Off-White launches China capsule collection via WeChat

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Dec 17, 2020

Off-White is launching its first capsule collection of fashion and accessories for men and women in China, which will be sold exclusively on an Off-White Official WeChat Mini Program, a newly developed project.

WeChat, which goes by the name of Wixin inside China and is owned by one of largest Chinese internet companies Tencent, boasts over one billion users worldwide.

“The WeChat Capsule reimagines founder and creative director Virgil Abloh’s core aesthetics and materials. It features Off-White’s signature jersey, denim and checks, effectively bringing back the brand’s most foundational — and iconic — components. With this collection, Abloh sought a return to form, while still pushing that form forward,” the Milan-based fashion house explained in a release Wednesday.

Off-White’s founder and creative director Abloh is also the menswear designer of Louis Vuitton, and one of the most influential luxury streetwear designers in fashion.

The WeChat Capsule has three key elements: beginning with a denim collection, treated with a stone wash, where each piece is personalized with hand-rendered white paint spots and splatters.

Secondly, many designs feature a specialized laser print, that is applied on denim in a blue-and-white check scheme, a color palette reflecting the hues seen in an early show by Abloh for Off-White’s Spring/Summer 2016 collection, entitled Off-Day.

Additionally, the capsule includes jersey and fleece pieces printed with a new version of Off-White’s tape arrow graphic. The ink itself is formulated to mimic the iridescence and industrial qualities of duct tape.

Accessories including AirPods cases, hats, and phone bags come in denim and leather are also part of the capsule collection to be sold via WeChat, a partner of Farfetch, the London-based luxury Internet e-tailer who acquired Italian streetwear group New Guards in August 2019, gaining control of Off-White’s global license, but not its brand name.