There was a time when brand partnerships—your Rodarte for Target and Hermès for Bugatti—felt rare and noteworthy. But now, every season brings with it a slew of unlikely bedfellows: Reebok and National Geographic; Burberry and Minecraft; Juicy Couture and Kraft Mayo. There’s no pairing too incongruous in the age of memes. This cross-pollination is big business. A 2021 Statista study found that 67% of Gen Z and 60% of millennials reported purchasing co-branded products and that 71% of American consumers feel positive about such collaborations. Done well, they’re a way for companies to widen their audiences and generate sales, while sharing the costs and risks. Done poorly, they can inflict serious reputational damage, alienating new and existing customers alike.1 This story is from Kinfolk Issue Forty-Seven Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 39 Calm and Collected An artist's art collection. Arts & Culture Fashion Partnerships Issue 35 Peripheral Visions An abstracted exploration of cloth and color, produced in partnership with HaaT. Arts & Culture Issue 22 In Conversation: Group Dynamics We invite leadership coach Kari Uman and clinical psychologist Murray Nossel to advise on collaborating more constructively. Arts & Culture Issue 47 Alice Sheppard On dance as a channel to commune with the body—even when it hurts. Arts & Culture Issue 47 Dr. Woo Meet the tattoo artist who's inked LA. Arts & Culture Issue 47 Walt Odets The author and clinical psychologist on why self-acceptance is the key to a gay man's well-being.
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