Fashion Collaboration: love it or feel numbed to it?

[balmain1914]

Since Lagerfeld for H&M, we, the Fashionistas and Fashionistos, have been witnessing so many collaborations between high end enough labels and high street/lower priced labels. Some collections are good, but some...are really disappointed.

Behind the fabrics, it is all about the revenue, numbers, sales and money.

Are you still fooled by the investors?

 

[seahorseinstripe]

In one hand i am excited but after a while i feel numb.
Really, the hype is killing me.

 

[Desi]

I am only excited if I like all brands involved. So a collection like Jil Sander for Uniqlo worked wonders for me. Same with Yohji for Adidas but both examples +J and Y-3 are actual standalone brands now.

I appreciate when the collection released is made to complement the line of the designers involved. This is easily seen when a designer who does not make their own shoes, jewelry, bags, and other pieces want a piece that goes well with the character of the collection. The new Jeremy Scott x Linda Farrow* sunglasses for instance are something I am excited about. I also like Christian Siriano for Payless though I hate the watered down that payless does, but those C-heels were still dreamy!

Something more one time: Jimmy Choo for H&M, Mulberry for Target, Rad Hourani for Aldo and the like hype me up but that is the point. For collaborations like that I enjoy the build up and idea of making the style a brand is known for available to a boarder more "peasant" fanbase such as myself, well except the Rad...expensive.

For a wishlist though: I would love Phoebe Philo to get her hands on the girls my age. So much good things can happen from something like that, like I would approach them and not their moms...lol

note* I might just wear a olive branch crown during spring

 

[Phuel]

That depends on the collaboration, of course. Like Desi, I think the Jil for Uniqlo collaboration is supreme. A great example of an iconic designer and her strong signature fused with the aesthetic of an affordable brand. Perfect example of form and function.

All the H&M, Target, etc. collaborations with top designers has left me cold-- with the design, quality and fit. But it's good business, so understandable. But nay.

The lesser known, and less mainstream collaborations-- like Hussein Chalayan and Neil Barrett for Puma, are more interesting to me because they seem to be truer to the designers' style and less about affordability and making a quick buck than high fashion and sportswear complimenting one another. So a very enthusiastic yay!

 

[MulletProof]

I'm also with Desi, I'm a bit literal in the sense that, for a collaboration to floor me, it has to be equal and function with two sides and their awareness of each others' strengths and limitations. It's hard to put into words but Sander for Uniqlo, Yohji for Adidas are good examples.. same for Yohji and Dr Martens and Stella and Adidas, there is a continuity and a sensibility of each side, it becomes an extension or phase that goes beyond simple promotion, exposure or having fun with a different type of consumer.. both aesthetics and needs are fully integrated, or as close as they can be anway.

That appeals to me on a very personal level and makes me want to love this time in fashion, when the unexpected or (creatively and financially) inflexible opens up to new input and massive chains/companies also take note of creators and integrate them too into their world.

I feel a little different from capsule collections though.. as much as the hype at some point always clouds my brain and awakens the crazy consumer within me, I still feel a bit uneasy on tiny collections meant to symbolise a house and satisfy its admirers through a friendly price and extreme advertisement. The limited number of pieces (limited in terms of design and availability), limited time (seasonal and often a one-day event), the lack of variety and versatility in the clothes (as they're brand symbols instead of something meant to complete a wardrobe) and of course the way it's promoted (zero focus on the background of the house, just a go get it now!! message) are probably my complaints, it enforces the must-have culture and kills any encouragement of individuality, which I think is necessary and something that a decades-old house could carry on better than most companies.

As an event, I still find it light-hearted and very positive.. partly for the 'democratization' and 'fun for all' approach..

 

[Phuel]

^^^Completely agree with you about the "democratization" of the H&M with designers collaborations. But I wonder if anyone would be interested if it weren't for the designers' inclusion? I mean, if it were just H&M copying Rei, or Alber, would people still scramble for these pieces? Because they don't look very nice on the rack.

