The Era of Fashion Collabs - Understand What a Collab Is
Can you name the main characteristic of fashion in this last decade? We could spend hours talking about it, but by looking closely at industry movements, it's easy to see how popular collaborative products are.
Photo: Pinterest Reproduction (What is a collab - Kace Blog Article)
What does "collab" mean?
Collab, basically, is a strategy used by brands and personalities to create a unique product that generates an intersection between the audiences of both parties. But even if the phenomenon seems recent because it has become common, brand collaborations have been happening for many decades.
Just to give you an idea, back in 1935, Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli had already made a dress in collaboration with Salvador Dali; in 1965 Yves Saint Laurent collaborated with Mondrian; in the early 2000s, Adidas was already doing collections with Yohji Yamamoto, and these are just some of the most relevant examples.
This strategy always happened sporadically in fashion, and what changed that, making it more present in the industry, was the collaboration Karl Lagerfeld did with fast fashion company H&M in 2004. At the time, the impact was structural. Both parties suffered various criticisms from specialized media, but even so, the pieces sold out in two hours.
Little did they know that one day we would have brands announcing a collab every 15 days.
Photo: Karl Lagerfeld for H&M (What does collab mean - Kace Blog Article)
How does a collab come about?
A collab is based on three principles:
- - Innovation;
- - Exploration of new audiences;
- - Access to means of production.
As mentioned, a collaboration exists when two brands or personalities come together to reach a "common ground," or when one party wants to access a universe that is not its own (a topic already discussed in the text "Streetwear and its relationship with luxury fashion" here on the blog).
An illustration to understand the dynamics of some collaborations is to observe an already established brand in the market that wants to reinvent itself, but without losing its DNA. The commonly used strategy is to seek out a young designer who has notable works (but who may not have access to the means of production) so that they can be invited to produce a collection jointly with the brand's creative team. Everyone wins.
We know that nothing is new forever, but today, collaborating is basic and extremely necessary for the survival of brands, creators, and artists.
The milestone of collabs
Definitely, collabs are what moves the fashion industry the most today. Some launches generate a commotion that closely resembles a concert or a soccer game.
One of the most remarkable moments occurred in 2017, when Supreme and Louis Vuitton announced a joint launch. The buzz around the announcement was because, not long before, LV sued Supreme for making skateboard decks with its classic monogram (all decks were recalled and incinerated).
So, imagine the consumers' surprise...
Photo: Pinterest Reproduction and Kace Material (What is a fashion collab - Kace Blog Article)
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