For KFC, the collaboration was aimed at tapping into a younger demographic and creating a range people could wear at festivals. A seemingly unlikely collaboration, but one that made perfect sense to the city's Greggs fans who excitedly bought up the entire range within hours of it going on sale in Newcastle on Saturday, February 19. Iconic brands that consumers know and love can tap into their cult-like following and give something back that their fans will find comical but also treasure. Two iconic British brands that are the epitome of the high-street, with a shared grab-and-go culture, the collection works to subtly reinforce a brand message for both and win the hearts and minds of consumers in a new and exciting way.

Collaborating with a lifestyle brand such as Hype allowed us to cut through and drive fame by embedding our brand at the heart of culture” she says. Generating conversation and being a brand that plays a role in culture are the central aims of this partnership for KFC, says Public Relations Manager at the business Georgia Wilkins. Quite why this is is a subject for historians, though I suspect it has something to do with the British definition of “good value”.It’s this insight that Oscar Mayer leveraged when it made the decision to shoot the campaign for its ‘Hotdogger’ uniforms – worn by those operating its infamous Wienermobile – also against the backdrop of Fashion Week, this time New York. We’re delighted to bring some festive joy to Greggs fans across the UK and ‘roll’ out a new collection with something for everyone this Christmas, from a sausage roll-inspired festive jumper to cosy fur-lined clogs. While in the fashion industry brands have been grabbing attention through collaborations for years, recent times have seen some more unexpected tie-ups. News of the collaboration has received a mixed response on social media, leaving some baffled and others excited. From previous client projects at ICON Printing, we know that brands with a playful tone of voice can cause a bit of a stir with logo-centric design, recognisable colour schemes and some savvy marketing to transform what is essentially very simple clothing items.

Staying on trend can be hungry work so we’ve made it easy with our mix and match range of super-soft Greggs X Primark separates. The long awaited, eagerly anticipated Greggs x Primark fashion collection finally launches on February 19. Plus, he says, citing staff bonuses and free breakfasts for primary schoolchildren, “it appears to be a really brilliantly run company. Primark and Greggs have released the first look at their upcoming limited edition fashion collaboration. It certainly has for Catlin Jones from Wales who was so delighted to be reunited with her daily pastry after the UK-wide lockdown, that she decided to mark the occasion with a tattoo of the brand’s logo, as reported in The Sun newspaper.It sticks two pastry-flecked fingers up at “foodies”, reminding them (me) that no premium sausage roll will ever usurp Gregg’s in Britain’s culinary consciousness.

The Tottenham label Sports Banger, for instance, made a cult favourite by emblazoning the logo of the Doncaster company Heras, which makes fences used at raves and festivals, on to a T-shirt. Greggs and Primark will open a pop-up boutique in Soho between 17 and 18 February to “offer eager fashionistas the chance to get their hands on some of the new collection before the rest of the nation”, with two pieces available for free to those who manage to secure a slot when bookings open on 10 February. When news of a Primark and Greggs link-up landed in our inboxes, I thought “how totally random”, but not one to shy away from ironic brand merch (the KFC bucket hat is sartorial gold), I decided to head on down to the launch.The starting point for Primark in approaching its collaboration with Greggs was also creating joy among its consumers. For Poile, “these are items that are made to be photographed and posted on social media – a bit like wearing a meme”. From Panera’s ‘soup’ swimsuits and SunnyD’s bold bobble hats, to the release of Oscar Mayer’s revamped ‘Hotdogger’ uniforms to the public [which BrandOpus worked on], the ‘merchi-fication’ of brands is one of the more humorous marketing trends to evolve in the last few years. Complete with Greggs branded tracksuits, bucket hats, sliders and trainers (to name but a few), there’s no doubt you’ll be looking like a snack.

While these collaborations may seem like a short-term execution the long-term brand-building is really important for a brand like Gucci,” Lees adds, pointing to data from Kantar’s 2022 BrandZ report which shows Gucci’s brand value grew 12% year-on-year. Of course, these clothing lines may only be a bit of fun for brands, but they serve a function too by tapping into shared emotional space that they, fundamentally, have a right to occupy. Sabrina Faramarzi, a cultural trends expert and founder of the data and trends agency Dust in Translation, also sees it as an example of “the Gen Z habit of elevating the niche.The sell out success of the KFC x Hype and Greggs x Primark collaborations shows brands do not necessarily have to be from the same world to partner successfully. Streetwear lines from unexpected brands work best when they poke fun at a fashion industry, which can often take itself too seriously.