Chinese social media celebrities—also known as key opinion leaders (KOLs), or wanghong—are increasingly becoming involved in product collaborations. This is especially true of a large and fast-growing group of Chinese fashion and style bloggers, who have been designing limited-edition capsule collections for Western luxury brands. A handful of recent examples:
- Tao Liang (Mr. Bags) teamed with Tod’s on a limited edition of 200 bags, which sold out within 24 hours, and with Longchamp for a seven-piece Year of the Dog-themed collection, available both on- and offline in 10 countries. He has also been involved in partnerships of various sorts with other fashion labels, including Stella McCartney and Givenchy, and with retailers from Galeries Lafayette to Saks Fifth Avenue. In addition, he operates a proprietary e-commerce shop.
- Thomas Ye (Gogoboi) paired with Givenchy for a handbag collection, as well as associating with global brands and western e-commerce sites for collaborations, paid posts, endorsements, and other marketing affiliations. Like Mr. Bags and many other KOLs, he sells products through his own ecommerce shop as well.
- Fan Yimin (Becky Li) worked with Rebecca Minkoff on a special-edition handbag line that sold out 1,200 units in two days. She has also participated in collaborations with Chinese brands such as jewelry label Qeelin and its Wulu collection, for which she designed 18 bracelets, and Forbidden City home goods, for which she has recently created two product groupings. In addition, she is launching her own fashion line, focusing on basic items such as white t-shirts and blouses.
- Ye Zi (Leaf Greener) designed a pair of sunglasses for Linda Farrow, as part of a broader marketing relationship. The item marked her first product collaboration, but she expects to form similar partnerships with other brands going forward.
Chinese social media celebrities are more likely to be involved with brands through sponsored posts or endorsements, or to launch proprietary fashion brands independently, than they are to create limited-edition capsules with established luxury marketers. Still, the latter strategy is on the upswing, and this list just touches the surface of a growing pool of product collaborations involving fashion bloggers and Western brands.
Such ventures can be an effective way for non-Chinese brands, particularly on the luxury end of the spectrum, to expand their foothold in the difficult-to-crack Chinese market, and they can be positive brand-building and revenue-generating experiences for the celebrity fashion bloggers as well.
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