You get a collab, you get a collab, everybody gets a collab!
Collaboration is in vogue. It always has been even outside the fashion industry, as pointed out over thirty years ago by Harvard Business Review (HBR).
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“It takes so much money to develop new products and to penetrate new markets that few companies can go it alone in every situation… They enter alliances with clear strategic objectives, and they also understand how their partners’ objectives will affect their success,” read an HBR article.
This holds true especially in 2022 when many brands have announced joint ventures to maximize their target audience.
As in previous years, these highly anticipated collaborations include non-fashion brands.
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In fact, a 2006 study in the Journal of Fashion Business that analyzed cases of fashion collaboration found that there are more cases of collaboration between fashion brands and other industries than within the fashion industry.
“This tells us that fashion plays a very important role in other industries, and partnerships among fashion companies are expanding their domains,” read the study.
Common partners include brands in the art, automotive, entertainment, information technology, retail, and sports industries. Additionally, co-product development, compared to co-branding and co-marketing, is the most popular form of collaboration in the fashion industry.
“Brands often embrace collaborations with guest designers to create limited-edition collections. This newness creates a buzz around the project and can be marketed by both collaborators. In turn, this broadens the reach of the brands to consumers,” Susanna Moyer of Parsons School of Design explained in a video lecture.
According to Moyer, this strategy proves to be a success as it makes designers accessible to fast-fashion consumers, all while boosting brand image and expanding the variety of store products.
To give you an idea, upcoming partnerships include leading toymakers.
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Here are the most popular fashion collaborations to look forward to this year.
Adidas X Prada
ASHYA X Michael Kors
Balenciaga X Gap X Yeezy
Balmain X Barbie
Cardi B X Reebok
CLOT X Levi’s
Gucci X Superplastic
H&M X Iris Apfel
Kaws X The North Face
Louis Vuitton X Nike Nike Air Force 1
Nike Air Max Penny 5 X Stüssy
Photo by Balmain via Instagram
