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Looking weird, smelling gross
Brand collaborations: a delicate dance between genius marketing and absolute lunacy. In 2024, the pendulum swung hard towards the latter. From cheese-scented nail polish to snack-assisted footwear, these unholy unions made us question not just marketing—but life itself. Here are the year’s most eyebrow-raising, and side-eye-worthy, brand mashups that were so bad, we can’t help but applaud them just a little.
1. Pringles x Crocs
Because nothing screams sophistication like snacks on your shoes. This collaboration gave us clogs plastered in Pringles branding and a moustache-shaped back strap. The undoubted star of the collection, however, was the Crush Boot: a chunky rubber welly complete with a snack holster for your on-the-go (and in-the-rain?) junk food needs. Who’s the target market here? People who need to snack while puddle-jumping, of course. So, yeah, toddlers.
2. LEGO x Levi’s
What happens when you combine your favourite childhood toy with your favourite jeans? LEGO and Levi’s teamed up to create customisable clothing featuring LEGO baseplates sewn onto jackets and jeans. Yes, you can now stick your super cool spaceship creations onto your trousers. Just don’t leave your clothes on the floor for your parents to stand on.
3. Velveeta x Nails Inc.
Velveeta is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of what we believe is possible (psst, it’s not even real cheese). In 2024, they proved that, in fact, anything is possible with their tie-up with Nails Inc. A "creamy smooth" nail polish duo that nobody asked for gave us the unmistakable orange-yellow shade of Velveeta and the hot red hue of the company’s logo. The best bit? They both also smell like cheese. We’re not sure if this is peak innovation or a cry for help. Let’s just hope they don’t melt while you're holding a coffee.
4. Velveeta x George
Why stop at nails that reek of cheese when showing your love for Velveeta? If money and self-respect are no object, you could also adorn yourself with the 14-karat gold Velveeta Drip Lip Cuff, made in partnership with trendy celebrity designer George The Jeweller. The $70,000 lip ring, designed to look like a drip of cheese (gawd, help us), will rightfully seem like marketing madness to most. Forbes, however, has pointed out that liquefied shapes, face jewellery, and even the word “drip” are currently all the rage, so we might start seeing more of these than we care to imagine. Let’s hope they bring out a 14-karat napkin soon.
5. Doritos x Empirical
What’s worse than the Heinz and Absolut Vodka tie-up of 2023? A cheesy crisp-flavoured spirit… and by a long way. While vodka and tomato sauce have long enjoyed a pairing, Doritos and any kind of alcohol (besides cheap beer, of course) have not. That didn’t stop self-proclaimed flavour masters Empirical Spirits selling their orange-dusted souls to Doritos to make a 42% ABV version of their most offensive flavour. Thanks, said no-one.
The 2024 brand collab landscape wasn’t just weird—it was downright unhinged and overwhelmingly cheesy on all levels. However, all these partnerships deigned to ask one question: “Why the hell not?” In a way, we kind of love them for it. Here’s hoping 2025 brings even more glorious, cheese-infused chaos.
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