On 21 February, Spanish luxury brand Loewe announced its collaboration with Hellobike (sometimes Hello) in celebration of its latest Casa Loewe Shanghai opening. Some call it an earthquake in co-branding but that might be a bit hyperbolic. Not only is it a collaboration between an established luxury fashion house and a non-premium “high-street” brand, but the two are also from completely different categories. Hellobike is a transport service platform known for its bike-sharing services.
Between now and 8 March, you can find limited-edition Hellobike bicycles at multiple locations in Shanghai, including Jing An Kerry Centre and Anfu Road. These special-edition bikes don a gold livery with Loewe branding like race cars. The colour also pays tribute to the golden-hued façade of the Casa Loewe Shanghai in the Jing An Kerry Centre. Out-of-home (OOH) advertisements have been put up with a drawing of a golden bike on the billboards and posters.
At the same time, a Loewe-sponsored biking challenge was launched on the Hellobike app. Users that accumulate 3 kilometres of mileage during the challenge period on any Hellobike bicycle can win a virtual badge that can be exchanged for a coffee and a limited-edition Loewe newspaper from the pop-up coffee cart at the Casa Loewe Shanghai, between 21 and 23 February and again between 28 February and 2 March.
Cycling was one of the major outdoor trends that continued into 2025 from last year, especially the urban “cityride” (a continuation of “citywalk” that took over China last year). Pundits believe that Hellobike was chosen by Loewe against competitors because it’s hosted over 200 cycling challenges in the last 2 years. It is no doubt a very creative collaboration that will catch many eyes, but some are concerned whether Loewe’s collab will direct all attention to Hellobike, like HeyTea taking all the spotlight in the Fendi team-up in 2023.
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