As everyone is officially accustomed to living in a warped reality, nostalgic comforts are reigning supreme in the brand world. So far this month, we’ve already seen Y2K childhood cross-overs like GCDS releasing a line with Bratz, Heaven by Marc Jacobs partnering with Steiff, and Blumarine joining Hello Kitty. However, major brand collisions, such as Gucci x The North Face or Tiffany x Patek Philippe, continue to be the ones dominating the zeitgeist, and we’re expecting to see many more in 2022.

—Sadie Bargeron, Brand Editor

*All social-listening data featured in this newsletter is in partnership with social media intelligence platform Digimind.

Next Up On The Virtual Stage: Chinese Rapper KnowKnow

BRANDS: KOOOLA X REALY X KNOWKNOW (HIGHER BROTHERS)
DATE: December 2021
COLLAB BIO: KnowKnow, one of the team members of the Chinese rap band Higher Brothers, will land on the KOOOLA virtual city in the fashion BaaS platform of Realy. The artist is to hold the first virtual concert in the Sky Island, performing a specially-made song, in a show produced by teams from China, Japan, and Belgium.
CONSUMER INSIGHT: 

• The Weibo hashtag #KOOOLA虚拟演唱会# (#KOOOLA Virtual Concert#) attracted about 50,000 reads and 228 discussions, with most mentions made by KOOOLA and media accounts such as (@1626潮流刊; @大咖实验室), and music-focused media account (@RollingStone大水花). KnowKnow’s music label, 88rising, had just one Weibo post about the concert, which received 336 likes.
• Overall, there has been low conversation about this due to the lack of public recognition of KOOOLA and KnowKnow, as well as a surge of metaverse projects on Chinese social media initiated by already-famous institutions and people.
• KnowKnow’s fanbase are excited, yet negative sentiment came in the form of criticizing the “plain” setting and clothing in comparison to other virtual designs.

GCDS HAS A PASSION FOR FASHION

BRANDS: BRATZ X GCDS
DATE: December 1st
COLLAB BIO: GCDS dropped 30,000 Bratz dolls wearing custom GCDS, accompanied by a ready-to-wear capsule collection; all available worldwide.
CONSUMER INSIGHT: 

• The collaboration’s 93 percent positive sentiment across socials is down to the loyal Bratz fanbase, with the brand boasting almost two million followers and impressive engagement across its official Instagram and TikTok accounts.
• There has been much more interest in the dolls than the clothing collection. Most discussion is about whether or not people managed to land a purchase; some critiqued it as an unorganized release which sold out too quickly.
• On TikTok, in particular, users noted how Bratz has recognized that its consumer base has grown older, consequently selling to older Gen Z and Millennials rather than aiming their content at a child demographic who would play with dolls. This collab basically targets those who are loving Y2K fashion right now, while simultaneously feeding into the nostalgia trend which has come as a result of the pandemic.

EXPERT TAKE: Jamie Cameron, owner of vintage streetwear store Dunno Curated in London’s Soho, has a firsthand awareness of Gen Z’s purchasing decisions in 2021. “GCDS x Bratz is another example of Y2K originals being pulled from the past and pushed in the present via an obscure collaboration that nobody was really asking for,” he said. “While GCDS may be using it to gain the attention of a wider female audience, Bratz is probably desperate to benefit from the Y2K micro trend that most of us read about from the comfort of our homes during COVID-19, rather than lived.”

TRENDING CONVERSATIONS

• Of the 170 pieces which will be available, the first Tiffany x Patek Philippe watch was sold for $3.5million USD on auction at Philips New York, rocketing from the starting bid of $20K. Across social media, the majority loved the crossover, yet acknowledged it would be difficult to attain, with one calling it “mission impossible.”
• Quite a few consumers around the world commented on the Gucci x The North Face collaboration as looking fake with the garish double-type branding, though others loved it. It unsurprisingly drew global attention, from the U.S. and Europe, to Brazil, Hong Kong, Thailand, and China.
• The Moncler x Palm Angels collaboration has been well-received across social media worldwide, with really low negative sentiment. The vintage aesthetic of each piece clearly swayed the streetwear-set.

