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journalism → support → readers
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we → purchase → commission
When I went to New York for the unveiling of a high-profile fashion collaboration recently, colleagues and friends asked which two brands had teamed up.
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brands → go → collaboration
Without fail, the answer surprised them — Lululemon and Ganni.
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answer → surprise → them
Were the patron saint of leggings and the doyenne of Copenhagen cool really jumping into bed together?
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saint → jump → bed
Each may be a master of their own game, but what could they achieve by joining forces, other than a nice marketing moment?
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they → achieve → moment
Rather a lot, as it turns out.
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it → turn → ?
When we descended into the Williamsburg basement Lululemon and Ganni had decked out in leopard print for the glitzy launch event, the collection that awaited us achieved something all too rare in the saturated world of fashion collaborations.
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that → descend → collaborations
The pieces were at once familiar and fresh, creating something greater than the sum of their parts.
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pieces → create → parts
There were riotously loud leopard-print leggings, slouchy track jackets with little feminine frills and super-soft, sweat-wicking 1980s-inspired sweatshirts that hung off one shoulder Flashdance-style.
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that → be → shoulder
Alexa Chung’s Reformation collection feels so right, it’s hard to believe this is the first time it’s happened
As Ganni founder Ditte Reffstrup succinctly put it: “When a collaboration is good it puts a smile on your face because you can see both brands.
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you → feel → brands
Lululemon’s creative director Jonathan Cheung, meanwhile, called it “a surprise collaboration but not a surprise”.
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director → call → it
Together, they seem to have got to the core of what makes a successful collaboration: something bold yet intentional, with pieces that feel all the more covetable because they “shouldn’t work” but do.
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they → seem → pieces
Little wonder much of Lululemon x Ganni is now sold out — the most surefire marker of commercial success.
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much → sell → success
Here was a beloved, nostalgic piece of M&S history being resurrected to unite with a cult label known for gender-neutral silhouettes and graphic designs.
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piece → resurrect → silhouettes
But anyone who wasted time being confused by the partnership on launch day will have missed the now sold-out pieces, including a leather iteration of an M&S lime green carrier bag that was gone in moments.
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that → waste → moments
M&S is on something of a collaborative roll this year, no doubt emboldened by the success of repeated collections with designer Bella Freud, who brought her signature irreverent knits to the fashion halls of the high street giant.
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who → embolden → giant
The Aries moment was followed by an underwear collaboration with Coco de Mer.
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moment → follow → Mer
Suffice to say this London-based brand deals in lingerie that’s a little more risqué than your average pair of M&S pants.
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that → suffice → pants
And yet, it works, partly because it gives consumers a premium product at a far more accessible price point.
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it → work → point
It will be interesting to see what M&S does next and whether it can retain the all-important element of surprise and avoid diluting its core product line.
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it → see → line
With an experimental mood taking hold, some trusty established partnerships have come and gone without much fanfare.
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partnerships → take → fanfare
Victoria Beckham’s latest for Gap, for one, gave the sense that this particular partnership may have run its course.
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partnership → give → course
It feels like there’s always a Hunter or Barbour collab going on, but the frequency means some really great ones, such as Paul Smith Loves Barbour, don’t get the attention they deserve.
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they → feel → attention
JW Anderson for Uniqlo, in contrast, now feels like part of the furniture but no less great for its familiarity.
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Anderson → feel → familiarity
Perhaps it needs to play it safe to allow Anderson to work on everything else he has going on, including Dior, his own eponymous brand and a recent collaboration with Ugg.
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he → need → Ugg
The latter gave us bizarre-looking “loafer boots” as well as a penny loafer-inspired take on Ugg’s slip-on Tasman style that has sadly sold out.
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that → give → style
Sometimes, this is merely a big name fronting a campaign, but a special few exceptions come from the Kate Moss for Topshop school of collabs.
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exceptions → front → collabs
This year’s big hitter is Alexa Chung for Reformation, a collection that feels so right, it’s hard to believe that this is the first time it’s happened.
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it → feel → Reformation
The 30-piece edit looks how you might imagine a savvy wardrobe department would dress Chung in the film of her life; there are lace-trimmed Prada-esque co-ords, insouciant slips and rich velvet separates, but also logo tees and straight-leg jeans.
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department → look → life
It works because Chung has a singular sartorial aesthetic and it fits perfectly with Reformation’s.
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it → work → Reformation
She says she also called on a few external reference points.
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she → say → points
“I was reminded of Kirsten Dunst in the 2000s, and the purple strapless dress [from the collection] really feels like a nod to that era,” she says.
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she → remind → era
“I would be lying if I didn’t say I also looked at a lot of images from Sex and the City.
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I → lie → Sex
It’s elegant, relaxed and effortless, but I think in winter we need that pop of colour to keep things from looking too drab.”
That’s another crucial ingredient in a great collaboration: thoughtful, timely design.
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That → ’ → collaboration
Without that, any partnership is doomed to insignificance.
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partnership → doom → insignificance
The Aporia
