Cross-Industry Collaboration: How Chinese Tea Brands Are Capturing Youth Attention

As milk tea becomes a daily habit in China, beverage brands are shifting from a mere competition over flavors to creating sustainable cultural identities. Through strategic collaborations, these chains are transforming how consumers interact with their products.

Recently, the brand Chagee partnered with the streetwear label Clot to launch a matcha-themed collection. Offering collectible accessories such as badges or keychains turns the routine act of purchasing tea into an exciting 'unboxing' experience, providing strong motivation for younger consumers.

According to data from iiMedia Research, the market size of new-style tea in China is expected to reach 374.93 billion yuan ($52 billion) by 2025, a 5.7% increase year-on-year. With saturated choices, brands like Heytea or Molly Tea must resort to collaborations with fashion icons and celebrities to differentiate themselves.

A prime example is Heytea, where teaming up with icons like Hiroshi Fujiwara or star Lisa (Blackpink) has transformed tea cups into collectibles with cultural value. This strategy allows consumers to get closer to the world of luxury goods at the price point of a milk tea drink.

Although the reach of store networks is immense—with over 135,500 stores from the top 30 tea chains as of late 2025—the rapid pace of collaborations poses a challenge. Approximately 61.1% of consumers believe that excessive brand collaboration is becoming a major industry issue.

Ultimately, the greatest challenge for businesses lies not in simply printing dual logos, but in building an authentic cultural connection. Brands capable of creating deep, meaningful narratives will be the ones that retain consumer loyalty in the long run.