20 Food Brand Collabs We Never Saw Coming
In recent years, collaborations between food brands and other companies have become increasingly common. Branded t-shirts, food-inspired sneakers, and even food-themed beauty products have all been created with the goal of allowing both brands to reach new, untapped markets.
This approach was summarized by professor of food marketing John Stanton to Eater: "It's just a simple example of something that's been around years and years. Focus on something other than product you're selling and let that speak to the audience."
The proliferation of collaborations in modern-day society has made it harder for the work of brands to stand out. Over time, this has resulted in brands pulling out all the stops when it comes to collaborations; many collabs involving food brands have become purposefully outlandish. Others have invested time, effort, and money into creating something that has value while also sticking to brand values. Here are highlighted a number of food brand collaborations, both wonderful and ridiculous, and you can be the judge of which camp each one belongs to.
1. Panda Express x Anti Social Social Club
Panda Express is best known for its Orange Chicken. Jimmy Wang, director of culinary innovation at Panda Restaurant Group, described it to NPR as follows: "Orange chicken is probably one of the most genius creation in the past 30 years. It's taking everything that we love — crispy fried chicken, tossed with savory sweet and sour sauce that really hits all the senses and taste buds in your mouth." It's not just Panda Express employees that love orange chicken; in 2015, it was estimated that half of all Panda Express customers ordered the dish when visiting the restaurant.
When streetwear brand Anti Social Social Club teamed up with Panda Express, there was only going to be one dish immortalized on fabric, Orange Chicken. When it came, the drop included t-shirts, hoodies, and caps, each decorated with an illustration of Panda Express' famous dish.
2. McDonald's x Moschino
McDonald's golden arches is one of the most recognizable logos in the world. Blessed with a name that began with the same letter, Moschino — an Italian luxury fashion brand — decided to partner with McDonald's to produce a range of garments and accessories. Nearly all of these boasted a stylized version of McDonald's famous M. The range included a $780 sweater and a $78 french fry phone case.
Not everyone was a fan of the collaboration, however. As Dr. Ian Campbell explained to The Guardian: "My problem is that if kids are [using these iPhone cases] they are buying in to the whole fast-food concept. And while the occasional McDonald's meal is not a problem, to present it as fashion is disappointing. Is it glorifying McDonald's? I guess it is. Is it a good form of advertising for them? I guess it is."
3. KFC x Crocs
Crocs have enjoyed a massive surge in popularity in recent years; the company's yearly revenue topped $3.6 billion in 2022. This growth can be attributed to a number of factors, including sales driven by the Coronavirus pandemic and a number of successful collaborations.
These two factors coincided with the KFC x Crocs collaboration, which launched in the midst of the pandemic. This version of the divisive shoes was covered in a fried chicken and pinstripe print that resembled fried chicken in a KFC bucket. Detachable charms, that looked and smelled like fried chicken, were included for clipping onto the shoes.
The KFC Crocs were a huge hit, selling out 30 minutes after being released. As with many collabs, numerous pairs of the shoes were put up for resale at massively inflated prices.
4. Zabar's x Coach
Zabar's is one of the few, great Jewish appetizing stores remaining in New York City. Founded in 1934, the business has gained incredible notoriety; it has been featured in multiple TV programs and has steadily grown to cover over 20,000 sq ft. As such an institution, the cultural capital Zabar's wields is astonishing. The company even has its own podcast.
Coach, a luxury fashion house from the United States, took advantage of the store's cultural significance by collaborating on a variety of garments and bags. These were released as part of Coach's Spring 2022 collection, NYC Institutions. All items featured a print of Zabar's iconic bagel as well as the store's logo. The embossed leather tote bag proved especially popular, despite costing $550.
5. Ben & Jerry's x Nike
Shoes have always been ground zero for inventive collaborations. Nike added to this illustrious history by collaborating with free-spirited ice cream brand Ben and Jerry's. The resulting shoe, dubbed the Chunky Dunky, was an elaborate take on Nike's classic sneaker, the SB Dunk.
Released in 2020, the shoe paid homage to Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream by adopting a dripping, fudge-colored version of the swoosh. Horsehair printed in a cow print pattern trimmed the shoe. Blue and green panels also featured, representing the design of Ben and Jerry's ice cream pots.
The collaboration proved so successful that Nike restocked the sneaker a few months after the initial launch. Nonetheless, many pairs of the shoes were listed on resale sites for thousands of dollars.
6. Jet-Puffed x Kizik
Jet-Puffed is a marshmallow brand produced by Kraft Foods, and in an effort to celebrate National S'mores Day, Jet-Puffed teamed up with footwear manufacturer Kizik. The end result was a s'mores-inspired slip-on shoe that costs over $100.
Released on August 8, 2023, the shoe reportedly molds to the shape of the wearer's foot, ensuring sustained comfort over prolonged periods of time. Other features include a quilted nylon upper and bouncy outsole. The design, it must be said, does not scream Jet-Puffed due to a lack of obvious logos or other branding, a stark contrast to many other collaborative items.
