Fashion collaborations have taken a strong hold over the fashion world with everyone from H&M to Veuve Clicquot to Kanye West having a dabble with a fashion collaboration. Celebrities, designers and brands alike can't get enough of a quirky partnership. And why not? As far as I can see these collaborations bring something to everyone. For the customer, we have a chance of owning a limited edition piece that is a one-off fashion item and will not be repeated again. It also gives us a unique opportunity at gaining access to a designer that is wholly unattainable to us on any normal day, therefore explaining the huge queues just to get an outside glimpse of a collection and the blind panic that comes over all of us that someone else is definitely going to get that top when we need it in our lives!
Versace is suddenly surprisingly affordable, and Mary Katranzou is unexpectedly inspiring pieces that before were just plain basics. We get a little (or a lot depending on how much you buy) piece of luxury contemporary fashion that we know we won't be seeing on at least 10 other people at the next party we go to. For designers they get access to a new customer audience, and the ensuing press that such collaborations create is almost reason enough to do one. The brand awareness alone is unfathomable and it provides an opportunity to express the brand history and awareness to a wide audience. The advantages to retailers is quite self-explanatory, need I mention the queues of people outside H&M Oxford Street for their collaboration with Versace? I didn't think so.
So what has the rest of 2013 got in store for us? H&M has come up trumps again and has secured a fantastic collaboration with Isabel Marant. I don't know how they do it but they have once again got a great collaboration with a unique and contemporary designer that has a very definite style, and I can just see will have the most desirable pieces for the collection. Set to be in stores from 14th November I wonder if they'll be some wedge sneakers on offer that I can buy one in every colour. Bravo H&M! L'Wren Scott and Banana Republic are also joining forces from 5th December to hopefully bring us some of L'Wren's signature immaculate tailoring and stylish sophistication. If you want a blast from the past L.A. label Wren is producing some a line of moccasins with Minnetonka that will definitely take you back to childhood. And for those that are due to get married next year, then all of your bridal dress dreams have come true. Zac Posen has teamed up with David's Bridal to produce a line of affordable wedding dresses launching in February 2014 called Truly Zac Posen! The six piece collection will be amazing stunning if his Fall collection is anything to go by. The collaboration is so mouth-wateringly tempting I'm now on the hunt for some gullible man who will propose to me within the year just so I can go and get one! think I saw a likely candidate on the tube this morning...