2025 gave us brand collaborations that danced through our group chats and put our communities on the big screen. The best partnerships last year weren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the flashiest activations, they were the ones that made you think, “of course, that just makes sense.”
Spotify Wrapped
Spotify launched its first campaign for its Wrapped feature, and they nailed it. The campaign recognised the artists, the creators like Bus Auntie Bemi, and their audiences, the people who grew with them, found community in their music and span every age, background and corner of the internet. The ad was so good that it made Spotify Wrapped feel more like a community celebration and genuinely turned data into something deeply human.
Spotify Wrapped worked because it reflected us back to ourselves.
Melissa’s Wardrobe x M&S
M&S launched ‘Love That’, a weekly social series on YouTube dedicated to all things fashion and style.
This collaboration made perfect sense because it was already happening organically. Melissa had been championing M&S on her socials for ages; the brand just formalised what their community already knew and loved. The best brand deals are the ones that feel like they were always supposed to happen, and that is exactly how this felt.
JD Sports: Where Are You Going?
286 young people. Their world. Their way.
JD Sports handed over creative control and let young people tell their own stories through a global documentary-style campaign. No sanitising or super long restrictive brief, just raw, real storytelling featuring Myles Lewis-Skelly, Nemzz, Beta Squad, Skye Newman, Cole Palmer and more.
Through JD trusting their audience created a cultural document for its #JDForeverForward series.
Travis Scott and Justin Bieber on Outlander Magazine’s debut print issue
Travis Scott fronting the debut print issue of Outlander Magazine, in HERMÈS no less, was a statement from founder Callum that “print isn’t dead”, it just needed the platform.
Despite the continuous growth of online, digital media, Outlander’s physical issue proved that independent publications can still land major brand collaborations and lead new, exciting moments in culture when they stay true to their vision and bet on themselves.
Founder Callum said it best:
“I came from no fashion background, I had no connections & I had no idea what I was doing, but, I did it anyway.”
It was really exciting to see this go live, and I managed to catch a few of the OOH posters when I visited New York in November 2025. Now in 2026, I can only imagine what is next for writers and their independent platforms. You don’t always need massive conglomerates to back you and this is just evidence of that.
Ramboistalking joined Rolling Loud in India
When Central Cee admitted that Drake was the only rapper to ever make him feel broke during his interview with Rambo, it created one of those rare, perfect headline moments that a presenter could only dream of. The content was so strong and honest, it was syndicated internationally, featured on Billboard and many more. But understandably so, as Drake and Central Cee in one headline is an instant hit.
Rambo’s platform became the bridge for a moment that resonated across continents, and that’s so encouraging to see as we move through 2026.
Bus Aunty and Simply Sayo Drive Sickle Cell Awareness with NHS
2025 saw a real push behind campaigning for sickle cell awareness, and to support this, the NHS partnered with popular creator Bus Aunty (Bemi Orojuogun) and Simply Sayo to reach Black Londoners where traditional healthcare messaging falls short.
Riding a double-decker bus from Lambeth to Brixton Blood Donor Centre, they delivered an urgent appeal for Ro blood donors, critical for treating sickle cell disease, urging 3,000 eligible Londoners to “jump on the bus and give blood.” Strong creator partnership plus authentic, purpose driven community action created a solid campaign that cements how institutions can drive real impact by platforming Black creators who already have the trust.
What Made These Collabs Work?
Each collaboration felt like a natural extension of what was already happening, whether it was Melissa’s existing love for M&S or JD Sports genuinely trusting young people to lead.
2025’s best brand collabs proved that the rules are changing. You can’t force culture, you have to consistently follow and match it where it already is.
This is a guest post by Kachi Akumabor, Founder of The Branding Blackbook, who shares her top brand collaborations of 2025 and the partnerships that got it right by staying true to culture and its creators.
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