Co-branding is a smart and fruitful way to help both brands reach a wider audience and boost brand awareness, while creating something new, valuable, and unique. Here, we gathered a series of peculiar brand collaborations that produced beautiful and distinctive designs and prodcuts.
1. LOVERS & SVAKOM x FEEL TECHNOLOGY
In a moment in time where many are spending a lot time at home — and in some cases in isolation — two adult wellness brands have joined forces with Feel Technology to release a new collection of interactive sex toys. The sleeok and elegant design of Connexion Series is the result of the collaboration between Lovers, SVAKOM and hardware & software company Feel Technology. Thanks to them, these toys not only can be connected to the FeelConnect 3 app for long-distance control but they can also be synched with adult websites.
2. THOMAS HEDGER x OFFBLAK TEA
British artist Thomas Hedger’s simple, lively, and bold style fits perfectly OFFBLAK’s ethos. OFFBLAK is a British tea company whose teas present ‘A New Generation of Tea’ for the modern tea drinker. In the design work he did for OFFBLAK, Hedger was able to capture a more abstract and mood-oriented feeling, as opposed to simply illustrating something that would reflect the product. All the designs avoid being overly explicit, and, at the same time, successfully manage to convey the flavours of each tea.
3. ØRSTED X KHORA VR
Danish renewable energy company Ørsted is the world’s most sustainable company in 2020, ranking #1 in Corporate Knights’ 2020 Index of the Global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world. They have reduced their carbon emissions by 83% — faster than required by science to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Wanting to share their optimism and that it’s possible to make even the biggest of changes in only a decade, Ørsted joined forces with KHORA, a Copenhagen-based VR & AR studio, to help the world reflect on the climate through VR.
Sending every Earth citizen into space is impossible, but with 360° VR Space Safari, people can go on a virtual space mission. Helped by a team of American and European astronauts, Ørsted and KHORA, worked on this project to help people see the world like astronauts do, hoping that this would create a greater sense of responsibility for our shared and fragile home and speed up green action. So far more than 6 Million people have been sent virtually into space with this VR experience.
3. TAIJIRO ISHIKO DESIGN x DESIGN STUDIO LARS VEJEN
Lars Vejen is a Danish designer who has been working with Japan since 1995. He runs a design studio based in Aarhus and Kyoto, city where he spends 2 to 3 months a year. He partnered up with Taijiro Ishiko, a Japanese designer who shares the same aesthetics and values, to create studioA27, a creative collaboration that embraces the best from both traditional craftsmanship and modern technology. The two together redesign interior spaces and produce furniture and decorations. The Hirata Gen Collection is a furniture brand example of their constructive dialogue on concept and from.
5. SMEG x DOLCE&GABBANA
What happens when fashion meets domestic appliances? Inspired by Sicilian aesthetics, the distinctive decorative motifs by Dolce&Gabbana are elegantly and joyfully applied to a collection of home appliances by SMEG — consisting of blender, toaster, kettle, citrus juicer, slow juicer, stove, and fridge — for a 100% Italian brand collaboration.
6. IKEA x LEGO
IKEA and LEGO teamed up to create BYGGLEK LEGO, a range of simple storage solutions for kids and adults. The boxes of the collection have such a simple design that can they easily be put on display at home between play times. Kids can build inside, outside, or around the BYGGLEK boxes, which can also be connected and combined together to create a true masterpiece. And the best part about BYGGLEK is that when it’s time to clean up, kids don’t have to take apart what they’ve just built, as they can either store them in the box or leave them on display in a nice and tidy way. This collection is already available in IKEA retail channels in Europe and North America.
7. HUAWEI HONOR x J. TSAI, G. OZZOLA, W. DONGLING & Z. LI
In order to upgrade their brand image on a global level, Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has been engaging in a series of collaborations with creative talents. Huawei’s sub-brand HONOR collaborated with four artists — Jacky Tsai, George Greaves, Wang DongLing and Giovanni Ozzola — on a limited-edition of the Magic Watch 2. Each of the artist’s contributions reflects their signature style, from Tsai’s lush floral horse to Wang’s experimental calligraphy, and can be paired with matching watch faces available through the Huawei Health app.
8. SPOTIFY x TIFFANY (speculative)
This speculative project by Josh Madwed sees Spotify and the luxury jewellery brand Tiffany collaborate to give customers more immersive experiences. As Tiffany has been struggling to attract young consumers, a Spotify Platinum feature where users unlock exclusive content by linking Tiffany jewellery with their Spotify account could help spark young aesthets’ interest in Tiffany products. This specualtive collaboration would also allow artist to design their accessories with Tiffany.
But let’s look into what Madwed has imagined and designed.
After a user gets their Tiffany accessory, they can add it to their account. The accessories would have an NFC chip embedded within it for authenticity. When a user decides to add a new Tiffany accessory for the first time, they’ll see a screen similar to the Apple Pay screen. And after the user begins to buy more Tiffany products, it’ll build their “charm box”, where the user can take a quick peak at the exclusive content they get with their accessory. Under an Event tab, users can see what exclusive events artists are hosting for devoted fans. A potential opportunity would be for Tiffany to also partner with Ticketmaster so the jewellery can act as a ticket for the event. Finally, a Merch tab for artists serves to sell exclusive items. Users can also buy new charms straight from the app, and before buying, users can preview the kind of content they can see that the artist shares on Platinum.
9. B&O x ON
Both running and listening to music can shape how we see the world. This is why Danish manufacturer of luxury audio products Bang & Olufsen and Swiss running brand On have joined forces to create a limited edition of Beoplay E8 Sport wireless earphones, tapping into the powerful link between music and running. The shoe of the Beoplay E8 Sport On Edition is made specifically for high-speed marathon racing, thanks to the CloudTec technology which enhances long distance runs. The earphones, with IP57 waterproof rating, combine a powerful, wireless listening experience with the battery life needed for long-distance runs.
10. SPAM x HUF
What happens when an old brand famous for its iconic canned cooked pork meets a fashion brand? SPAM has become the subject of a very unlikely collaboration with West Coast streetwear boutique HUF. HUF has taken SPAM’s instantly recognisable logo and printed it onto a range of military-inspired garments, alluding to the brand’s role in feeding American, British and Russian soldiers during WW2.