7. Osteria x Gucci
Osteria Francescana is the name of Massimo Bottura's flagship, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Modena. Since 2018, Bottura's Osteria brand has been taken global through a collaboration with fashion powerhouse Gucci, thus proving that not all collaborations between food brands and fashion houses result in articles of clothing.
The resulting restaurants — called Gucci Osteria de Massimo Bottura — are located in Beverly Hills, Florence, Tokyo, and Seoul. While unique, all these restaurants are inspired by the luxury fashion brand as Mattia Agazzi, head chef of Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills, explained to The Michelin Guide: "While we like to say that Gucci Osteria is an entity in and of itself, we're all very inspired by the collaborative, creative environment that Gucci has made. More specifically, all of the restaurant's dishes are served atop Gucci's Richard Ginori Porcelain, which helps to elevate the experience of the dish itself."
8. Momofuku x Nike
A relatively understated collaboration is David Chang's Momofuku x Nike sneaker. This hi-top take on the Nike SB Dunk was released back in 2017, and featured a black denim outer completed by a small version of Momofuku's logo near the heel.
The sneakers were available to purchase at Fuku, one of Chang's restaurants, which experienced significant queues on the day of the launch. The shoe was also made available to diners at Chang's restaurants through the use of an augmented reality menu. Ron Faris, general manager at Nike Virtual Studios, explained how this worked to HighSnobiety: "We thought it [would] be really cool if we dropped the shoe as a special on his menu, that literally if you open the SNKRS camera and pointed it at his menu, it would unlock a 3D model of the shoe and you could purchase it right there."
9. Ravi x Adidas
As part of Adidas' Adilicious series – which celebrates community-focused international eateries — the sneaker company teamed up with the Dubai-based Pakistani restaurant Ravi. The resulting sneaker is a take on Adidas' famous Superstar, and features a clean colorway with details about the restaurant, including six of its popular dishes, written in both English and Arabic.
Speaking to The Drum, Ravi's founder Chaudary Abdul Hameed said: "It has become more than just a restaurant with staff and customers, it has become a home that many grew up with. To say that Ravi had a humble beginning and is now representing Dubai as a key city with Adidas is a milestone to celebrate."
Released in the summer of 2022, the shoes sold out rapidly. It was not long until the shoes were listed for resale at double, or even quadruple, their original price.
10. Lays x Balenciaga
Balenciaga has a history of controversial releases, including overly distressed sneakers and high heel crocs. In autumn 2022, the fashion house made headlines for a bag designed to look like a giant Lay's potato chip packet.
The printed leather bag, which came in three colorways, retailed at around $1,800. The effect was completed with an internal silver lining to mimic the foil inside potato chip bags, and a zipper allowed the bag to be closed.
One person on Reddit defended the outlandish bag by commenting: "It's conceptual art. You don't have to buy it, I wouldn't wear it but I love it as an art piece [...] THAT is part of the piece, the discussion, [...] the questioning and triggering a debate about what is luxury in the first place."
11. Pringles x Vasya Kolotusha
The first and only virtual collaboration on our list comes from potato chip brand Pringles and Ukrainian artist Vasya Kolotusha. The end result of this collaboration was 50 non-fungible tokens — otherwise known as NFTs — which took the form of a video. In this video, a golden Pringles can, with the flavor CryptoCrisp, rotated 360 degrees.
All 50 NFTs were purchased via bids which started at around $2. The highest price paid for one was over $3,660; an awful lot of money for a Pringles flavor that can never be smelled, touched, or even tasted.
12. Pop-Tarts x Crocs
KFC is not the only food brand to have partnered with Crocs; Pop-Tarts have also jumped on the comfy clog bandwagon. These shoes, which are being sold via three select drops in August 2023, are more tasteful than the KFC collaboration. Instead of a fried chicken print, the Pop-Tarts Crocs are a neutral off-white. However, they do boast a range of Pop-Tarts-themed charms to attach to the shoes.
Uniquely, the shoes also come with a box of unfrosted Pop-Tarts that come with their own edible charms. As Heidi Ray, senior director of marketing at Pop-Tarts, explained to PR Newswire: "Our latest ingenious collab further lets fans get creative and express themselves while challenging the idea of where Pop-Tarts can show up, and what can show up on a Pop-Tart toaster pastry."
13. Oscar Mayer x Seoul Mamas
Oscar Mayer, a company that has become synonymous with bologna, may boast the funniest collaboration on this list. The meat-centric brand collaborated with Seoul Mamas, a United States provider of Korean beauty products, to release a bologna-inspired face mask.
The thought process behind producing this hilarious, if slightly disturbing, product was explained by Megan Lang, Oscar Mayer's associate marketing director, to The Washington Post: "Oscar Mayer as a brand has a legacy of sparking unexpected smiles and injecting levity into serious moments and we felt that in this case, beauty and self-care was a very ripe territory for the brand to ultimately have some fun with and to playfully subvert." The face masks retailed at a price of $4.99, and sold out in under 24 hours.
