Finally, Cactus Plant Flea Market & UNIQLO Collaborated on... Spongebob Merch?
Cactus Plant Flea Market, streetwear's favorite merch-maker, is once again hitting the big time. CPFM and UNIQLO are collaborating on the ultimate collection of... Spongebob merch?
Yes, that's right. A Cactus Plant Flea Market and UNIQLO alone would've been too easy — they had to find a funky angle to sidestep expectations.
And thus, CPFM x UNIQLO x Spongebob.
The collaboration was revealed on December 4 via an enigmatic post on the brand's Instagram pages revealing little more than a zoomed-in photo of some plush Spongebob characters, including Patrick Star and Spongebob himself, both wearing CPFM's signature double-eyed smile.
And the products maintain that theme, with Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and all the rest of the main cast (and then some) reimagined with two sets of eyes across T-shirts, hoodies, and a pair of plushies.
There are memes — confused Mr. Krabs, especially — references — the Krusty Krab training video is key — and a handful of memorable moments revamped with CPFM eyeball situation and the occasional bit of overt branding, all releasing for under $50 apiece on UNIQLO's website come December 12.
CPFM memorably crossed over into the mainstream a few times in the past, including its McDonald's collaboration — if you don't remember that, surely you recall the buzz about the "adult Happy Meals" — and various one-off drops for partners as major as Travis Scott's Cactus Jack and Nike. A collaboration with UNIQLO, the world's most fashion-friendly anti-fast fashion brand, was inevitable.
The Spongebob angle is new but also not that surprising, in hindsight — KAWS, another previous CPFM partner (and another eye-obsessed artist), famously issued a series of red-hot Peanuts merch for UNIQLO in the past.
It looks like UNIQLO UT, the graphic T-shirt-centric sub-label of UNIQLO, is angling for a similar level of virality — expect swiftly sold-out CPFM x UNIQLO x Spongebob plushes and T-shirts aplenty.
It all makes sense from a timing perspective. CPFM has never been hotter, riding huge partnerships with famous friends like Marc Jacobs while Spongebob celebrates his 25th birthday in 2024.
And UNIQLO is, as always, UNIQLO, somehow capable of mashing together the world's most famous franchises, buzzy labels, and saleable goods into the ultimate consumerist mélange. All in time for the holidays!
