Fashion Exchange Observations

Since Pharrell Williams took over, Louis Vuitton has leveraged its strong resource integration capabilities, continuously bringing together creative individuals from different communities and ethnicities under the name LVERS. This has injected youthful energy into the brand, using the classic Monogram and Damier patterns as a bridge to showcase innovation, cultural exchange, and appeal to the younger market.

In this collaboration with Tyler, the Creator, his diverse roles as a musician and streetwear brand owner have sparked design innovation. His influence in music and fashion helps the brand break boundaries, merging luxury with street culture. This collaboration allows Louis Vuitton to present a more inclusive image to the international market. 7 days after the launch, the premium in the overseas secondary market exceeded 176% proving its success.

Concept: LVERS

Value: Creative resources become the second asset of the brand

Overall rating:  ★★★★★

Fashion Exchange Observations

In February 2024, Adidas and Edison Chen launched their first collaborative shoe, the CLOT Superstar by Edison Chen. This collaboration aims to merge two legacies, redefining the spirit of innovation and cultural exchange.

The launch event blended Eastern and Western cultures through space, food, and design, bringing together diverse cultural figures and unveiling the ideology of cultural exchange at a Private New Year Dinner. These gestures emphasized culture, positioning the CLOT x Adidas collaboration in a broader international context and transforming consumers’ cultural passion into brand loyalty.

In fact, it worked. The premium of the overseas secondary market for these collaborative products exceeds 131%.

Concept: CLOT Superstar by Edison Chen

Value: Promote brand market expansion through cultural exchanges

Overall rating:  ★★★★★

Fashion Exchange Observations

Prada seized an opportunity to deepen its connection with Chinese consumers. During the Spring Festival 2024, the local Shanghai TV show Blossoms Shanghai garnered 1 billion views in just 26 days. Prada capitalized on this by hosting a Blossom’s Night cocktail party, transforming the TV show’s retro space, creating an exclusive look for the heroine, LingZi, and launching dresses and coats inspired by the show. Many cultural, artistic, and fashion figures, including leading actors, attended the event.

For a long time, overseas brands were passively accepted by Chinese consumers. However, the Prada x Blossoms Shanghai collaboration offers a new vision. By brilliantly portraying the brand in a popular TV series, it becomes more tangible and vivid,and the unique regional and historical tone of Blossoms Shanghai helps the brand establish a connection with Chinese consumers from a historical perspective. Following the premiere of Blossoms Shanghai, Prada searches on the WeChat Index increased by 800%.

Concept: Blossom's night

Value: Regional TV dramas help promote global brands locally

Overall rating:  ★★★★★

Fashion Exchange Observations

In this Olympic year of 2024, the sports industry has become one of the hottest topics in the market. The Y-3 x Real Madrid collaboration seizes this opportunity and provides a valuable example. Through a long-term partnership with the international football club, Y-3 has shaped its professional brand image and captured consumers’ mindsets. By betting on popular clubs and leveraging the team’s performance, Y-3 has maintained sustainable exposure and stayed at the forefront of trending topics.

With Blokecore sweeping the fashion world, the value of jerseys has been recognized by more and more brands. Ten years ago, Y-3 foresaw this trend and launched the first collaborative jersey with Real Madrid, catching the wave early. This year, they have collaborated again, promoting the connection and development between fashion and sports, and showcasing the beauty of sports. After two weeks since the official announcement, the related content on Instagram has garnered over 7.69 million interactions.

Concept: Matchwear

Value: Long-term collaborations enhance the professional image and capture consumer mindset

Overall rating:  ★★★★★

Fashion Exchange Observations

Gucci Ancora, the brand’s first major strategy after changing its creative director, marks a new era for Gucci through color marketing. In this campaign, Gucci collaborated with diverse coffee brands such as Blue Bottle, Grid, and Arabica, upgrading its classic products and selling them exclusively in Gucci Ancora offline pop-up stores. These collaborations respond to the theme of Gucci Ancora. Many popular stars were involved, and the whole campaign sparked a nationwide discussion.