Mike Tommasiello
Social and digital strategist living in Williamsburg, Mike Tomasiello runs popular instagram account, @NYdoorman and writes for multiple outlets including Cool Hunting and Highsnobiety (most recently having collaborated for their latest coffee table book). He loves all things art, fashion and culture and has a huge sneaker collection.

MODERN COLLECTIBLE COLLAB: Rimowa x Off White. “I think the collaborations that Rimowa has been launching over the last few years – culminating in their exhibit from this last Art Basel – are with really relevant brands and artists, turning their pieces into art works that have more value and utility outside of luggage. A lot of their products can be used as coffee tables and art that you can display in your home. For example, I keep my Alex Israel x Rimowa piece out as it is a great conversation starter and a great way to own something Alex Israel without spending hundreds of thousand of dollars.”

THE STORY: “Prior to leaving Rimowa for Tiffany, Alexander Arnault took the storied German brand and injected new life into it by pairing it with other luxury brands and artists, and having them design their own pieces. From Supreme to Off White, they were able to tap into the cultural zeitgeist and produce pieces with brands that were speaking to a new generation of clients, who may previously not seen a reason to purchase a Rimowa. They did an excellent job of widening their client base and getting a ton of new people who would have otherwise likely skipped over them.”

THE IMPACT: “I think this is memorable because it’s so personal. By creating a piece of luggage that is also a work of art, you can show your personality and point-of-view to people all over the world when you travel. Outside of getting Rimowa a new, younger audience, it is a piece that continues to wear itself down and with that continues to tell more stories and hold more memories for the owner, which is great because it’s almost like it’s a living, breathing piece of art that changes over time.”

TALKING COLLABS WITH HAJIME SORAYAMA AND LI-NING

The cyborg goddesses of Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama inspired the Fall ’95 Thierry Mugler show and later decorated skateboards by Medicom; streetwear by Dior, Stella McCartney, and BAPE; and phone cases by Casetify. KAWS and Sorayama released a companion figure in 2008. But over the past year, all eyes seem to be on the artist’s collaborations with the Chinese sportswear powerhouse Li-Ning. In December 2020, the two names released their first sneakers and streetwear capsule, followed by news of a second in China and Japan this November (global release dates yet to be revealed).

Read our interview with Hajime Sorayama and Li-Ning here

CHINA C&D COLUMN: C-BEAUTY SINGLES’ DAY

For the China Collabs & Drops Column of November, Jing Daily features director Gemma Williams looked into the beauty collabs of Singles’ Day 2021. Local beauty disruptor Perfect Diary’s sales reached 291 million yuan in sales, which was a steep drop from the previous Double 11’s high of 602 million yuan. Another hot contender in the C-Beauty sector, Guochao brand Florasis, also saw sales dive — last year they topped 519 million yuan but this year fell off to 307. This downspell has forced local C-Beauty brands to ideate inventive new ways to capture young consumers.

Read about the C-Beauty Singles’ Day collabs here

• DECODING CHINA’S LOUIS VUITTON X SUPREME LOVE AFFAIR When two fashion titans team up, expect more than your average collaboration. At the Fall 2017 men’s show in Paris, Louis Vuitton unveiled a collection with cult-favorite brand Supreme, marrying French craftsmanship and New York skate style in what would become one of the most iconic tie-ups of all time.
• MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND ROBLOX TEAM UP FOR A MARS-BOUND VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE Boston’s Museum of Science has partnered with the make-your-own-world gaming platform Roblox to create Destination Mars: The New Frontier. Scheduled for release in 2022, the virtual experience will invite Roblox’s 47.3m+ daily players to role play as astronauts as they explore the moon, a settlement and science lab on Mars, and the International Space Station.
• WHAT VIRGIL ABLOH AND OTHERS HAVE DONE TO CONNECT YOUTH TO LUXURY “The passing of Virgil Abloh on November 28 was a shock to many given how young he was but also how he encompassed and embraced the values of youth: diversity, open-mindedness, playfulness, being chill and not imposing artificial boundaries between different aspects of your life,” writes Erwan Rambourg.

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All social media data is sourced from social listening tool Digimind.