Brand collaborations have long been a staple of the licensing industry, but they’ve increasingly taken on a life of their own that’s led to some unusual pairings.

Consumers appeared willing to slip on Mucinex loungewear or sip Moet champagne from a bottle bearing the designs of streetwear brand Ambush. And with marketing budgets constrained during the past year, collaborations proved to be a cost-effective way to raise brand awareness.

Many Limited Editions
Many, but not all, are limited edition runs – the Moet/Ambush product sold out quickly after its launch in the spring – aimed more piquing consumer interest than driving volume sales.

“With all of the pressure of the past year, companies opened up a little and were a little less snobbish and a little more willing to take risks and that made for more interesting and unlikely collaborations,” says Aerosoles CEO Alison Bergen, whose company recently launched a relationship with Laura Ashley.

“There was more spirit to be more creative and interesting. It had felt like collaborations were expected in some pockets of the industries to be programmatic and thus they were generic and less interesting. It was a question of how can you be creative when you have budgets that are restrained for a period of time. So after sitting inside and not be able to do anything fun for so long there seems to be a real genuine appetite for newness on the creative side.”

Some examples:

• Laura Ashley and Aerosoles have paired up for a 32-SKU collection of platform clogs, lace-up sandals, flats and sneakers that’s being sold through the Aerosoles web site and through Nordstrom.com. The Laura Ashley collection is expected to account for 10% of Aerosoles’ general seasonal sales, says Bergen.
• L. Bean is readying a return of apparel and accessories for adults and children featuring Peanuts characters. The collection marks a return to the property for L.L. Bean, which dressed Snoopy for his 1983-84 “Snoopy in Fashion” World Tour and book release. The retailer also paired with designer Todd Snyder for a limited-edition collection of crewneck sweaters and hoodies with designs bringing Snoopy into Maine’s wilderness.
• No stranger to the collaboration space, Crocs partnered with Benefit Cosmetics on clogs and sandals, marking the footwear brand’s first venture into beauty brands. Crocs offered hot pink, glittery twists on their footwear and paired them with Jibbitz charms.
• Lego extended its agreement with Adidas with Dots and Ninjago featuring t-shirts, hoodies, shirts, socks and shoes featuring inspired-by Dots designs. The Ninjago designs, which mark the brand’s 10th anniversary, took their cues from Lego’s earlier collaboration with streetwear brand Hype.
• PepsiCo’s Cheetos recently extended its partnership with reggaeton singer Bad Bunny through a leisurewear capsule collection developed with Adidas. The limited-run merchandise features the color scheme and patterns of mascot Chester Cheetah. The gear will be available to consumers using the Ntwrk app starting Aug. 6. But Cheetos provided some fans early access last week through an application of finger-scanning technology.
• Not to be outdone, The Kellogg Co.’s Cheez-It brand revived a combo package of its white cheddar Cheez-Its with House Wine’s Rose, which was sold through both the latter’s web site and 435 Kroger stores in Colorado, Arizona and Washington.