slipper. Sold on the Tmall flagship store, TikTok official flagship store, brand offline retail stores, and Ugg designated boutiques in China only, the partnership is an example of the popular strategy of working with local talent to connect with a specific market segment.
On Weibo, the official hashtag, #Ugg茸系青年#, has generated 364,000 reads to date, which is a strong showing considering the brand account has 495,000 fans — this level of engagement demonstrates the power of working with independent Chinese designers.