Cross-border Collaboration between Luggage Industry and Trendy Play IP: From Traffic Blockbusters to Cultural Symbols
Jun 19, 2025
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Cross-border Collaboration between Luggage Industry and Trendy Play IP: From Traffic Blockbusters to Cultural Symbols
Exploring how the luggage industry can engage in cross-border collaboration with international trendy play IP like Labubu and Nezha from multiple dimensions, leveraging top-tier IP for overseas expansion.
I. Market Trends and Industry Pain Points: Trendy Play IP Empowering the Luggage Industry to Break Through
The global trendy play market is experiencing explosive growth, with China's trendy play market size expected to reach 877 to 1,536 billion yuan in 2025, while the luggage industry faces challenges of homogeneous competition and thin profits. Against this backdrop, cross-border collaboration with trendy play IP has become the key for the luggage industry to break through. Take Labubu from Pop Mart as an example, its unique "ugly-cute" design and star effect triggered a purchasing craze in the Southeast Asian market, with the revenue of its series increasing by 726.6% year-on-year in 2024; the Nezha IP, taking advantage of the global box office success of the movie Nezha: The Demon Child Stirs the Sea, saw its co-branded blind box figurines in short supply at home and abroad. These two IPs represent trendy art and traditional culture respectively, providing differentiated cooperation paths for the luggage industry.
II. IP Selection Strategy: Precise Matching of Cultural Genes and Target Markets
1. Trendy Art IP: Labubu's International Breaking Logic
Labubu's success stems from its artistic setting as a Nordic forest elf and the character shaping of "naughty and optimistic", such an image with both recognizability and emotional resonance is naturally suitable for trendy consumption scenarios. For example, its interaction with Thai top star Lisa triggered social fission, quickly becoming the "social currency" of young people in Southeast Asia. Luggage brands can learn from its design language, integrate Labubu's iconic elements such as sharp teeth and serrated teeth into luggage hardware or prints of hard shell suitcase, and create scarcity through limited editions and hidden editions to activate the desire for collection.
2. Traditional Culture IP: Modern Reconstruction of Nezha
The core value of Nezha IP lies in the rebellious spirit of "my fate is up to me", which has universal appeal in the global context. Luggage design can extract symbols such as Nezha's fire-tipped spear and Hun Tian ling, and combine modern technologies (such as laser engraving, 3D printing) to achieve a youthful expression of traditional elements on aluminum frame luggage. For example, TraveRE, a brand in Xiaomi's ecological chain, once launched the "Adventurer" hard shell suitcase in collaboration with The Wandering Earth, combining sci-fi aesthetics with functionality to become a phenomenal product.
III. Innovation in Cooperation Models: From Product Co-branding to Ecological Co-construction
1. Full-link Product Development
◦ Functional Integration: Deeply bind IP cultural elements with luggage functions. For example, Labubu co-branded models can be designed with detachable plush pendants on carryon luggage to meet consumers' DIY needs; Nezha co-branded models can embed magnetic ID cards on trolley suitcase, echoing the "demon child" identity identifier.
◦ Scenario-based Design: Develop subdivided categories for different usage scenarios. For example, Mesuca launched campus-style IP carryon luggage and vacation-scene co-branded travel trolley bags in Southeast Asia, precisely positioning the price range of 20-40 US dollars, with a first-week conversion rate of 12%.
2. Immersive Marketing Matrix
◦ Online-offline Linkage: Yanteng Luggage Co., Ltd. launched the Labubu's Fantastic Journey topic challenge through platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu, combined with setting up check-in points in offline pop-up stores for hard shell suitcase, forming a closed loop of "content planting - offline experience - online communication".
◦ Hunger Marketing Strategy: UNIQLO's collaboration with KAWS once triggered a purchasing spree through the concept of "last collaboration", the luggage industry can learn from this model, such as launching pre-sale countdowns for IP co-branded models of cabin bag suitcase and limited offline store sales.
3. Fan Economy Operation
◦ Membership System Upgrade: Establish IP-exclusive membership levels, providing privileges such as priority purchase rights and designer meet-and-greets for set of 3 suitcases. For example, Pop Mart converted Labubu fans into brand private domain traffic through its membership system, increasing the repurchase rate by 3.2 times.
◦ UGC Content Incentive: Encourage consumers to share unboxing videos and styling tutorials for collapsible duffel bag, excellent works can receive IP derivative rewards. When Miniso collaborated with Black Myth: Wukong, it achieved over 100 million global exposures through user-created content.
IV. Cultural Integration and Brand Positioning: Balancing Local Genes and Global Expression
1. Cross-context Transformation of Cultural Symbols
◦ Local Adaptation: Labubu's popularity in Southeast Asia is inseparable from the fit between its "naughty ghost" image and local social psychology. Luggage brands need to adjust IP elements for target markets, such as weakening Labubu's "dark romance" on inexpensive luggage in the Middle East market and strengthening its "adventurous spirit"; highlighting Nezha's "anti-authority" narrative on travel trolley bags in the European and American markets.
◦ Modern Aesthetic Reconstruction: Referencing the collaboration model of Book Burning Grass Jelly and National Treasure, abstract elements such as Sanxingdui bronze masks and divine trees into geometric figures, and integrate them into luggage fabric design of foldable luggage bag, retaining cultural heritage while conforming to international aesthetics.
