Fashion is prepping for the fall 2023 men’s season, with Jonathan Anderson revealing a frog-tastic collaboration with Wellipets, and Louis Vuitton co-designing a collection with Colm Dillane, founder of KidSuper. Other news over the past week: Lacoste announced its brand new collaborative design model, following the exit of creative director Louise Trotter. For each collection, different designers will be invited to make an impact. When a brand like Lacoste has such a distinct, well-known identity, is there a need for a creative director? Or is it more innovative to have those historical signifiers reworked by fresh talent?

Whether for money-saving or creative reasons, more brands will likely follow suit in the years to come. In this issue, we spotlight some of the most highly-anticipated drops that finally hit shelves over the past week, with Tiffany and Fendi dropping their Baguette for just 24 hours, and Dior and ERL marking their collection debut with a Dover Street Market installation.

Got a collab tip? Send the news to collabs@jingdaily.com. For now, that’s it from the industry’s only newsletter providing a lowdown on the most exciting co-branded releases every week. Thank you for reading. —Sadie Bargeron, Collabs & Drops Editor

MOSCHINO X BUGS BUNNY — Collection, January 3

• THE VERDICT: If you’re feeling déjà vu about Moschino x Bugs Bunny, it might be down to the Italian brand collaborating with Looney Tunes back in fall 2015. Of course, the Warner Bros character has made a return in time for the Year of the Rabbit. So far, the campaign has attained a 539,000 estimated reach, which is pretty impressive considering the number of Lunar New Year releases out this week. The popular, playful IP is a great fit for Moschino’s cartoonish identity, likely to sell well among existing fans of the brand.

TIFFANY & CO. X FENDI — Baguette bag, January 5

• THE VERDICT: Since September 2022, fans have been waiting for this iconic pairing to be released. As a result, the launch week has garnered a 2 million estimated reach, with 2,000 organic posts about it on global social platforms. Back in September, there were just 637 organic posts picked up with a reach of roughly half a million; having the announcement so spread out from the drop has evidently fueled exposure. Priced at $5,500, the Tiffany Blue Medium Baguette is $2,210 (15,000 RMB) more than the classic Jacquard FF in the same style. It’s also only being made available for a 24-hour period, stirring urgency which will definitely impact its resale price.

DIOR X ERL — Collection, January 6

• THE VERDICT: This week’s most viral partnership has to be Dior x ERL. The reach for this collaboration is at 11 million, with 30,000 organic posts and 21,000 people talking about it. The majority of online traction has been a result of the famous Korean rapper Sehun pictured wearing a jumper from the collection for Esquire Korea. ERL’s sunny, colorful aesthetic works so well with creative director Kim Jones’ vision for Dior, and the two have combined signatures seamlessly. For example, the Saddle Bag features an ERL bloom, the chain necklaces combine logos, and one of Dior’s hoodies sports ERL’s trademark two-toned swirl.

SK-II X WHITE RABBIT — Limited Edition Design PITERA™ Essence, January 1

• THE VERDICT: China’s beloved candy brand White Rabbit has been on a roll with collaborations over the past year, with this latest beauty drop coming after one with Coach in Q4 2022. It’s an instantly familiar IP for Chinese households, enabling SK-II to extend its mainstream consumer base. According to an email from the brand, the limited-edition, co-branded bottle received over 550,000 consumer engagements on Douyin and Xiaohongshu within the first five days of the announcement. As SK-II strives to appeal to the masses rather than a niche audience, collaborating with a household name is a natural choice. Just like other mainland China releases such as Bobbi Brown x Monopoly (2022), or Olay’s bubble tea collab with Nayuki, appealing to nostalgia works well in the beauty game.

PUMA X STAFFONLY X MONOPOLY — Streetwear line, January 7

• THE VERDICT: Leveraging the nostalgia marketing tactic, Puma and Staffonly have joined hands with the iconic IP of Monopoly, a game that stirs fond memories for China’s millennials and Generation Z. The collaboration has been promoted via a photogenic pop-up in Shanghai’s Hao Market. As an athleisure line, it not only ticks all the boxes of nostalgic merchandise but also taps into the streetwear category that is popular among young demographics.

GUO PEI X BARBIE — Doll, January 22

• THE VERDICT: Following the success of its 2022 Lunar New Year barbie, Guo Pei is back for a second round of celebrations for the Year of the Rabbit. Overall, we’ve seen an estimated reach of 3 million, but only 270 organic posts, which is down to mainstream press covering it, rather than consumers. The upcoming Barbie movie, set to be released in July 2023, is likely to contribute to the popularity. The doll is already listed on StockX for over double the recommended retail price, implying that it is being viewed as an esteemed collectors’ item.

Nespresso Collaborates With Angel Chen For The Year of The Rabbit

Nespresso has launched its “Patchwork Rabbit” collaboration to celebrate the 2023 Spring Festival, the Year of the Rabbit. The special collection features the new year’s zodiac creature — a symbol of positivity and new beginnings — reimagined by homegrown talent Angel Chen.

Read more here

Maybelline x Namito Get Playful Online And Offline For Lunar New Year

To celebrate China’s most important annual festival with Gen Z consumers, cosmetics giant Maybelline New York worked with bunny-eared urban art icon “Namito” on the Maybelline x Namito limited edition collection.

Read the Jing Take here

L’Oréal Taps China’s Art Toy Frenzy In The Year Of The Rabbit

L’Oréal Paris has unveiled its collaboration with local collectible toy brand RobbiART, encompassing a series of gift boxes and limited-edition large-sized art toys.

Read more here

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