One such collaboration I find really exciting are the one between a designer and an artist, like Vuitton with Murakami, Prada with James Jean.

 

[mikeijames]

honestly, the frisson caused by mixing the absolute high end with the low end, the utterly old with the fantastically new, and the obviously fashionable and the deliberately unfashionable drives these sort of collaborations. that frisson will probably not go away until the idea of head-to-toe designer looks come back. until that day, i feel that these designer collaborations have their place as long as they're consumed and worn in a prudent way. a lanvin h+m dress should not get worn as if it's a lanvin original. the reverse remains true.

my problem with any of these collaborations remains when the consumer conflates the collaboration with the actual design and when then the designer really creates things that do not fit with the audience of the particular collaborator. proenza schouler's recent collaboration with j brand jeans remains a pitch perfect match because they have customer bases that would shop at each other's stores, but might not know about each other. ditto marni and current+elliot. i loved yohji and mikimoto. i love diane von furstenberg and h. stern. even when it's the big box retailers, it can work when the audience makes sense: lots of stylish women stop in h+m from time to time; many a downtown girl buys a uniqlo basic; the trendy denim girl knows her way around a target; and yes, the super rich mom type spends quite a bit of coin in baby gap. so when those stores find the right matches, it can become magic. unfortunately, too many designers have done these things when the match simply isn't right.

 

[softgrey]

frankly...
i don't care as much about the label or brand as i do about the design, the affordability and the availability of an article of clothing...

most of these collaborations have been really uninteresting to me as of late...
so...i am basically ignoring them until something interesting comes along...

*with the exception of +J...which is consistently excellent...
but that is an ongoing line...so i'm not sure it really counts...

if helmut lang came back and collaborated with the gap...
well...that would get my attention...
...

 

[Australienne]

Designer collaborations for me are becoming a little old hat / redundant. The Stella McCartney range for Target here in Australia didn't even sell well this time around and was on clearance within weeks. The shine has worn off now everyone is doing it.

 

[luckyme]

no problem with collaborations if the integrity of the designer is supported in every way, as if it were an extension of their own lines but tapping into another well of distribution.

marni did well by me with current elliot. interesting that i would not have purchased a "current elliot" jean by itself (no issue with them just never noticed anything i liked before) but the marni collab brought in a sense of levity, fun and used the jean mills of a brand known for its material.
also loved the yohji/doc ones that mulletproof mentioned and the mikimoto that mikejames reminded me of.

if the two compliment each other then its not a stretch that the collaboration will be well received. also, this isnt far off from the iconoclasts tv show theme, maybe they admired each other for a long time and the door opens for a chance meeting based on mutual respect.

 

[Mocha_Love]

I love the idea of high fashion collaborations, but I don't like the idea of a high-fashion house and a high-street brand collaborating.

Lanvin is by far one of my favourite houses, but the collaboration with H&M was quite disappointing in my opinion. The collaboration produced clothes that was very similar to one of the original Lanvin seasons...nothing fresh..

 

[fashionistaanna]

Fashion and the high street

Hello everyone. My name is Anna G and i'm a fashion journalist student at UCA, uk. I'm currently writing a feature on fashion and the high street in the past decade. The last decade was fulled of high street collaboration with H&M being at the top and leading the pack. Everyone from Anna Sui (for Target) to Matthew Williamson (H&M and Debenham) has teamed up with a high street chained. Even celebrities like Madonna, Kylie Minogue and of course Kate Moss for Topshop got into the act.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject, was this the perfect ploy for consumer to buy the high street clothes? What was your favorite collaboration? (mine was Matthew Williamson for H&M) Or your least? Celebrities turned designer, did it make you want to spend your money on, make you want to buy?

This would be a massive help for me and i could include you in my article (if you include your real name).

