The root of all fashion collaborations is deeply grounded in making coveted brands noteworthy conquests by a large consumer base—eager to love, behold, and wear what they deemed unattainable once. Noughties ushered in the trend in 2003, when designer Isaac Mizrahi signed up with Target. Swedish brand H&M quickly followed up a year later in 2004 by putting together an exclusive collection launched with designer Karl Lagerfeld. 
The love affair between fast fashion and luxury brands has continued since. Multi-hyphenate Virgil Abloh took it a notch higher when he launched Off-White in 2013 and collaborated with a wide range of brands from Nike to Ikea. A natural by-product of this match made in equitable distribution of luxury, even if it was for a limited period of time, and on limited pieces that were quick to fly off-the-shelf—celebrity collaborations. Cue: Kim Kardashian recently partnering with Beats wireless earbuds and posting sad ‘sold-out’ stories on the gram.
In a year that has really opened up to celebrating yourself, in whichever and whatever way your forever young heart desires, here are some of the best fashion collaborations of the year we have loved so far…

 

Gucci X Adidas

When Gucci creative director, Alessandro Michele brought his collaboration with Adidas to life, one thing was pretty evident—you could expect to see things differently as he re-interpreted retro inspired silhouettes with energetic patterns, historic logos, and heritage codes. Crafted from future conscious materials, the collaboration debuted early last month, lifting our mood and vibe with lots of colour and contrast and the signature Adidas stripe.

Birkenstock X Manolo Blahnik

Comfort married style when the two iconic footwear brands came together to release a limited-edition capsule collection in March this year. Think bright colours in a six piece collection, reimagining Arizona and Boston styles, with stunning jewel-tone velvets and show-stopper buckles. In the second instalment that dropped in June, Manolo Blahnik added polka dots and see-through PVC to Birkenstock staples. 

 

Iris Afpel X H&M

In an effort to encourage people to #FindYourInnerIris, H&M collaborated with the grande dame of fashion, Iris Afpel, to inch closer to her effortless style that embodied a universe where colours spoke loud and clear, jewellery was big and bold, and patterns always clashed perfectly. Pure joie de vivre!

 

Louis Vuitton X Nike ‘Air Force 1’ by Virgil Abloh

Enter the world of rare kicks and big money with this highly anticipated collaboration between two cultural giants. Given Virgil Abloh’s massive appeal and the origin story behind ‘Air Force 1’, Louis Vuitton brought in Sotheby’s to auction off the 200 pairs of shoes. The bidding started at $2,000 a piece, going up to $50,000! 

 

Priya Ahluwalia X Paul Smith

Supported by the Paul Smith foundation, the 11 piece collection brought London-born designer Priya Ahluwalia and the veteran designer together to create a rich collage of very distinct styles. Taking cue from her personal archive of photographs from India and Nigeria, Ahluwalia’s vibrant colour palette merged with Smith’s love of sports represented by references to vintage cycling paraphernalia. 

 

Fendance: Fendi X Donatella Versace

Although Fendance (that brought together Fendi and Versace) officially debuted at the joint runway show in September 2021, the collaboration that included two collections, made it to the stores in May this year. All about fun prints that are easy to carry, the iconic logos and motifs blended into one to create a striking signature look true to this coming together of legends.

 

Balmain X Barbie

Whimsical without being as hyperbolic as Barbiecore, Balmain creative director, Oliver Rousteing teamed up with Barbie to create a 50 piece, limited edition capsule collaboration that was genderless, fun, and celebrated the promise of pink! The party didn’t just stop there: In addition, three exclusive NFTs were also up for sale at auction. 

 

All pictures: Instagram