Miu Miu x New Balance, North Face x Gucci, Balmain x Barbie or Adidas x Prada: representing only a modicum of the most contemporary and successful collaborations, it is by means of unification that the fashion industry appears able to capture both our imagination and our wallets. Pausing to reflect on the why, this article questions the very existence of the collaboration, hoping to simultaneously uncover its appeal and subsequent triumph.
Looking to fashion history for answers, it was during the 1930s that the first characteristically modern fashion collaboration was born. Conceived from the collision and symbiosis between fashion and art, it was the Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli and Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí who shared their expertise in a bid to invoke the union of aesthetic minds (Art Basel, 2023). Successful from the outset, it is this art-fashion blend which set the tone. Despite this heritage, the majority of today’s collaborations tend to occur between solely fashion labels or, alternatively, a fashion label and a brand (as exemplified with Balmain and Barbie).
Reflecting on this shift, the collab could be viewed as a factious yet ingenious PR stunt, void of meaningful partnership and motivated by the accumulation of financial and social capital. Maybe this is the answer. After all, it is the brands in question who benefit from fashionable society’s uncontrollable frenzy when the button for ‘launch’ is activated.
Willing to be less cynical, however, support of such a conclusion can be criticised for its insular viewpoint. Yes, fashion houses want (and to some degree need) to make a profit – we do live within a
capitalist model after all – but this should not be the collab’s defining feature. Returning to its appeal
rather than its cause, the unison of two much-loved brands possesses an undeniable power. This
power, born of creative passion as one creative space converges with another, generates an array of
new possibilities; just as when an electron and proton collide to produce a neutron. This sense of
familiar novelty, a juxtaposition within itself, is enthralling.
Take, for example, the work of Adidas and Prada: a tale of two popular companies, situated within completely different markets, converging to produce a captivating set of garments and accessories (a world where street-style meets high-fashion). No wonder the collab works! It plays on our intrigue whilst unifying two, often contrasting, groups – the fashion world at once unitary and diverse. Simply put, the collaboration challenges and realises our highest forms of cultural imagination.
Whilst this does not eradicate the truth that the collab is extremely profitable, it being successful for
the very reasons stated above, it does stress that we should avoid villainising its practice. Of course,
we should question why certain brands work together; not always is the outcome of co-creativity to
be client aware, instead representing a clear, yet highly unjustifiable, publicity ploy. Aside from these
instances, we should allow ourselves to enjoy the collab, leaning into their provision of anticipation,
fun and sense of visionary adventure.
Ultimately, why restrict yourself to the creative potential of one brand when you can enjoy the melding of two. Isn’t that what they call two for the price of one?
Image credit: “Engagement Ring Luxury Tax Monopoly” by Philip Taylor PT is licensed under CC BY 2.0.