H&M is an economical brand designed for the general public. But what sets this retailer apart is inviting high-end designers to collaborate on some of its collections; For example, Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of luxury brands such as Chanel, Fendi and Chloe, was the “guest designer” of the H&M fast fashion brand in 2004.
During the last two decades, H&M has invited many high-end winners to create a joi collection; Moschino, Versace, Martin Margella, Isabel Mara, Kenzo, Stella McCartney, Raban and Mugler are part of this long list. Every time H&M announces a new collaboration with a luxury brand, people on social media talk about it and expect to buy it.
H&M collection in collaboration with other brands
The 20th anniversary of H&D’s invitation to a guest designer was an excuse to ask ourselves why fashion brands go to collaborate and invite a guest designer. In this article, we will answer this question by examining the opinion of people active in the field of fashion. We also meion ieresting examples of collaboration between clothing designers and artists with fashion brands.
Is there a difference between collaborating and inviting a guest designer?
We have heard a lot about the collaboration of brands together – like the collaboration of Nike and Jacquemus – or the collaboration of brands with an artist – like Louis Vuitton and Yaui Kusama. Is there a difference between “guest designer” and “collaboration”?
It may not be possible to accurately define a boundary between the two. Their similarities are much more than their differences. Few people have looked for minor differences and simply the act of cooperation between two people or brands has been done with various commercial, cultural and social goals.
But Elizabeth von der Goltz, Net-a-Porte’s Global Purchasing Director, has poied out an ieresting poi that can be based on her model between the Collaborator and the Guest Designer – which they call minds. He called creative – distinguished. It should be noted that this is not a fixed definition and is only a person’s personal opinion:
“A collaboration often means the coming together of a small brand and a large brand that sometimes have very differe aesthetics and even completely differe categories. These collaborations tend to be loud and commercial. Having a guest designer is differe and more about aligning and mixing creativity than just being together. For example, the successful and poetic collaboration of Van Noten and Lacroix.
Therefore, in this article, to distinguish between guest designer and colleague, the word “co-creation” is used in cases where the guest designer is prese and the creative aspects are more promine than the commercial and advertising aspects. In other cases, the term “collaboration” is used, which is more comprehensive.
Why do fashion brands collaborate and co-create?
1. A new look and perception of brand DNA
“A guest designer or collaborator can redefine another brand’s DNA with a fresh perspective,” says Linda Fargo, senior vice preside and director of women’s fashion at Bergdorf Goodman’s Departme Store. Like a duet like Amy Winehouse and Tony Bennett.”
2. Creating a new but familiar style
Trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort says: “Since cultural appropriation has limited designers’ creativity and finding purpose in the age of information overload has become difficult, I think inviting guests, colleagues and personalities, known style and style It renews and adds surprise and freshness to it. In general, former street wear designers, luxury designers and couture designers are the best people to work with. They are confide in their creativity and are not afraid to iervene.”
According to him, these co-creations come from the music industry, where collaborations and guest appearances are common and very popular with audiences. As the music industry has long influenced skate and street brands, it has also paved the way for luxury fashion houses to embrace street style.
Tiffany luxury brand collaborations
3. Revival of a brand
“You (with co-creation) have the opportunity to surprise, delight and impress your customers, which is very energizing,” says Elisabeth von der Goltz of Net-a-Porter. At its best, this can completely revive a brand—for example, Moncler and Genius, which is a reverse process; A large but relatively specific brand relies on several creative individuals to ierpret and re-read its brand codes.
4. Expanding the brand community
Julie Gilhart, a creative business consulta, poied out the increasing collaborations in the field of sneakers: “These collaborations are a kind of rocket fuel for the huge sneaker brands, penetrating all corners of the fashion world and causing the atteion and expansion of the brand community. In the case of the collaboration between Valeino and Undercover, big brands need to attract new customers and attract differe global markets. Fashion collaborations not only provide ieresting and impactful stories through products, but also strengthen the ieraction between the personalities of the two designers. These ieractions make the creativity and differe perspectives of designers mix together and in the best case, designers can learn new things from each other. In general, it can be said that in the coemporary era, these collaborations are more about marketing than producing a product.”
Fashion designers as guests and collaborators
In this section, we will meion some of the co-creations and collaborations that clothing designers have had with each other or with brands to create a collection.
De Felice in Jean Paul Gaultier
Belgian Courage designer Nicolas Di Felice has been invited as a guest designer at Jean Paul Gaultier’s fall-wier 2024 show. De Filice was the seveh guest designer of this brand after the retireme of Paul Gaultier in 2020, who was invited to this brand after Simon Rocha, Julien Dossena from Raban, Haider Ackermann, Olivier Rousteing from Balmain, Glenn Martens and Chitose Abe from Sacai. became.
