Valentino has linked with Chinese giant Alibaba to give its Candystud collection some pop in Beijing. Maison Valentino is launching two limited-edition Valentino Garavani Candystud bags, four exclusive sneakers styles and a collection of small leather goods to mark the occasion.

The collaboration will help promote the Valentino Garavani Candystud collection at a Valentino pop-up store in Beijing’s Sanlitun neighborhood and on a 3-D virtual store on Tmall Space, where the platform’s Luxury Pavilion hosts pop-up shops.

Jessica Liu, president of fashion and luxury at Tmall, said, “Valentino’s simultaneous running of a physical Candystud Factory pop-up store in Beijing and online with a Pavilion Tmall Space is a perfect illustration of how luxury brands can leverage Alibaba to engage their consumers and take advantage of the New Retail opportunity.”

The Tmall marketplace draws 580 million monthly active mobile users and has been working hard to connect with more brands, especially luxury names from the West that have been in some cases skeptical of the massive marketplace.

The initiative was launched last year with brands such as Burberry, Hugo Boss, Guerlain and Maserati. To my mind it is like to be associated with evil, what else!