Squared fashion: all the beauty of collaborations

The term “cooperation», Without a doubt, is one of the most used in the fashion system in recent years. A word that has changed the face of fashion and that, from season to season, has also changed its meaning.

Let’s think about what co-labs were for us initially: those that united a brand to the face of people, for example. From the most famous sports personalities (Michael Jordan x Nike) to those of the art world (Jeff Koons among others, for Louis Vuitton), up to the always current collaborations linked to the celebs of the moment (and here we could list many, one of the latest is Pernille x Mango).

Then, it arrived H&M and in 2004 (together with Karl Lagerfeld) opened a new path, which made the fantastic and unattainable world of luxury accessible. Suddenly it was no longer just people and characters who collaborated with brands but designers and brands who lent their identity to another reality, completely different from theirs. Opposite worlds (nb non competitors) met for the first time, and luxury thus became accessible to many people thanks to that “… x H&M»Written on the card. A fashion multiplication that in fact has fueled even more that aspirational feeling that is the basis of everything.
How many have dreamed of a piece by Viktor & Rolf, Comme des Garçons, Erdem, Isabel Marant, Moschino, Giambattista Valli and thanks to these co-labs we managed to win it?

Then it was the turn of Louis Vuitton and Supreme. It was 2017 and the most influential streetwear brand in the world made a foray on the catwalk of the French fashion house’s Fall-Winter 2017/18 men’s collection. Two other worlds (nb always non-competing) meet and it is immediately a success. Then there are others of this kind, always welcomed by the public with enormous success: sportswear by The North Face became a fashionista together with Gucci, the jeans of Levi’s glamor together with Miu Miu, just to give some examples.

Then, one day, something changed further. It was mid-April this year, and a visionary Alessandro Michele surprised everyone during the parade Aria. On the catwalk, designer garments and accessories Gucci and Balenciaga (both of which are part of the Kering group), created four hands with Demna Gvasalia. A «hacking laboratory», a remixing of stylistic codes that united two worlds with a very precise and distinct aesthetic.

This time, fashion has started to play on the same level, that of luxury, totally redefining the concept of branding. Instead of competing, they play together by expanding their audience and spectators.

And another piece of this evolution, the latest in chronological order, is the one that came as a surprise arrives at the end of the Milan Fashion Week: Versace x Fendi e Fendi x Versace. For the first time, two brands from two different and competitor groups (LVMH and Capri Holdings) join forces and create something new.

Donatella Versace, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Kim Jones, exchanged chairs and the result ignited social media.

And today? There are many on the fire, we wait for them New Balance per Miu Miu next summer, for example. A special re-edition of the brand’s historic model: the 574 of the end of The eighties.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of hype about the possible collaboration between Tiffany, which is trying to conquer a new target, e Supreme. Word spread from the Instagram account @dropsbyjay usually very well informed about the movements of the streetwear brand.

Years ago we never would have thought that something like this was possible. Each brand worked hard to make its identity strong, keeping in mind, with clear awareness, all the movements of the market and competitors. Today the world has changed, it’s fast and connected, so even fashion and trends can’t be outdone. The word collaboration is now more, as a concept, close to that of contamination.

Because joining forces means doubling creativity, but also the target, and the result is often a great success. After all, as we were already saying this summer: “two is better”.

And since this phenomenon shows no signs of stopping, we have collected here some of the co-labs between brands (and not only) that will ignite this Autumn-Winter 2021/22.