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From Mickey Mouse to Little Mermaid, everybody would have come in contact with the magical world of Disney in their lives. This mass media company is known for presenting an amalgamation of fantasy with nostalgia. People, especially children, expected the magical fantasy to be present in their real lives. This gave birth to the noteworthy collaborations between Disney and brands of lifestyle, apparel, and beauty brands.
For luxury labels, these partnerships with Disney encourage the younger generation to embrace them. However, one cannot reserve the right to like Disney for the under-12 category. Many might have seen Donald Duck at Alessandro Michele’s menswear show for Gucci in 2016. Coach made Mickey Mouse-themed designs along with Disney branding and Disney Princess-inspired collections. Givenchy made a collection influenced by 101 Dalmatians. In 2024, Balmain released a special-edition collection for the 30th anniversary of The Lion King. Celebrating the young African talents, the collection featured RTW apparel and accessories designed by the brand’s creative director Oliver Rousteing with inspiration from African artisanal craftsmanship and a campaign featuring models from the African continent.
But, one of the first collaborations was between Paul & Joe with Disney in 2008 followed by the same brand with Alice in Wonderland in 2010. In the same year, MAC teamed up with Disney for the Venomous Villains Line, featuring blush, eye shadows, beauty powder, lipstick, and nail polish represented by villains such as Maleficent of ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ Evil Queen of ‘Snow White,’ Cruella De Vil of ‘101 Dalmatians,’ and more. Supreme joined forces with Popeye for a limited edition collection that year.
The major event which reflected the partnering nature of Disney was in 2023 when it completed 100 years in the industry. It resulted in several collaborative collections released before, during, and after the anniversary. From streetwear to princess-style jewels, Disney received all of the kinds. Vans, Charlotte Tilbury, Pandora, and Columbia are among the brands that released Disney100 collections.
The year 2013 witnessed the maximum number of collaborations with nine, followed by 2015 (five collaborations). Apart from the general Disney collection, the most collaborative cartoon is Cinderella backed up by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Cinderella also got more collaborations with beauty brands such as Pürminerals, Red Carpet Manicure, MAC, and Sephora, with Jasmine and Snow White tagging along. The most collaborative brand is ColourPop from 2018 to 2022.
It is noticeable that Disney has been associated with beauty and skincare-related labels more than apparel and luxury brands. This is because the fans can bring their favorite character’s magical aura to their vanity comfortably and most easily through the creation of themed makeup and beauty collections. It also gives timeless influence that goes beyond the cultural trends. Therefore, even if Disney makes some changes to its characters as the future demands, people believe beauty products give access to those changes too.
The Walt Disney Company is not stopping with just limited-edition collaborations. It is going beyond that with signing licensing agreements. The conglomerate’s first luxury fashion licensing contract was with Marc Jacobs in 2013. The cropped sweater with Mickey Mouse, which was the one of first creations from the agreement, went on to inspire more global collaboration and licensing agreements.
Cover Image: Courtesy Balmain Official Website