On 7 May, Arc’teryx, the Canadian outdoor performance sportswear brand partially owned by Anta, launched its collaboration with Songtsam (松赞), a Tibetan hotel chain and travel service brand. It is the third time in as many years the two have teamed up, each time producing a capsule collection inspired by Tibetan landmarks. This time, the theme is the “sacred lake” of Namtso (纳木错, also Namucuo).
Paying tribute to the “heavenly” body of water, Arc’teryx created a short film with legendary Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle (杜可風), best known for his award-winning collaborations with Hong Kong film auteur Wong Kar-wai (王家衛). The short film documents the 24 hours leading up to the “opening” or thawing of the lake through the eyes of a herder family on a pilgrimage. The film pays tribute to the shades of blue surrounding the lake, from the sky to the mountains and the water itself.
The co-branded Namtso collection includes a Beta SL Jacket, Gamma Hoody Jacket and Carrier 75D Duffle Bag, combining Arc’teryx’s leading outdoor performance and the blue of Namtso, with a blue knot emblem that symbolises the spiritual tie between humans and the environment.
Songtsam is a collection of hotels located around travel hotspots in Tibet and Yunnan that serve as starting points for many hikers and mountaineers and provides package tours for those less versed in Tibet travel. It had also recently received investment from an investment fund under the educator-turned-livestreamer New Oriental (新东方). New Oriental acquired 12.4% of the hotel chain’s shares, making its founder and CEO Yu Minhong a board member of Songtsam.
Anta’s CEO Xu Yang, then CEO of Arc’teryx in the Greater China region, jokingly said that Songtsam is the only place you can spot more Arc’teryx worn than at the company’s HQ. This is perhaps why Arc’teryx opened two Yunnan stores with the help of the hotel chain in 2022 and launched co-branded collections in 2023 and 2024. With a very closely aligned target audience, the two brands fit too well not to collaborate, and the artistic and spiritual message the collaboration sends, elevates the collection.
Need to boost your China strategy? Dao Pro delivers bespoke insights on marketing, innovation, and digital trends, direct from Chinese sources. Find out more from our Dao Strategy Team here.