In recent years, luxury brands have increasingly embraced theme colors to enhance their image through simple, low-cost, yet vivid color marketing, creating a color storm in the market. The Gucci x Blue Bottle x Grid x Arabica collaboration expanded this color marketing strategy through Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) channels, allowing consumers to enjoy luxury goods at a lower cost, and motivating them to share their experiences on social media, creating a widespread public discussion. With support, the Gucci Ancora topic on Weibo has surpassed 1.44 billion reads.

Concept: Gucci Ancora

Value: Color marketing + FMCG channels, creating viral campaigns at low cost

Overall rating:  ★★★★★

Fashion Exchange Observations

After Glenn Martens joined Y/Project 10 years ago, the brand’s pleated aesthetics became a new asset, brought into more consumer scenes through collaborations. On March 9, Y/Project collaborated with Salomon to launch the Y/Project x Salomon Speedcross 3. This collaboration uniquely applied clothing design techniques to shoes, creating pleated uppers that offer a fresh perspective on shoe aesthetics.

The value of deep collaboration lies in the ability to regroup the resources of the collaborating brands. Glenn understood this and found an innovative breakthrough, similar to synesthesia, by merging clothing and shoe design, resulting in a recognizable collaborative product that showcases him as an innovator, not just a designer.

Concept: Y/Project x Salomon Speedcross 3

Value: Enhance brand assets with a designer’s style 

Overall rating:  ★★★★★

Fashion Exchange Observations

Chinese high-end jewelry brand Darry Ring has collaborated with globally acclaimed Chinese designer Vivienne Tam to unveil a Modern Chinese Wedding Jewelry collaboration, themed Culture Harmony, Love Springs Here, aiming to bring traditional Chinese bridal aesthetics to the global audience. This collection debuted during the VIVIENNE TAM Fall/Winter 2024 fashion show at Paris Fashion Week, the iconic French actress Juliet Binoche, renowned Chinese singer Karen Mok, prominent Chinese media personalities Yang Lan and Hong Huang, French actress Sonia Rolland, and international supermodel Coco Rocha, along with several government representatives from the Chinese Embassy in France, attended this grand event.

In this significant year of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France, and the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, DR and Vivienne Tam joined hands, through a unique cultural event, to showcase the contemporary Chinese Wedding jewelry series and the modern bridal attire of as the focal point, bringing the good wish to Sino-French cultural exchange.

In today’s market, where cultural understanding drives consumption, cultural narratives have become the new bridge connecting brands and consumers. Chinese bridal culture, embodying national culture and philosophy, safeguards brand globalization through the concept of multicultural integration. Topics related to this collaboration garnered over ten million views on Weibo.

Concept: Culture Harmony, Love Springs Here

Value: Iconic Brand Expansion and Cultural Events of the China-France Year of Cultural Tourism

Overall rating:  ★★★★★

Fashion Exchange Observations

GOODBAI and AFGK have launched a new collaborative capsule collection themed IN THE GROOVE, which signifies always being in the best situation or sync with one’s feelings. This collection reflects the musical insights of brand celebrities Bai Jingting and Ma Siwei, exploring the ideal state of hip-hop music and fashion. Specific city colors were introduced in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu.

In recent years, celebrity-owned brands have risen rapidly. However, expanding these brands from a fan base to the general public remains a crucial challenge. The GOODBAI x AFGK collaboration has opened new avenues for brand storytelling through the diverse identities and social circles of celebrities. The city strategy, based on consumer profiles and lifestyle scenes, has enhanced the brand’s appeal to the general public, helping it connect with more potential consumers. Within two days of the announcement, searches for AFGK on WeChat Index spiked by 797%.

Concept: IN THE GROOVE

Value: From fan economy to mainstream market

Overall rating:  ★★★★★

Fashion Exchange Observations

Concept: Girl Power

Value: Blending Eastern and Western cultural differences through the power of women

Overall rating: ★★★★★