The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2025
Laomiao Gold sells a carrot pendant copying collab partner STAYREAL's IP
Laomiao Gold announced a STAYREAL collab, then got caught selling a gold carrot pendant copying STAYREAL's own 卜卜 IP, and apologised with compensation.
Laomiao Gold · Yuyuan Inc · STAYREAL · 2025-08-26
What happened
Around 24 August 2025, gold brand 老庙黄金 announced a collaboration with the Taiwanese streetwear label STAYREAL. Almost immediately it was caught selling a gold carrot pendant, the 咋咋呼呼胡萝卜 at 1591 yuan from its 吉果乐园 line, that replicated STAYREAL's own 魔魔胡胡胡萝卜(卜卜) IP — effectively selling a knockoff of its newly announced partner.
On 26 August the chain apologised publicly, blaming a March reserve-selection decision and a July e-commerce staff error for letting the knockoff through, and said the offending pages had been deleted. It promised a 100-yuan 'good luck' coupon to buyers and a coupon plus gold-foil sticker to non-buyers.
Coverage by 腾讯网 and 搜狐/大象新闻 noted the apology landed in a difficult year for the parent: 豫园股份's 2024 revenue fell 19.3% and net profit fell 93.81%, with over 370 stores closed. A brand already under financial pressure chose to copy its own collab partner, and the celebration became a public apology.
Why it happened
- 老庙黄金 announced a STAYREAL collaboration around 24 August 2025, then was caught selling a 吉果乐园 gold carrot pendant (1591 yuan) that replicated STAYREAL's own 卜卜 IP.
- On 26 August the brand apologised, blaming a March reserve-selection decision and a July e-commerce staff error, and saying the product pages had been deleted.
- It compensated buyers with a 100-yuan coupon and non-buyers with a coupon plus a gold-foil sticker, and the episode landed in a year 豫园股份's 2024 revenue was down 19.3% and profit down 93.81%.
The lesson
A collab fails fastest when one side sells a copy of the other side's own IP: the brand announced a STAYREAL partnership, then sold a knockoff of STAYREAL's carrot.
Aftermath
Laomiao Gold's apology on 26 August 2025 admitted the carrot pendant copied STAYREAL's own IP, blamed a March reserve-selection decision and a July e-commerce staff error, and said the product pages had been deleted. Buyers got a 100-yuan coupon and non-buyers a coupon plus a gold-foil sticker. Chinese media including 腾讯网 and 搜狐 covered the story, and the embarrassment was sharper given the parent 豫园股份 reported 2024 revenue down 19.3% and net profit down 93.81% with over 370 stores closed.
Sources
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