2. Synergistic Enhancement of Brand Tone
◦ High-end Empowerment: Collaborating with Labubu can enhance the brand's trendy attributes, such as TraveRE launching the NICE limited series of aluminum frame luggage in collaboration with a former Hermès designer, settling in the Pompidou Center in France, and strengthening the "fashion travel" label.
◦ Youthful Breaking: Nezha IP can help brands reach Generation Z, as data from the DeWu platform shows that 61% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for IP co-branded gift boxes of cabin luggage trolley, with young users accounting for over 70%.
V. Overseas Expansion Strategy: Supply Chain Layout and Localized Operation
1. Global Production Capacity and Cost Optimization
Yanteng Luggage Co., Ltd. has effectively reduced labor costs and avoided trade barriers by laying out overseas production capacity in Indonesia and India (accounting for over 60%) for hold luggage. It is recommended that luggage enterprises adopt the model of "Southeast Asia production + Europe and America sales", and cooperate with local suppliers to develop environmentally friendly materials (such as degradable polyester fibers) that meet regional standards, to meet policy requirements such as the EU EPR system.
2. Diversified Channels and Precise Reach
◦ Cross-border E-commerce Dominance: Build online flagship stores through platforms like Amazon and TikTok Shop, and use AI to generate multilingual marketing content (such as TraveRE using the DeepSeek large model to generate videos in English, Korean, and Arabic) for abs suitcase.
◦ Offline Channel Penetration: Distribute goods through distribution networks in Southeast Asia, and enter boutiques and trendy collection stores in Europe and America for luggage set of 3. For example, Mesuca collaborated with top Thai anchors for live streaming, creating a single-game GMV (gross merchandise volume) of 180,000 US dollars.
3. Localized Marketing Combination
◦ Red Person Matrix Building: Sign top TikTok influencers for unboxing reviews of riding suitcase in Southeast Asia, and collaborate with trendy bloggers for street photography content in Europe and America. Labubu's hot sales in Indonesia benefited from influencer planting on Tokopedia and Shopee.
◦ Cultural Event Binding: Launch limited editions in combination with local festivals, such as the Nezha IP launching a "Demon Child Pumpkin" themed cabin bag suitcase for Halloween in Europe and America, and a "Nezha Stirs the Sea" zodiac series for the Spring Festival in Southeast Asia.
VI. Technology Empowerment: AI-Driven Efficiency Improvement and Experience Upgrade
1. Design End Innovation
Yanteng Luggage Co., Ltd. converted CAD sheets into 3D models through the Style3D platform, shortening the R&D cycle by 50%, and won 80,000 orders at the Canton Fair with 3D displays of hard shell suitcase. It is recommended to introduce AI design tools (such as DALL・E 3) to generate IP co-branded patterns, and optimize design schemes combined with consumer preference data.
2. Production End Optimization
Use AI to predict market demand and dynamically adjust production plans for aluminum frame luggage. For example, Yanteng Luggage Co., Ltd. analyzed popular TikTok tags to stock up on Labubu co-branded models in advance, increasing inventory turnover by 27%. At the same time, adopt intelligent cutting beds and IoT platforms to achieve flexible production and meet small-batch customization needs.
3. Consumer End Interaction
Develop AR try-on functions, allowing consumers to virtually wear IP co-branded bags on carryon luggage through mobile phone APPs; introduce AI blind box systems, and recommend styles through algorithm analysis of user preferences to enhance the purchasing experience.
VII. Risk Management and Long-term Operation
1. IP Authorization and Legal Compliance
When selecting IP, it is necessary to verify the scope of authorization to avoid infringement disputes. For example, Pop Mart's collaboration with Nezha IP strictly follows the usage specifications of the movie copyright holder to ensure that co-branded products of trolley suitcase are synchronized with the movie's release cycle.
2. Avoidance of Cultural Conflicts
Verify the market acceptance of design schemes through AB testing. Mesuca initially pushed Disney co-branded models of inexpensive luggage directly to Southeast Asia and encountered cold reception, but later successfully opened the market through price range adjustment and scenario adaptation.
3. IP Life Cycle Management
Establish a mechanism for continuous IP content updates, such as Labubu maintaining heat by launching the 3.0 series on set of 3 suitcases, and Nezha can develop "Fengshen Universe" derivative IP to expand product lines. At the same time, use blockchain technology to generate digital collections for limited-edition luggage, achieving online-offline value linkage.
VIII. Conclusion: From Traffic Blockbusters to Cultural Symbols
The collaboration between the luggage industry and trendy play IP should not be limited to short-term traffic monetization, but should transform IP into a cultural carrier for brand overseas expansion through cultural integration and technological innovation. Just as Labubu's "phenomenal" popularity in Southeast Asia and Nezha's cultural resonance globally, successful cross-border collaboration can not only enhance product premium for hard shell suitcase and aluminum frame luggage but also establish the cultural confidence of Chinese brands in the international market. In the future, with the deep application of AI technology and the improvement of global layout, the luggage industry is expected to achieve a gorgeous transformation from "Made in China" to "Created in China" through the triple empowerment of "IP + Manufacturing + Culture".