Fashion Collaborations That Got People Talking in 2022
The idea of working in silos in the fashion industry is dead and gone. Fashion houses have teamed up with artists, celebrities, and other brands from different ends of the spectrum for over a decade and have proven the value of these collaborations financially, creatively, and publicly.
This year, the lineup included more luxury and sportswear collaborations, an interesting three-way tie-up between fast fashion, luxury, and music, and a “swap” between two major luxury fashion houses. Utilizing search data, we took a look at some of the most buzz-worthy collaborations to debut so far in 2022:
Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1”
Sizing: 33.24%
Before the untimely passing of Louis Vuitton’s late menswear designer Virgil Abloh, he had teamed up with Nike to create 47 pairs of the classic sneaker to mark the Air Force 1’s 40th birthday. The first nine colorways of the collaboration, ranging from mid to low tops, dropped on 19 July on Louis Vuitton’s website via a lottery-like system.
Each design will carry Abloh’s signature acclaimed quotation marks on the midsole and laces (“Air” and “Lacet”). Some of the highlights include an all-gold monogrammed version, a sleek black suede one, and a graffiti damier.
The North Face x Gucci Chapter 2
Sizing: 22.07%
In the second installment of this partnership, both brands looked to the past for inspiration, reworking TNF classics, and Gucci staples. The result was a 130-piece retro collection for both men and women that included jumpsuits, tracksuits, and belt bags.
Rooted in The North Face’s 90s outdoor aesthetic, the pieces are both utilitarian and stylized in the iconic Gucci “GG” prints, as well as the collaboration’s logo, which combines elements from both brands. Beyond aesthetics, utilizing technology and sustainable innovations was also prioritized in this collection, like the use of ECONYL, a regnerational nylon material made from fishing nets.
Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga
Sizing: 16.81%
Kanye West and Gap took their Yeezy Gap collaboration a step further by roping in Demna Gvasalia, the creative director of Balenciaga, to create a brand new collection across the three brands.
The capsule consists of reimagined wardrobe essentials, including denim jackets, hoodies, and baseball caps in shades of black, charcoal, blue and green. The pieces are reminiscent of Ye’s current style, with a touch of Demna’s signature avant-garde looks, but remain very much aligned with Gap’s signature, classic basics. Their 21 July collection landed on IRL shelves for the first time at Gap’s Times Square flagship store, where it was “re-engineered and distilled to its most essential form in Yeezy Gap Engineered By Balenciaga’s vision of utilitarian design.”
Adidas for Prada Re-Nylon
Sizing: 16.25%
Nylon is an essential part of Prada’s history. Miuccia Prada first debuted her now-iconic backpack called the Vela in 1984, and absolutely everyone wanted one. Throughout the 80s and 90s, the brand continued making different types of bags, establishing the humble fabric as one of its key features.
In 2019, the luxury brand and sportswear powerhouse Adidas joined forces to launch the first Re-Nylon collection, an assortment of bags and belts made from regenerated fabric, a material obtained through recycled plastic and textile fiber waste. The latest offerings include reimagined versions of Adidas’ Forum sneakers, a bucket hat, and tracksuit featuring Adidas’ trademark 3-stripes.
Fendace
Sizing: 7.33%
The groundbreaking collaboration between the two Italian houses was first announced in September 2021 on the runway during Milan Fashion Week. Fendi’s artistic director Kim Jones stated in a press release ahead of the Fendace launch: “It’s a swap rather than a collaboration, and most of all, it is done out of friendship.”
The partnership comprised of two different collections: Donatella Versace’s Fendi by Versace and Kim Jones’ Versace by Fendi collection. Both collections featured ready-to-wear pieces, handbags, footwear, and other accessories and fused both brands’ logos and motifs, and iconic pieces, including Fendi’s signature double-F logo and Versace’s Baroque print.
LOEWE x Spirited Away
Sizing: 4.3%
Following the brand’s partnership with animation studio Studio Ghibli for it’s capsule collection inspired by the 1988 film, My Friend Totoro, the Spanish luxury brand is back with a second collaboration with the studio. This time, inspired by their classic, acclaimed film Spirited Away.
The selection brings the film’s iconic characters, like Chihiro, Yubaba to no-face spirit Kaonashi, to life through handbags, scarves, small leather goods, and other novelty items. Perhaps an homage to the studio’s origins and the country’s influence on animation, LOEWE also ties in pieces inspired by “boro”, a traditional Japanese practice of reworking and repairing textiles through piecing, patchworking, and stitching.
Any upcoming fashion collaborations you’re excited about? Let us know in the comments, or reach out to anurag.banerjee@quilt.ai.