Thank you
Best Wishes

 

[Desi]

If you have not already, it may be wise to take look at the 'Are you sick of collaborations' thread at the bottom of this forum section. Many collabs also get their own threads in the, Designer and collections, sub-forum. So taking the time reading them you can get posts leading up to the release of a collaborated collection (hype) to the hands-on reports months later detailing their surprise of whatever they purchased. Alternatively this thread itself may fair better in the sub-forum specifically about careers, eduction, etc of fashion. Best of luck to you!

 

[e-v-elina]

^ i'm with you on that one.

i'm more open to 'celebrities' + high-street brand collaborations. i feel like that's more interesting.

 

[m.j.]

hi!
i don't know if this thread will be merged with the one Desi mentioned, but here's my 2 cents...
1.celebrities turned designers
if you can write a song, it doesn't mean you can sing it. and even if you can sing it, you may not know the right moves...etc... what kate did for topshop was not designing. but recycleing and i respect that she was open about it. she took her fav clothing pieces and made it possible for women all around the world to have a piece of kate. kate moss is not only a supermodel, but one of few true style icons and it is safe to say it since she is not a teenager (term style icon seems to get confused with she had more than 3 decent looks in past few months).
on the other hand, SJP became popular as Carrie, so it seems like people mix these two. i have nothing against SJP, but i laughed when i heard that she designed clothes and has her perfume(s). just cos you played style icon on TV screen does not mean you know anything about fashion. same goes for J. Lo, Jay Z, Kylie, Jessica Simpson, Hilton sisters... it all comes down to this: you cannot be great at everything you do, even if you are famous world wide.
2.collaborations
what is the difference between Zara and H&M? Zara does knock offs and gets money, H&M makes deals with designers and gets money. high street fashion is more like cheap version of what high fashion is all about. fashion and other arts, should start on the streets not vice versa.

so, past decade was a real disappointment - too much photoshop, too many 'supermodels', everyone is a fashion/style icon, everybody's famous, its like you got all this freedom and you wish there was some rules left cos it was fun breaking them.

 

[Drusilla_]

The "designers+high street" collaboratiobs aren't exactly new to the 2000s, it's just that they got more publicity starting with Karl Lagerfeld for H&M in 2004- before that you had Designers at Debenhams, and a fair few designers quietly doing collections for Topshop etc around the same time, like Emma Cook. I's just that Lagerfeld onwards, these collections got more hype.

I agree with m.j., you're probably better off in the other thread.

 

[CosiDiModa]

I don't like the whole celebrity turned designer thing. It makes me go in the other direction. They're usually just tacky or boring so no thanks! I don't see much wrong with designer collaborations though, I think they generate a lot of buzz and so the stores get some great publicity and it encourages people who wouldn't normally shop there to try them out. As an individual, I don't buy these collaboration pieces but I believe they're great for business and ultimately everyone is satisfied.

I love the British high street because it really makes fashion accessible to us folk who can't afford to spend a lot on a single item of clothing. However I wish the high street didn't just completely knock off designers. The high street shops should give their designers more creative freedom I say, and then things could get interesting! At the end of the day, if every store didn't knock off the PS1 Satchel or the Chanel quilted bag then only a VERY small minority would buy the real thing, most people would settle for whatever else they had to offer.

too much photoshop, too many 'supermodels', everyone is a fashion/style icon, everybody's famous, its like you got all this freedom and you wish there was some rules left cos it was fun breaking them.

Agreed.

 

[softgrey]

threads merged...

 

[fashionistaanna]

I'm sorry for bumping up an old thread but i only just managed to logged myself back in here after having techno problem.

A massive thank you so much for your contibutions =) At some point i will post up the article. xx

 

[softgrey]

hmmm...
well...

retailers seem to still love the idea...
macys is doing more and more of it...
and the missoni/target collab certainly has a lot of interest the thread in D&C is anything to go by...

and now fashion editors are getting in on the act...
with ADR doing something for Macys and various stores like Topshop creating areas that are 'curated' by fashion editors...

even Lady Gaga is doing something with barney's for the holiday season...

it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon...
...