What we’re seeing is a kind of courtship. Not between people, but between brands. And it’s not superficial. These partnerships are deeply calculated, with each brand reaching for something the other has.

Take Apple and Hermès. At first glance, it’s an odd fit. One is a minimalist tech company known for its clean lines and clinical product design. The other is a French luxury house, steeped in old-world craftsmanship and leather. But place them side by side, and the intent becomes clear. Hermès gets to enter a world of younger, tech-savvy consumers.

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Apple gains something more subtle. It borrows an air of timeless luxury, and quietly nudges its smartwatch into the world of fashion accessories.

Anita R Varma, who runs a Mumbai-based branding and advertising firm called Digital Driftwood, sees it as a smart play. Hermès becomes desirable for Gen Z. Apple enters the old-school world of exclusivity. It’s not the easiest thing to get right, she says.

The same idea shows up elsewhere. Nike, long rooted in athletic performance, now finds itself in partnership with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS. That’s a brand that speaks to body positivity and comfort, with shapewear and loungewear at the centre of its identity. On the surface, it looks like a commercial arrangement. But look a little closer, and it becomes clear that Nike is trying to ride a different wave. This one isn’t about athleticism. It’s about culture. SKIMS, in turn, benefits from Nike’s global presence and its reputation for technical excellence.

There’s a reason these tie-ups are happening now. Brands are trying to create a sense of freshness. Something that feels current, not forced. When KitKat turns up on a Formula 1 car, it isn’t just trying to advertise. It’s trying to place itself inside culture, not interrupt it. That’s a shift. And older brands are learning that it takes more than legacy to stay relevant. They need to find fluency in the digital age.

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Varma puts it simply. “Legacy brands want to stay in the conversation.” But the real story isn’t just about visibility. It’s about how these pairings are beginning to blur the edges of categories. When Apple partners with Hermès, is the watch still a gadget? Or is it now closer to a luxury accessory? That shift matters, because it quietly redefines what a product is and who it is competing with.

KitKat may once have competed with other chocolate bars. But when it becomes associated with high-performance sports, does it start to compete with other break-time rituals? That could be an energy drink. A protein bar. The context changes, and with it, the competition.

There’s also a layer you don’t see. These collaborations are more than branding exercises. They’re also about learning. The potential for anonymised data exchange is real. Apple’s ecosystem might give Hermès insight into how digital-first luxury customers behave. Nike might discover new trends in comfort wear through SKIMS’ audience. It’s a quiet exchange, but a meaningful one. And it could shape everything from future product design to how and where products get distributed.

If you’re watching this unfold from India, it prompts some questions. Are Indian brands doing anything like this? What would such a partnership look like here? There’s Bollywood, with its reach and cultural presence. There are craft traditions that stretch back centuries. And there are tech startups trying to make their mark. But so far, these threads haven’t been woven together in ways that surprise.

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Varma thinks the shift is still arriving. Prof Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director of IIM Bangalore, is more direct: “I haven’t seen anything out-of-the-box yet from Indian brands.”

When asked if there’s even one example that comes to mind, Varma recalls the tie-up between Boat, the audio brand, and Masaba Gupta, the designer. But that collaboration is already a few years old. Nothing quite like it has followed since.

What seems to be missing is the willingness to take a leap. Because this kind of pairing needs a certain confidence. It’s not about gimmicks. It’s about placing your brand in unfamiliar territory and trusting the outcome.

That’s why these collaborations matter. The ground is shifting. Brands are no longer boxed into clear categories. They’re looking to stay relevant by stepping into new rooms and new conversations. The question is no longer just what a brand offers. It’s where it belongs. And in this emerging world of crossovers, maybe the more interesting question is this: what does a brand stand for anymore, and who gets to answer that?