Video of BOF’s ierview with DeFleche
Jonathan Anderson at Uniqlo
Jonathan Anderson’s JW Anderson brand collaboration with Japanese brand Uniqlo started in 2017. This collaboration was formed with the aim of providing high-quality clothes at reasonable prices to customers and brought many successes. Their latest collection for Spring Summer 2024 was titled “Visit the Artist’s Studio”.
Victoria Beckham in Mango
Victoria Beckham said about her collaboration with fast fashion brand Mango: “This collaboration allows me to reach a wider audience, in a way that is consiste with my brand and maiains its original aesthetic and ideity.”
Van Noten and Lacroix
Dries Van Noten invited couture designer Christian Lacroix to design the spring 2020 collection together. This co-creation was an ieresting link between two unique styles and creativity of two promine designers.
Dries Van Noten, the poet of the fashion world
Couture in Emilio Pucci
Italian brand Emilio Pucci invited French designer Christelle Kocher as part of a program to invite guest designers to create a fresh ierpretation of the brand’s ideity, essence and rich heritage.
Collaboration of fashion brands with artists
Fashion has always tried to connect itself with fine arts. According to the book Philosophy of Fashion, since the 20th ceury and the era of Paul Poiret, art increased the designer’s cultural capital. For example, Coco Chanel supported dance performances and was associated with artists such as Picasso. In the 70s and 80s, fashion houses hired famous artists to increase their artistic credibility. Cindy Sherman had done a fashion shoot for Kome de Goghson. Or Issey Miyake erusted the ierior design of his store to the famous architect Frank Gehry.
“Such communication was beneficial for both parties. including that both parties could gain new experiences and try new ways of preseing their ideas; “Both of them could benefit by participating in another area of advanceme of coemporary culture in transforming the visual io the material.”
Salvador Dali and Elsa Scaparelli
Elsa Scaparelli coributed more to the art world than any other designer. The crab shirt produced by Dali and Scaparelli gave objectivity to the surrealist ideas of that time. The women who wore Scaparelli’s clothes became the embodime of art, culture and gender.
Haring and Vivienne Westwood
In the early 1980s, Westwood’s collaboration with graffiti artist Keith Haring was reminisce of Scaparelli’s collaborations with the surrealists; Because both of these partnerships showed the existence of a common goal and tendency between them.
Westwood and Haring were ierested in street culture and challenging the accepted notions about the body, which were displayed in the form of clothes from Westwood, decorated with Haring’s designs.
In rece years, other brands such as Converse, Uniqlo, H&M, Dr. Martens and Pandora have also used this artist’s works in designing their collections.
Damon Hirst in Sarah Burton’s McQueen
Sarah Burton, who was the creative director of the brand for thirteen years after the death of Alexander McQueen, has always benefited from collaborations with artists and artisans in her work.
On the 10th anniversary of McQueen’s famous skull scarf, Damien Hirst, who had a similar artistic vision to the brand, was invited to McQueen. The result of this collaboration was 30 limited edition scarves with a skull motif made of butterflies and insects.
Jean-Michel Bascot in H&M
One of the differences of collaboration with inviting a guest designer (co-creation) is that collaboration can be done with an artist who is not alive.
Jean Michel Basquiat is one of the artists who, even after his death, many fashion brands go to create joi collections with him. He was part of the Neo-Expressionism moveme in the eighties and his works with the theme of ideity, race and society have been used in the products of various brands such as Kome de Goghson, Sai Laure, Off White, Coach, Reebok, Uniqlo and now in the summer of 2024 in the new line of H-andom. .
Part of the collaboration of fashion brands with Jane Michel
Sona Fujita and Luo
Looe brand is known for cooperation with world famous artists, brands and art studios; For example, the collaboration with the Suna Fujita studio of two Japanese ceramic artists. Their works are mixed with nature, imagination and childhood memories and they are impried on ceramic accessories and this time on Luoeh bags.
Naomi Glass and Raf Lauren
According to the “Artist in Residence” program, Raf Lauren invites artists to create innovations in its collections. This program tries to go beyond the mere stage of inspiration from differe cultures and societies and to engage in real and close cooperation with them. Naomi Glass was the first artist of this project. He updated the weaving art of Navajo (one of the American Indian tribes) inspired by his family tradition and ancestral lands and turned it io modern designs.
Ref Lauren has just announced that their next collaboration will be with Navajo artist and weaver Zefren M.
Arin Hakimi and Darsa
Darsa brand has always tried to offer a special and new product to the market by combining Iranian culture and art. In this regard, he recely collaborated with Arin Hakimi, an architect and designer. You can read the full article about this cooperation in SAARC Cabinet.
final word
The world of fashion is known to be limitless. This feature has opened the way for clothing designers to innovate and try new ways. As meioned in this article, the collaboration between two creative minds to design a clothing collection, editorial, store space, etc. started in the 20th ceury and coinues to this day. Guest designers today, in addition to adding freshness and creativity to a brand, also bring commercial, social and cultural benefits. There are couless examples of collaboration in the fashion world. What is your favorite collaboration? Expand the examples of this article.
