There’s nothing quite like a brand collaboration. Last week, Morley’s Chicken shop – South London’s beloved post-pub scran saviour – announced their latest partnership with Heinz. The pair have launched Heinz x Morley’s Chicken shop sauce (“It’s better than burger sauce”, says their TikTok), and it’s already looking like a hit. 

For the uninitiated – or, rather, anyone living outside of London – Morleys first opened as a family-owned chicken shop in Sydenham, South London, in 1985. Last year the chain opened its 100th shop and, despite barely expanding beyond the borders of South London, achieved cult status along the way. Stars like Croydon-born musician Stormzy, who filmed his Big for your Boots video in his local branch, have added to the buzz. But, mostly their success is down to Morleys’ loyal following. 

Still, it’s a relatively small enterprise compared to the powerhouse of Heinz, which was founded more than 100 years prior and is currently worth an estimated $43billion. But, that’s precisely why this collaboration is so perfectly pitched: a giant like Heinz needs personality and character to retain edge and relevance, which Morelys has in abundance. For the local chicken shop, breaking out onto supermarket shelves with a trusted, family brand is a sure-fire boost to the top. 

Over the last few years brand collaborations have become more popular than ever – and, usually, the weirder or more unlikely they are, the better they fare. Gen Z, known to be the most fickle generation when it comes to brand loyalty, are particularly partial to a collaboration – and, as their buying power starts to increase, brands should take note. 

Plus, they’re a lot of fun. Here’s a look at some of the most successful collaborations from the last few years – and why we think they worked. 

Greggs x Primark 

Why it works: Sausage roll (socks), anyone? When the Greggs collection first dropped at Primark three years ago, it sold out faster than you could say ‘steak bake’. From Greggs branded trainers, hoodies and socks to a Christmas collab featuring sausage roll wrapping paper and gift tags, the collections since have been endlessly popular, often going viral.

Part of the initial hype around the collaboration was that it didn’t make any sense – why would a one-stop shop for cheap bacon baps and sausage rolls have a clothing line? But, somehow, it really does feel right. Going to Greggs has become a personality trait for consumers, and represents a growing sense of class consciousness, presumably derived from its northern-normcore roots. Primark largely occupies a similar market – but what the fast-fashion chain really got from it was showing it can be silly with a British brand that feels safe, unpretentious and extremely popular.

It was a similar story when we produced Monzo’s Very Important 2021 Data Thing, which showed that London is literally the only place in the UK that goes to Pret more than Greggs. Our map, covered in sausage rolls, also proved to be pretty popular. Turns out it’s always a good idea to put Greggs in your campaign.

 

Crocs x Balenciaga (or, really, anyone) 

Why it works: Crocs is the definition of celebrated ugliness, so their collaborations with high-end fashion houses is a deliciously satisfying culture clash. 

Crocs have benefitted from being bold, and doubling down on their divisive aesthetics. So being even more controversial – taking more risk, getting more people talking – feels like the right step to take. Both Crocs and Balenciaga have been caricatured in popular culture (think the opening scenes of the film Triangle of Sadness to get a sense of Balenciaga’s reputation for taking themselves very seriously), which makes this collaboration even funnier. Despite that, and the £900+ price tags, the footwear collabs are always genuinely popular.

 

Crayola x Clinique 

Why it works: Most people’s first experience of makeup is rifling around their mum’s dressing table as a child and, in this collaboration, that sense of exploration and imagination is in-built. 

Makeup should be fun. But, realistically, the beauty market sits in the context of external societal pressures to meet arbitrary and unattainable standards, the majority of which fall on women to look a certain way. Crayola represents the opposite – most of us can still remember the smell of their wax crayons, and immediately associate the purity of childhood; the freedom of creating whatever you want, unpolished and only for you. 

Even the Crayola x Clinique packaging plays on that sense of nostalgia. The 58-piece makeup collection, made up of 95 colours, is expansive, light, playful, and reminds us that being imaginative is for adults, too. 

Euphoria x Bratz

Why it works: Upon its release in 2019, Euphoria quickly became a huge hit by depicting the gnarly, bewildering process of becoming yourself. It’s dramatic, compellingly personal, messy and stylish. On top of that, it’s an iconic show for Gen Z fashion and largely responsible for bringing back a lot of Y2K aesthetics – the age of Bratz doll market dominance. 

What drew people to Bratz dolls, released in 2001, was that they attempted to counteract the Caucasian, blonde, “all-American” neatness of Barbie. They were sold as “girls with a passion for fashion”, were more customisable with different themes, individual aesthetics and accessories. They were still quite heavily (and somewhat rightly) criticised – but were instantly popular with kids, particularly for their diversity, nonetheless. Finally, non-white girls could see themselves in Bratz dolls.

While it wasn’t perfect, in the Euphoria x Bratz collaboration that sense of individuality was aligned. 

MSCHF

Why it works: Then there’s MSCHF, whose entire brand and model is based on unexpected collaborations and provocative stunts, all available in their exclusive limited drops. 

While they do lots of work directly with brands, some of their collabs are clandestine operations, such as their “Birkinstocks” – a pair of Birkenstock’s sandals fabricated from destroyed Hermes Birkin bags, which sold for between $34,000-$76,000 depending on shoe size. 

Regardless of individual products and stunts, it’s interesting to see that collaborations have become so commonplace that they’ve prompted an entire brand based on satirising them. 

Looks like it’s an indicator that there’s far more surprising partnerships to come.