Ahead of the release of Victoria’s Secret upcoming feature length film next month, the American underwear brand has found an unlikely partner in Luckin Coffee.
The Tour ’23, which drops on Prime Video on September 26, takes viewers behind the scenes as four designers in four cities bring to life their unique fashion creations, alongside iconic custom Victoria’s Secret designs. The part fashion show, part documentary will also feature performances from GRAMMY award-winning pop star Doja Cat.
The film release marks the grand return of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show after four years following a spate of controversies and negative publicity. Most recently, a song calling out the brand’s harmful impact on young girls’ body image went viral on TikTok, to which the brand responded by saying it is “committed to regaining [consumers’] trust”.
Luckin Coffee, which has risen rapidly to become Starbucks’ main rival in China, is the official brand partner of the event in China. The collaboration doubles up as a seasonal promotion, with Luckin releasing a new Osmanthus-flavoured green tea for the beginning of autumn. The drink comes wrapped in a baby pink cup holder complete with angel wings – an homage to Victoria’s Secret models, who are famously nicknamed “angels”.
Luckin Coffee is not shy of an adventurous brand collaboration, having already associated its brand identity with the likes of the “Pepe the Frog” meme and the “Line Puppy” IP. However, this marks the first time the Chinese budget coffee powerhouse has partnered with an underwear brand – let alone a foreign and controversial one.
Chinese netizens took to social media to express their surprise at the collaboration, with one WeChat blog article calling it “absurd”. Another netizen jokingly dubbed the co-branded coffee “sexy little deer” (Luckin’s logo features a stag).
Hot off the heels of its exclusive line with boundary-breaking Chinese designer Rui Zhou, Victoria’s Secret is hopeful the collaboration with Luckin will enhance its brand recognition in China – with female empowerment as its new focus.
