Happy 20th birthday fashion collaborations
Remember life before fashion collaborations? Well, if you were born in 2004 or after, you certainly won’t. 2024 marks two decades since the mega fashion collaboration hit the retail landscape. Now part of the fashion furniture, and a continual go-to for many brands – high & low – to create news. interest and hype. Karl Lagerfeld was the first to take the plunge and tie-up with the Swedish high-street giant, H&M.
A fashion first, Lagerfeld was always open to trying new ideas, and while he was the designer for both Chanel and Fendi at the time, his own eponymous brand didn’t have the recognition it has today, and what was arguably kickstarted by this affordable fashion collab. a lifetime ago.
He was less precious about his own name and was always one to experiment, desperate not to miss out on the next big thing. It was a huge success, so much so in fact, Lagerfeld complained they didn’t make enough. He accused the retailer of "snobbery" for producing minimal numbers of his designs.
Karls Lagerfeld for H&M 2004
Talking to German Stern magazine at the time, he said. "It was great to work with the people at H&M as we all helped each other to make it a success, but the incomprehensible decisions of the management in Stockholm have taken away any desire to do it again. They did not make the clothes in sufficient quantities. I find it embarrassing that H&M let down so many people… I don't think that is very kind, especially for people in small towns and countries in eastern Europe. It is snobbery created by anti-snobbery.”
In H&M’s defence, it was all new to them, and the pushing and shoving in-store and inflated eBay resell prices was all part of the drama and excitement. Too many luxury designers and brands to count followed, Moschino, Jimmy Choo, Versace, Stella McCartney, Mugler and Balmain to name a few.
Jerry Hall models Mugler for H&M 2023
Interestingly, the latest H&M designer collaboration is with a relatively unknown South Korean brand called ‘Rokh’. The brand says it is “a curated capsule collection designed by Rok Hwang, the creative director of the Korean brand rokh. The collaboration twists, layers and reconstructs the idea of a traditional trench coat into an edit of conceptual yet wearable designs.
Rokh for H&M 2024
This is a collection that isn’t trading on a name unlike many of the collabs before it. When consumers don’t know the brand they will simply go on the designs which feels far fresher and something fashion has been lacking recently.
Fashion collab fatigue has set in somewhat, but there are always exceptions and it does depend on how it is done and how committed the partners are. Like all collections, there are good and bad.
A new Umbro exhibition celebrating the British sportswear brand’s centenary – currently open at the University of Westminster until 28 April – displays over 60 brands and designers like Supreme, Rowing Blazers, Kim Jones, Nigel Cabourn, Aitor Throup, Palace and Vetements that it has worked with. The first in 2002 with Paul Smith is noted as the start of designers working with sportswear companies which has blown up over the past decade.
The Umbro Centenary Exhibition 2024
Fashion collabs broke the barrier between luxury and mass. It opened the flood gates for designer fashion to be consumed in volumes never seen before and most luxury brands have profited from the increased brand awareness and desirability these crossovers have brought them. The fashion collab. is a democratic opportunity to purchase something touched by these names at a realistic price and it surely influenced the rise of the designer resell market and the obsession with collectibles, ballots and raffles for hard-to-get, limited products.
Later this month, Victoria Beckham is releasing her first collection with the Spanish giant, Mango. Describe as “a perfect blend of classic British luxury” by the brand, it is an opportunity for Beckham to make something more affordable for her army of fans. In an interview, Beckham said, she had decided to work with Mango to “speak to a wider audience in a way that feels relevant to my brand and retains my aesthetic and DNA”.
Victoria Beckham has collaborated with Mango
There is still an appetite from consumers for a good fashion collaboration. The fashion collaboration has continued in as many incarnations as brands: high-low, high-high, high-sports, sports-low, sports-sports and is a permanent repertoire for most brands in their design and marketing mixes. If in doubt, do a collab. The co-marketing and co-branding in the age of social media allows one collection to speak to different groups of people. Ideally, it boosts awareness, reaches new consumers, expands brand reach and builds trust, not to mention getting the social media fan club in a frenzy. They are particularly valuable to smaller brands that can be brought to the attention of new consumers or younger designers who need a fat cheque from somewhere.
Primark X Barbie 2023
Last year, the biggest fashion collabs involved Barbie, or pop stars like Dua Lipa or Rihanna, but we can only hope the next generation of fashion stars will be supported in some way.
Over the past twenty years, the fashion collab became the ideal vehicle for our obsessive ‘buy it now’, limited drops attitude pushed through social media and our mobile devices. Get it or it’s gone. Consumers aren’t easily whipped up now, but aren’t two brands always better than one?
