How Ochirly's Chen Fenwan Partnership Sustained Sales 10 Months Post-Launch

Executive Summary#

Artist brand collaborations can create commercial value that lasts well beyond the usual campaign window, and the Ochirly (欧时力) x Chen Fenwan (陈粉丸) partnership is a clear example. Launched in May 2023, the collaboration drew a concentrated rise in social media attention across Weibo (微博), Douyin (抖音) and Xiaohongshu (小红书), and its main selling period on leading Chinese marketplaces ran through August 2023. The most important finding for brands is that sales of the co-branded products picked up again in March and April 2024, about ten months after launch. That runs against the usual expectation that interest in a collaboration fades once the campaign ends, and suggests that an artist partnership can serve as a lasting brand asset. Consumer reviews showed that visual design was the main reason to buy, with buyers describing the products as "good-looking" and "refined", which we believe shows that consumers were buying the pieces as wearable art and not as seasonal merchandise.

From Launch to Engagement Spike: The Social Media Timeline#

Ochirly launched its Chen Fenwan collaboration in May 2023, and the effect on the brand's social media presence was immediate, as buzz volume and engagement rose across three major platforms, Weibo, Douyin and Xiaohongshu. Weibo served as the main channel for the collaboration campaign. This choice of platform matched Weibo's strengths in brand storytelling and its audience for fashion and lifestyle content.

The most revealing measure was the number of co-mentions, that is, posts that referred to both Ochirly and Chen Fenwan together, which rose sharply around the milestones of the collaboration campaign. That rise indicated that the partnership drew real consumer interest beyond general brand awareness. Users shared design details, purchase experiences and styling suggestions, which gave the collaboration organic attention beyond the reach of its paid campaign activity.

This pattern of engagement matters because it shows how artist collaborations differ from standard brand marketing. When consumers discuss the artistic story behind a collaboration, such as its paper-cutting motifs, its cultural references and the craftsmanship of its design, they form deeper associations with the brand than conventional advertising usually creates. For Ochirly, this meant a relationship with consumers that was built on appreciation of the design more than on promotional offers.

Chen Fenwan's wider social media presence is also useful context. Across all her brand partnerships in this period, Weibo was the main platform, while the brands she worked with spanned apparel, beauty, beverages and spirits. Ochirly's collaboration benefited from the artist's growing visibility across industries while contributing its own audience to the shared buzz.

The Sales Trajectory: Launch, a Quiet Period and a Return#

The sales of the Ochirly x Chen Fenwan collaboration moved through three phases, and each of them carries lessons for brands that are considering an artist partnership.

Phase one: launch (May to August 2023). The co-branded products had their main selling period in these four months on leading Chinese marketplaces. Sales were concentrated in the same weeks as the social media campaign, which suggests that the marketing activity and the availability of the products were well coordinated.

Phase two: the quiet period (September 2023 to February 2024). After the campaign ended, sales of the co-branded products were quieter. That is the usual pattern for celebrity endorsements and seasonal marketing campaigns, where consumer interest eases once promotional activity stops.

Phase three: the return (March to April 2024). Sales of the co-branded products picked up again about ten months after launch, without a new marketing campaign, which suggests that consumer interest returned when seasonal buying conditions were right. The spring shopping season was probably the trigger, but consumers must already have wanted these products for them to come back into purchasing decisions.

We believe this three-phase pattern matters for brand strategy. Celebrity endorsements typically see interest fade once and not return. The Chen Fenwan collaboration, by contrast, showed that an artist partnership can work as a long-term brand asset, with products that keep their appeal to consumers and can sell again when conditions are right. Brands should therefore judge an artist collaboration on its potential to produce sales again in later seasons as well as on the return from its first campaign.

China's apparel market was relatively stable during this period, with sportswear the fastest-growing sub-segment at +12% YoY. Chen Fenwan's co-branded apparel across all her partner brands reached cumulative sales of more than CN¥ 4.2 million between May 2023 and April 2024, which shows that artist collaborations can earn meaningful revenue in a stable market.

Consumer Perception: Purchasing Wearable Art#

An analysis of buyer reviews of Ochirly's co-branded products on a leading Chinese marketplace between May 2023 and April 2024 shows that visual design was the main focus of consumers' comments. We believe this confirms that the collaboration moved the conversation about these products toward their design and cultural value, and away from price and practicality.

Consumers consistently described the co-branded products as "good-looking" and "refined". When consumers explain a purchase in terms of the design they admire, they are in effect buying wearable art, a position that supports premium pricing and makes buyers less sensitive to price.

This perception matches the wider sentiment analysis of Chen Fenwan's collaborations across all her partner brands. Social media discussions showed three main impression themes, romantic, refined and creative, which indicates that the artist's paper-cutting style consistently lifted how consumers saw the products above mass-market positioning. For Ochirly, this meant that the co-branded products worked as halo items that reinforced the brand's creative credentials across its wider product range.

We believe the value an artist collaboration creates for consumers reaches beyond the products themselves. When buyers describe a collaboration product as "refined" or "artistic", that view also attaches to the brand that sells it, and the brand's reputation can benefit long after the collaboration has ended.

Key Takeaways#

• Sales of the Ochirly x Chen Fenwan co-branded products picked up again 10 months after launch, which shows consumer appeal lasting beyond the usual campaign cycle
• Co-mentions of the brand and the artist on Weibo, Douyin and Xiaohongshu rose sharply around campaign milestones and gave the collaboration organic attention
• The main selling period, May to August 2023, ran across leading Chinese marketplaces
• Consumer reviews focused on visual design, with "good-looking" and "refined" the most common descriptions
• Brands should judge artist collaborations as long-term brand assets and plan for more than a one-off marketing campaign
• China's apparel market was stable during the period, with sportswear growing 12% YoY

About the Data#

This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence (魔镜洞察) data covering the period from May 2023 to April 2024. E-commerce sales data consists of transaction-level records from leading Chinese marketplaces in the women's apparel, men's apparel and sportswear categories. Social media analysis covers Weibo, Douyin and Xiaohongshu and includes brand mentions, engagement and consumer sentiment. Consumer feedback analysis is based on product reviews from a leading Chinese marketplace. This analysis covers online channels only; offline retail performance is not included. For full methodology and additional brand-level insights, see the complete Q2 2024 Artist Brand Collaboration whitepaper.