Over the years fashion, possibly more than any industry other than music, has produced some of the world's most talked about collaborations, though not always for the right reasons.
With the rapid evolution of streetwear from being reserved for hip hop's elite to becoming de rigeur for basically everyone, collaborations have become an effective way for brands to target mass audiences without diluting their brand. Once looked down upon by fashion insiders, the high street is now the go-to for trend-led affordable pieces and high-end fashion brands have become quite savvy in developing mutually beneficial relationships.
And it's worth noting that this doesn't always mean a collaboration between two fashion brands, collaborations with celebrities are a near-daily occurrence while some brands look elsewhere (e.g. home furnishings) to extend their reach.
Some collabs result in sheer genius, others in disaster. I'm somewhat obsessed with the phenomenon so I decided to write about 9 of fashion's most WTF collaborations - or at least 9 of my favourites - the good, the bad and the hideous. Buckle up.
When Kenzo was confirmed as the most recent H&M designer collaboration, the twittersphere seemed more excitable than usual. While previous collaborations such as Versace, Karl Lagerfeld and last year's Balmain have been a sort of novelty for the brands from the upper realms of the fashion stratosphere to create high street clothing (emulating but of course never quite matching the aesthetic or quality of their own designs) this collab could be one to break the mould.
And there it is - another menswear micro-season wrapped up. We've seen 70s hippies at Moschino, 90s psychedelia at Gucci, naked kings at Commes des Garçons, British heritage marrying Parisian elegance at Dior and a celebration of the British seaside at Topman Design. What a trip!
While this has probably been the best set of collections I've seen in years, there's still a long way for menswear to go when it comes to experimentation and boundary pushing.
Here, I've pulled together some of my favourite looks from some of my favourite brands which deserve shout out for showing something different, playing around with proportion, print and generally being less conservative and more experimental. Something the world is in dire need of - bravo!
African-inspired prints, perfect pattern clashing and global jet-set chic at Louis Vuitton (Kim Jones I love you please dress me every day k thanx bye)
