Combining Trends and Tastes
In the last five years, several food and clothing brand collaborations have gained significant attention and success due to their unique and creative approach to brand partnerships. These collaborations often include limited-edition product releases, innovative marketing campaigns, and exclusive events that draw consumer interest and media coverage. Brand collaborations are crucial in today's market as they not only amplify visibility and reach but also foster innovation by merging diverse audiences and expertise, ultimately enhancing brand identity and market relevance.
These iconic collaborations highlight the power of combining distinct brand identities to create unique and highly desirable products, often leading to significant cultural impact and commercial success. In this article, Hollywood Branded shines a light on five of the most successful collaborations between apparel brands and popular food and beverage companies.
Unlocking the Value of Brand Collaborations
Food brands like McDonald’s and Ben & Jerry’s, as well as clothing brands such as Supreme, are going beyond their core offerings by teaming up to create meaningful merchandise and new product lines. These collaborations cater to passionate customers who are willing to pay to represent their favorite brands, whether through fashion statements or indulging in beloved food and drink. Mass-market brands like McDonald’s also have logos so iconic that they have attained cultural status, making them desirable pop culture symbols for consumers. Ultimately, these intersections of food and fashion fulfill multiple roles: generating additional revenue streams for brands, garnering fresh publicity, and transforming fans into dynamic brand ambassadors.
Crocs x pop-tarts
Crocs has a history of partnering with confectionary brands. In 2022, they launched a line of clogs inspired by General Mills cereals like Trix, Cocoa Puffs, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms, and they released Peeps-themed footwear around Easter in 2020. In 2020 and 2021, Crocs again introduced notable collaborations with food brands, including a Kentucky Fried Chicken collection featuring drumstick Jibbitz, and a Hidden Valley Ranch x Crocs collab with speckled clogs to mimic the popular Valley Ranch salad dressing.
Last summer, Croc launched their collaboration with Pop-Tarts by launching the Pop-Tarts Croc-Tarts kit, making waves online and quickly selling out of their limited edition co-branded kits. These special Pop-Tarts Croc-Tarts kits featured custom Crocs Classic Clogs adorned with Pop-Tarts-inspired Jibbitz charms and a box of Unfrosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts with Crocs-shaped candy Jibbitz charms customers could even add atop of their pop-tarts to decorate their pastries, mirroring how you’d accessorize your Crocs. Fans of the brands obsessed over the kits for their vibrant and unique touch, which included a silver Pop-Tarts foil wrapper, the "Crazy Good" slogan, the Pop-Tarts logo, and more. This exclusive Croc-Tarts kit, which also included a box of Unfrosted Pop-Tarts with miniature edible gummy Crocs and edible glue, was available only on the official Croc-Tarts website.
Photo Credit: Tyllie Barbosa & Jake Fleming for Pop-Tarts
Photo Credit: Tyllie Barbosa & Jake Fleming for Pop-Tarts
Travis Scott x Mcdonald's
In 2020, McDonald's collaborated with Travis Scott to introduce the "Travis Scott Meal," featuring a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, medium fries with BBQ sauce, and a Sprite. Alongside this meal, a range of limited-edition merchandise, including apparel and accessories, was launched. The collaboration generated massive social media buzz, significantly increasing foot traffic to McDonald's and boosting sales. The merchandise sold out quickly, becoming highly sought after by fans and collectors.
Travis Scott earned approximately $20 million from this partnership in September, with Forbes estimating at least $5 million from the traditional endorsement and another $15 million from merchandise sales. At the center of Scott's promotion was the signature combo meal, McDonald's first celebrity-named meal since the '90s. However, the greatest driver of sales was the co-branded merchandise, blending the Golden Arches with Scott's Cactus Jack label on pieces such as shorts, shirts, and even a McNugget-shaped body pillow. Jennifer Healan, McDonald's vice president of U.S. marketing, even remarked "We're super-thrilled with the demand this partnership created.”
Photo Credit: USA Today
Photo Credit: Fader
Supreme x oreo
In 2020, Supreme, the widely-known streetwear brand, teamed up with Oreo to release limited-edition red cookies embossed with the Supreme logo. Sold in packs of three for $8, these cookies were billed on the Supreme website as "Double Stuff Oreo cookies with baked logo." The striking red hue and the iconic rectangular "Supreme" logo in replace of the usual "Oreo" marking made them an instant hit. The Twitter account The Supreme Saint shared the Oreo image to over 100,000 followers, garnering over 14,000 retweets and 50,000 likes, proving that even a century-old cookie can stay on-trend.
The collaboration was a massive success, with the cookies selling out almost immediately. The high demand and brand loyalty were evident as packs resold on secondary markets for shockingly steep prices. The exclusive Supreme-branded cookies were even reselling on eBay for between $33 and $15,000. One buyer paid $1,250 for a 12-pack, while another spent $500 for a three-pack. This frenzy underscored the unique appeal and value of this collaboration between Supreme and Oreo.
Photo Credit: AdAge
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Nike x ben & Jerry's
In 2020, Nike teamed up with the beloved ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s to create the funky "Chunky Dunky" sneakers, inspired by Ben & Jerry's popular Chunky Monkey flavor and Nike's SB Dunk Low. The shoes featured blue and green hues to mimic Ben & Jerry’s packaging, cow print trim, and a tie-dye interior pattern reflecting both brands' signature styles. Those fortunate enough to purchase a pair received them in boxes resembling large ice cream pints, adding to the novelty.
The Chunky Dunky sneakers became an instant hit, selling out rapidly and now commanding prices over $1,000 on reseller sites. On StockX alone, there have been nearly 1,000 sales, with an average price of $1,578 per pair—a staggering 1,690% increase from the original $100 retail price, unsurprising given the high demand and popularity that comes from such iconic collaborations.
Photo Credit: Gabe Conte
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Adidas x arizona iced tea
In 2019, Adidas partnered with AriZona Iced Tea to release a vibrant line of sneakers inspired by the drink’s flavors, featuring bold patterns and bright colors reminiscent of AriZona’s packaging. The collaboration produced 10 varieties of sneakers, drawing inspiration from AriZona’s popular flavors such as Watermelon, Mucho Mango, Lemon, and Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey.
The initial sneaker release in 2019 was priced at $0.99, matching the cost of an AriZona Iced Tea can, generating immense buzz and chaotic scenes. This strategic pricing and the unique designs made the collaboration an instant success. Sold exclusively at Adidas’ NYC pop-up store, the event attracted such a passionate crowd that the NYPD had to shut it down for safety reasons. In 2021, the two brands collaborated again, releasing four new styles of the world-famous Adidas Superstar, continuing the successful partnership.
Photo Credit: Hypebeast
Photo Credit: CNN
Eager To Learn More?
Explore more Hollywood Branded articles to discover further insights into celebrity food collaborations, food-related integrations, as well as successful footwear brand partnerships that have driven sales growth and enhanced brand awareness!
- Celebrity Fast Food Collaborations
- Popular Food and Drink Branded Integrations
- The Top Food Influencers and Branded Partnerships
- Rediscovering Celebrity Sneaker Collaborations
- The Power Of Artist Collaborations With Footwear Brands For Sneakerheads
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