Samsung's Wildest Design Collabs, From BTS to Supreme

Before we get into the collaborations, let’s talk about the one that seems to pop up with every new Samsung smartphone release. Thom Browne is a UK-based brand I’d never heard of until I learned that Samsung collaborated with them years ago on watch straps and cases. Since then, Samsung’s kept collaborating with Thom Browne for new earbuds, phone cases, and watch straps. It’s even done two Galaxy Z Flip special edition phones together.

For the record, I was into BTS before they were a part of Samsung’s marketing campaigns for its smartphones. In 2020, Samsung introduced the royal purple BTS Edition of the Galaxy S20+ 5G with matching Galaxy Buds+. The design featured a purple glass and metal exterior. It also came pre-installed with BTS-inspired themes and the K-pop-centered social network, Weverse.

I’m into this lip sleeping mask from Laneige, and while I was researching this story, I discovered a collab I missed when it initially launched.

Last year, Samsung and cosmetics brand, Laneige, teamed up on a pair of Galaxy Buds Pro. The Buds came in gorgeous pearl packaging and included a Laneige Neo Cushion, which seems like a setting powder.

I don’t know if you remember after this whirlwind couple of years, but Samsung was a sponsor at the Winter Olympics 2022 in Beijing, China. That sparked the company to remind everyone of its support for the global sports event through the years. It even put together a slideshow of all the devices it’s hawked during Olympics coverage. The slide show goes as far back as the Olympic Winter Games 1998 in Nagano, when it provided organizers and officials with the Samsung N206 brick phone.

Maison Kitsuné is known for its relatively cute-chic aesthetic, which caters to adorable adults tasked with facing the real world. Currently, Samsung offers branded Galaxy Buds 2 and Galaxy Watch 4 watchbands. There are also watch faces if you’d rather skip buying the accessories and put on the fox-laden background yourself.

Listen, I’m going to find any excuse to bring up this collaboration and its existence, even if I must drag myself to South Korea to procure this thing physically. The collection includes a transparent cover set, a pouch with a lanyard, a keychain, and a stand. The phone itself comes preloaded with ringtones, themes, and wallpapers.

What we’re doing here is manifesting, people, and I am trying to manifest a global release for this Pokéball-shaped Galaxy Buds 2 case. Anyway, it’s only available in limited quantities overseas. So perhaps this will be another eBay trawl.

I’m a little bummed I didn’t know about this when I looked for a new watch band for my Galaxy Watch 4. Samsung teamed up with artist Sami Miró on a set of vintage-y, vaporwave-like watchbands. They’re made from sustainably sourced materials like recycled Apple Peel skin. But what caught my eye was the piercing blue and soft lavender color hues, swatches directly in my wheelhouse.

Samsung has more cosmetic collaborations coming down the pipeline. But years ago, when virtual and augmented reality were just being normalized, Samsung had partnered with a drugstore brand, NYX makeup, to bring VR makeup tutorials to the Gear VR headset. Anyway, we know VR isn’t the buzzword it used to be, which is probably why this didn’t catch on as all the brands had hoped.

In 2018, Samsung announced a collaboration with Supreme, which included themed livery on its Galaxy A-series of smartphones. The release was supposed to be China only, but it was controversial at the time since Supreme NYC wasn’t technically cleared to sell in China. Instead, Samsung had negotiated with Supreme Italia. Two months after announcing the collaboration, Samsung backed out in favor of not publicly exploiting a legal loophole. Those things don’t look so good when you’re under government scrutiny in your home country.