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12 cool and memorable product collaborations we never saw coming - from a Dolce & Gabbana Smeg toaster to Mickey Mouse Beats headphones
12 cool and memorable product collaborations we never saw coming - from a Dolce & Gabbana Smeg toaster to Mickey Mouse Beats headphones
Connie Chen,Connie ChenDec 11, 2019, 00:19 IST
Timex/InstagramIf you want a reliable, everyday watch with personality, you'll love this Timex x Snoopy in Space series.
One way brands try to become the topic of conversation is to create a cool and interesting product collaboration.
As the following 12 collaborations demonstrate, the trick to really capturing shoppers' attention is to make something unexpected.
Collections we'll remember for a long time include PopSocket phone grips adorned with real Swarovski crystals and Levi's jackets equipped with the power of Google.
Brands are always looking for new ways to make their products feel fresh again. Demonstrating that two is better than one, they often partner with other brands to create cool and interesting collaborations.
These collections cross over different realms like fashion, food, movies, music, tech, and pop culture, creating harmonious new products that shoppers can't wait to get their hands on.
Usually, collaborations make complete sense - a cookware brand partners with a chef or an athletic sneaker brand links up with a fitness app, for example. A few, however, have made us scratch our heads. Ultimately, that seems to be the goal: create something unexpected and people will stop and take notice.
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The following 12 product collaborations are exactly the types of partnerships that you'll remember for a long time. No one saw these products coming, but they work.
The tricky thing about many collaborations is that they're only available for a limited time. While we would've loved to highlight some former collabs that are no longer available, the below list is actually shoppable right now.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
Ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, it seems like the amount of "Star Wars"-themed merchandise has skyrocketed, but few collections have caused as much excitement and anticipation as this iconic French cookware company's beautiful and well-crafted takes on the franchise's most famous characters.
Featuring 40 hours of battery life, clear and balanced acoustics, and a comfortable, adjustable fit, these headphones are perfect for listening to any type of entertainment, from action movies to hip-hop songs. They're particularly suited to Apple users: They connect seamlessly to your Apple devices, and you can activate Siri on them.
You might know PopSockets as the cheap and useful phone accessory you stick to the back of your phone to make it more comfortable and convenient to hold, but there are also some ultra-lux options to consider.
PopSockets has a collection of phone grips made with genuine Swarovski crystals (black, silver, heliotrope, or sunshine) set in a durable aluminum shell. They're expensive and beautifully flashy, made for anyone who loves glitz, glamour, and drama.
To understand the most culturally important symbols of our time, simply look to the sneaker world, which is no stranger to cool and interesting collaborations. Sneakers are the functional blank canvases that reflect personality, style, and in the case of Puma's Tetris collection, sources of adult nostalgia.
The bright colors and retro silhouettes of these shoes, which also come in a black style, may have you walking to the beat of the iconic Tetris theme.
Colorful nail polish inspired by bestselling Jelly Belly flavors
Everyone has a favorite Jelly Belly flavor, and now you can match it to a shiny, quick-drying nail color. There's the pink sparkle-flecked Strawberry Cheesecake, a deep blue Blueberry, and more. The polishes are as fun to experiment with as taste-testing the various Jelly Belly flavors.
A patent-pending pair of spinning glasses created with Jimmy Fallon
Thanks to a special design, these sunglasses can rotate 360 degrees smoothly. Sure, they're a little gimmicky, but they're also fun and proceeds go to a good cause. 100% of your purchase goes toward a program called Pupils Project, which provides free vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses to school kids in the US.
The versatile black matte sunglasses have UV ray-blocking, scratch-resistant lenses, and are available in a wide width design.
A watch collection that celebrates the Apollo 11 mission and a beloved "Peanuts" character
There are a lot of moving parts to these new watch designs, which include weekenders and dive-style watches. Not only do they prominently feature Snoopy, but they feature Snoopy in a specific context — exploring the limitless possibilities of space. It's just one of many 2019 collaborations that capitalized on our fascination with NASA and the historic Apollo 11 mission. If you want a reliable, everyday watch with personality, you'll love this series of fun accessories.
"Game of Thrones" is officially over, but collaborations like this highly popular eyeshadow palette live on. It's made up of 20 shades, from matte neutrals to attention-grabbing jewel tones, to let you declare your House allegiance through your beauty look. When it's time to get ready for your night out, you can default to this versatile, highly pigmented palette as you put your favorite episode on in the background.
This is one package you won't want to throw out because it includes a pop-up throne that can stand alone or hold your favorite beauty product of the moment.
Life's simple indulgences include a slow Sunday breakfast of eggs on toast — made on a decidedly extravagant indulgence of a designer toaster. Terrifyingly enough, this two-slice enamel-finished toaster is one of the most "affordable" of the Smeg-Dolce & Gabbana collaboration, which also features stand mixers and refrigerators.
The Sicily Is My Love line of kitchen appliances is made in Italy and contains key Sicilian symbols such as cherries and acanthus leaves.
Natural hand soaps created by talented independent artists
Minted, an online marketplace for art wares and home goods designed by independent artists, partnered with natural cleaning brand Method to create these attractive hand washes that you'll actually want to display on your countertop.
The designs aren't just an aesthetic choice. They also influenced the fragrances of each type of soap. For example, the Ocean Drift soap, designed by fine art photographer Tommy Kwak, is influenced by the visuals and smells of the waters of the Faroe Islands.
While the limited-edition collections from online sock startup Bombas previously revolved around athletes such as Muhammad Ali to demonstrate the high-performance aspect of the socks, the new "Sesame Street" collaboration is much more playful and youthful. With fuzz-lined styles and character socks, it's a collection that the whole family can get behind.
The commemorative "Sesame Street" 50th anniversary set of socks includes comfortable and supportive ankle and calf socks, and it's available in single pairs or gift box bundles. As per Bombas' mission from the start, each pair of socks purchased results in a pair of socks donated to someone in need.
This cool Levi's jacket looks like a normal jacket at first glance, but brings new meaning to the term "wearable." There's a Jacquard by Google tag inside the left jacket cuff, which enables you to perform tasks like control music, take photos, and track your phone location by tapping the cuff or moving your arm. We tried it and found it surprisingly easy to set up and incorporate into our everyday lives.
