In 2023, luxury brands have become accustomed to collaborating with entities outside their industry in order to sustain consumer interest, presenting themselves as cultural entities to appeal to a wider range of demographics. Fendi is following this trend by joining forces with Heytea for their latest venture.
Fendi’s partnership with Heytea is not as surprising as it may seem to Western consumers, considering the Italian luxury leader’s previous implementation of playful marketing strategies in mainland China, such as the Fendidi Panda collaboration with artist Oscar Wang.
Even Heytea, a well-known brand popular among young people in China, has collaborated with Tesla, the high-end electric vehicle company owned by Elon Musk, earlier this year. This collaboration is notable as Tesla rarely engages in such partnerships.
Heytea serves as a reliable bridge for Fendi to gain cultural recognition and generate social media buzz in mainland China. The brand resonates with local netizens, who eagerly participate in photo-sharing trends when presented with visually appealing food and beverage options.
Over the past week, Fendi has gained significant attention on Chinese social media due to its unexpected collaboration with Heytea, timed with the opening of Fendi’s traveling “Hand in Hand” exhibition in Beijing. The Fendi x Heytea collaboration, which debuted on May 17, quickly sold out and has proven to be a success for both brands.
Images of customers holding the limited edition cups filled with the visually appealing passion fruit and mango drink have flooded platforms like Weibo and Xiaohongshu. The dedicated hashtag #喜茶fendi联名# on Weibo alone has been viewed by 32.6 million users, with 8,662 organic posts related to the collaboration.
To further promote the limited edition passion drink and its accompanying yellow and black accessories, Fendi and Heytea are hosting a Hutong Tea Room experience in Beijing. From May 19 to June 16, customers can enjoy a premium lounge experience with the collaboration’s color scheme at the historic Temple Dongjingyuan, where the exhibition is taking place.
The “Hand in Hand” exhibition by Fendi is currently in its third location after Rome and Tokyo. The showcase features various reinterpretations of Fendi’s iconic Baguette bag crafted by regional artisans. For the Beijing showcase, Fendi invited artisans AXiWuZhiMo and LeGuShaRi, who belong to the Yi ethnic group, one of the oldest ethnic groups in Southwest China, to recreate the iconic baguette bag.
In addition to the artisanal baguette designs, contemporary artists Ni Youyu, Chen Fenwan, and Wei Pingyuan have also created special versions of the Peekaboo bags for the exhibition.
Collaborating with Heytea is an effective strategy to generate exposure for the “Hand in Hand” exhibition. Co-curated by Fendi, Chinese singer and actress Jike Junyi (who is of Yi ethnic background), and Chinese contemporary art collector Kylie Ying, the exhibition is a profound celebration of local culture.
Furthermore, the event has received significant attention due to the presence of Chinese-American actress Joan Chen and Angelababy (who has 105 million fans on Weibo), as well as brand ambassadors Tang Yixin, Xu Guanghan, Xu Kai, Song Zu’er, and Tan Zhuo, who all attended the opening night.
Both the Heytea collaboration and the “Hand in Hand” exhibition showcase innovative and exceptional ways of marketing a luxury brand beyond fashion collections, targeting mainstream audiences. However, whether Fendi could maintain its reputation with a fast-food chain in the Western market is a separate matter.