Cotti Coffee (库迪咖啡) has launched a new set of French-inspired drinks and announced a ‘deep collaboration’ with Hubert Barrere, a French designer best known as the creative director of Lesage (勒萨日) – the storied embroidery atelier under Chanel’s Métiers d’Art umbrella.
The campaign – themed with the titles Powdered Paris (粉墨巴黎) and Rich Girl Chic (千金格调) – brings high-fashion codes into Cotti’s everyday coffee ritual through co-branded paper bags, cup sleeves and silk scarves.
The design language is deliberately recognisable. Cotti pulls from tweed – a signature material in French luxury fashion – and reworks it into packaging textures and colour blocking. Powdered Paris uses a pink-and-black palette, with tweed-like patterns printed across cups and bags that mimic the feel of a wool jacket. Rich Girl Chic leans into diagonal tweed motifs and embroidery-style detailing on cup sleeves, pushing the look closer to an accessory than a disposable add-on.
On Chinese social platforms, the Cotti Coffee Hubert Barrere campaign has triggered a wave of secondary creation. Users have been turning the paper bags into bag charms, desktop creations, and even DIY clothing pieces. The silk scarf, meanwhile, has shown up in outfit posts as a styling item.
Rather than leave the buzz to run on its own, Cotti has actively joined in. The brand has released official DIY tutorials and launched a themed peripheral design competition, positioning the campaign as something consumers can play around with, not just buy.
The appeal is partly the contract. A mass-market chain pairing a RMB 99 price point with a Chanel-linked crafts figure creates a mismatch that feels meme-ready and shareable. But it also speaks to broader consumer logic in China right now. Young shoppers are still chasing value, yet increasingly want purchases to deliver on mood, identity and social currency. For Cotti, the collaboration does more than refresh its menu. It turns packaging into content, and coffee into a wearable, postable fashion moment.
