Artistic collaborations and cultural celebrations: when brands move to the rhythm of the world

This phenomenon, which Somexing Artistic calls the Art Infusion Effect, goes far beyond marketing activation. It reflects a deep evolution: the emergence of cultural marketing, where artistic creation becomes a universal language. Through these festive moments, brands celebrate traditions, root themselves in local identities, and affirm their emotional and human dimension.

To understand the power of these collaborations, we must also grasp what each celebration represents — its values, symbols, and narratives. Behind every limited edition lies a collective imaginary world that brands reinterpret through the eyes of artists.

Pop. ~1.6–2.0 billion

— China, Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia), Hong Kong/Macau, Taiwan, Vietnam (Tết), Asian diaspora.

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is the most important celebration in Asia. It symbolizes renewal, prosperity, and luck. Each year, a zodiac sign sets the tone for the festivities. For 2025, the Year of the Dragon, the colors red and gold dominate, representing happiness and good fortune.

This celebration is a time for family reunions, offerings, and reflection toward the future. For brands, it offers the opportunity to honor Chinese culture while reinventing its visual codes.

In 2025, Hennessy entrusted designer Shuting Qiu with the creation of a decanter inspired by the snake, celebrated through a surreal and feminine aesthetic — a project orchestrated by Somexing Artistic, from artist curation to production of the limited editions.

Another example: Tiffany & Co. invited Oscar Wang to design a celestial ceramics capsule.

By collaborating with contemporary Chinese artists, brands move from traditional symbolism to modern storytelling. Thus, the Lunar New Year becomes a canvas for artistic expression, where art channels harmony and positive energy.

Pop. ~1.8–2.1 billion

— Muslim populations (MENA, South/Southeast Asia, Africa, diasporas).

Ramadan is a month of spirituality and introspection, symbolizing purification, patience, and solidarity. Light plays a central role — both divine and aesthetic. Geometric patterns, arabesques, and calligraphy express the beauty of faith and the richness of Islamic heritage. At the end of fasting, Eid al-Fitr celebrates sharing, family, and gratitude. It’s less a decor than a state of mind — one of generosity and reunion. For brands, this is a moment of emotional connection, ideal for subtle collaborations in which art pays tribute to local culture.

Co-imagined and produced with Somexing Artistic’s guidance, the Lancôme × Huda Al Nuaimi project features gifting boxes inspired by mashrabiya motifs.

Jaeger-LeCoultre commissioned Emirati designer Khalid Shafar to create Crescent to Crescent, an installation celebrating the lunar cycle of Ramadan and the celestial movement dear to the Maison. Unveiled in February 2025 in Dubai, the work bridges local culture and horological craftsmanship.

Pop. ~350–750 million

— LGBTQIA+ adults and allies.

Celebrated every June, Pride is rooted in the fight for visibility and equality. Its symbols — the rainbow, diversity, and self-expression — embody universal love and freedom. Yet Pride is more than color: it’s a stage of expression. When LGBTQIA+ artists take the lead, brands move from slogan to gesture — celebrating stories, bodies, and voices, with aesthetics as a language of inclusion.

For Pride 2025, Saucony joined forces with the Keith Haring Foundation for a capsule of sneakers featuring the artist’s dancing figures and his iconic LOVE tag.

That same year, M·A·C released a new Viva Glam edition with Kim Petras: the Viva KIMmitment gloss co-created with the singer, the first trans artist to win a Grammy. 100% of proceeds were donated to LGBTQIA+ organizations, continuing the brand’s long-standing commitment.

These collaborations mark an evolution — brands now embrace their cultural and social responsibility, where art becomes a medium of visibility and solidarity.

Pop. Mid-Autumn: ~1.55–1.75 billion (China, East/Southeast Asia, Vietnam, diasporas).
Pop. Diwali: ~1.2–1.35 billion (Hindu, Sikh, Jain communities, diasporas).

These two festivals share a common theme — light and connection. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, floating lanterns and mooncakes become artistic canvases. The moon embodies family harmony and poetic contemplation.

For the 2025 edition, our attention was drawn to a more local project. The Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel collaborated with Thai illustrator Krishna the Fifth to create the Serpenti Mooncake Collection, inspired by the “Serpenti Lucky Loop” motif.

Meanwhile, Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights, celebrates the triumph of clarity over darkness — a luminous joy centered on home and hospitality. Johnnie Walker Blue Label entrusted fashion designer Rahul Mishra with the design of a limited edition (bottle + box) inspired by India’s flora and fauna, celebrating rituals and festive connections.

Both celebrations offer brands a space to explore cultural design, blending craftsmanship, heritage, and modernity.

Pop. 520: ~0.5–0.9 billion (young urban digital users on WeChat, Douyin, Xiaohongshu).
Pop. Valentine’s Day: ~2.5–4.0 billion (culturally adopted in over 100 countries).

February 14 and May 20 (520 in China) celebrate love in all its forms. While Valentine’s Day embodies romantic passion, 520 speaks to a digital generation that values self-love and emotional connection.

A striking example: La Poste × Pierre Hermé and their Timbres Cœur 2025 — two scented stamps inspired by Ispahan and Macaron, celebrating the encounter between philately and haute pâtisserie. This shows how brands can play across emotional registers — from digital modernity to “retro” sensibility. In both cases, art brings tenderness into daily life.

Pop. ~150–220 million

— Mexico, Latin American diaspora, Latino communities in the U.S./Canada.

In Mexico, Día de los Muertos unites the living and the ancestors in a vibrant celebration. Calaveras (skulls), cempasúchil flowers, and altar candles express gratitude and the continuity of life’s cycle. Here, color holds the hand of memory.

In 2025, Tequila Don Julio collaborated with designer Willy Chavarria for a limited-edition Don Julio 70 bottle, adorned with motifs inspired by the visual codes of the celebration — skulls, roses, baroque ornaments.

In these projects, death is not an end but a celebration of life. Brands capture this spirit through vibrant creations that blend folk art and contemporary fashion — a perfect example of artistic glocalization, where local aesthetics become global symbols.

Pop. ~2.4–2.8 billion

Christian populations and widespread secular celebration

Christmas — a universal celebration of light, sharing, and generosity — evokes warmth and wonder. Its imagery — tree, star, gold, snow — nourishes brand storytelling worldwide.

In luxury, this season embodies sensory enchantment. Among many initiatives, one stands out: the Dior “Ball of Dreams” campaign (2024). The impressive global campaign blended events around the world with numerous limited editions designed by Italian artist Pietro Ruffo, inspired by the magnificence of Versailles. In this case, the brand used the Christmas season to affirm its identity.

Here, art becomes an emotional language. The experience extends beyond purchase — it transforms into an immersive scenography where the customer becomes the spectator of an enchanted universe.

From Beijing to Paris, Mumbai to Dubai, brands now speak the language of culture. These celebrations remind us that commerce can also be an art of connection. When a brand entrusts a symbol to an artist — a moon, a dragon, a heart, a flower — it creates more than a product: it creates a story to be carried forward.

Each celebration embodies a universal emotion — renewal, gratitude, light, memory, love. Brands that draw inspiration from these moments become cultural mediators, linking art with everyday life.

As Somexing Artistic defines it, the Art Infusion Effect occurs when artistic creation does not simply embellish, but enriches the cultural soul of brands. At a time when audiences seek depth and authenticity, art remains the most universal language of all.