14. Arby's x Old Spice
Arby's slogan is "We have the meats!" So, when they collaborated with male grooming brand Old Spice, it only made sense to create a "Meat Sweat Defense Kit." The kit contained a bottle of Old Spice Sweat Defense spray, as well as a branded towel, headband, $15 Arby's gift card, and matching beef-printed sweatshirt and sweatpants. Such a range of products made this one of the most unique food brand collabs in history.
Matt Krehbiel, vice president at Procter & Gamble's Old Spice, said to Muse: "From the first moment we connected, we knew how special this partnership could be. The challenge, but also the fun part, was figuring out how to bring our products together in a cohesive way that felt authentic to our audiences." The collaboration definitely achieved that; the $60 kit sold out in three hours.
15. Oreo x Supreme
There are numerous occasions where popular food brands had their imagery or products transformed into an item of fashion. The Oreo and Supreme collaboration is one of the rare occasions where the opposite happened. In this instance, Supreme's branding was plastered over the humble Oreo.
Three sandwich cookies were included in each Supreme branded product. Unlike the normal cookies, these were bright red in color, as was the packaging. The retail price of a single packet stood at $8, but scarcity saw hugely inflated resale values: Many packets were sold on eBay for well over $10,000 each.
The most disappointing facet of this collaboration was the taste. Although many people hoped the Supreme Oreos would be flavored, they turned out to taste just the same as regular Oreos.
16. Red Bull x GoPro
Typically, collaborations are one-offs, a quick way of making money and increasing brand exposure, but the partnership between Red Bull and GoPro could not be more different. Instead of being a flash in the pan, this collaboration is as long-lasting and authentic as they come.
In 2016, the two brands signed a global partnership. Since then, GoPro has collaborated with Red Bull on numerous prestigious events, including Felix Baumgartner's world record-breaking free fall. The number of events hosted by this duo tops 1,800.
Nicholas Woodman, founder of GoPro, said in a statement recorded by PR Newswire: "We share the same vision ... to inspire the world to live a bigger life [...] GoPro and Red Bull, as a match, are as good as it gets."
17. Little Pie Company x Kraft
Combining apple pies with sharp cheese is a practice rooted in the United State's history. As early as the 17th century, Americans were combining sweet and savory in this manner, and many, particularly in the Midwest, still do. This, however, has not stopped the Little Pie Company x Kraft collaboration from turning a few heads.
This collaboration involves a Little Pie Company apple pie being topped with a slice of Kraft American cheese, and further slices are included in the apple and cinnamon-rich filling. Made to celebrate the Fourth of July, the pie was available at the Little Pie Company's New York store. Fans outside the area could also access the pie by ordering it online.
18. Liquid Death x Martha Stewart
Canned water company Liquid Death, known for its punkish branding, teamed up with food media icon Martha Stewart in the fall of 2022. Interestingly, the resulting product was not food related; it was an unscented candle.
In keeping with Liquid Death's brand image, the candle takes the form of a dismembered hand holding a can of Liquid Death; a far cry from the wholesome, family-friendly homeware products usually sold on Stewart's website.
Despite its leftfield nature, the responses from buyers were overwhelmingly positive. One review on Liquid Death's website reads: "The candle is beautiful! I have yet to light it since I don't want to melt it down right away, I'd rather enjoy the view of the severed hand than waste it."
19. French's Mustard x Skittles
Outlandish candy flavors have always been a way of catching consumers' eyes. This classic approach was exactly the one taken by French's, a well-known mustard brand, to celebrate National Mustard Day in 2023.
French's partnered with Skittles to produce packets of mustard-flavored candy. These were given out for free in Atlanta, Washington D.C., and New York City. This was just the latest in a string of National Mustard Day-inspired inventions by French's, as highlighted to PR Newswire by Valda Coryat, North America vice president of marketing for French's mother company McCormick & Company: "From Mustard Ice Cream to last year's viral Mustard Donuts, this year marks the fifth time French's has gone all out with unique, flavorful innovations to celebrate National Mustard Day [...] we knew we had to outdo ourselves."
20. Campbell's x Frank's RedHot
Some collaborations just make sense. This was the case when Campbell's and Frank's RedHot launched a spicy take on the former's classic Spaghettios in April 2023. This amped-up version of the product features dashes of hot sauce, making this cupboard staple more suited to mature palates.
Mieka Burns, vice president of meals & sauces at Campbell Soup Company, highlighted this in a statement to PR Newswire: "SpaghettiOs and Frank's RedHot each have an undeniable fandom. Through this collaboration, we're excited to put a hot, more mature twist on a classic offering that our adult consumers grew up enjoying."
What's more, Campbell's and Frank's RedHot collaboration is a rarity in that it is both affordable and widely available. Campbell's x Frank's Spaghettios are available in stores nationwide, with one can costing $1.59.