Who doesn’t love a good mash-up? In fashion especially, it seems you can hardly call yourself a designer if you don’t collaborate with other brands. Back in 2004, Karl Lagerfeld joined forces with H&M to introduce this new and exciting kind of fashion collection — one that’s luxury but also accessible. In 2019, H&M’s most sought after collaboration was with Italian designer Giambattista Valli. Whether they are explosively cool or confusingly unexpected or both, fashion collaborations have been the best thing about 2019 for us fashion fans. Here are our favourite picks.
The coolest
Alexander Wang x Bulgari
Headed by the ultimate cool girl Hailey Bieber, the Alexander Wang x Bulgari collaboration combined edgy urban fashion with high jewellery and handbags — everybody was obsessed.
Marc Jacobs x Peanuts
What do you get when two iconic American pop culture brands come together? Something extremely cute, it turns out.
Stella McCartney x The Beatles
It’s the first time ever that a band has agreed to a fashion collaboration. Of course, it must have helped that Stella McCartney is the daughter of one of the band members. The ‘All Together Now’ collection is key example for why fashion collaborations can turn into something meaningful.
The craziest
Dior x Rimowa x Dom Perignon
Ready to rock our world in 2020, this is a collaboration between not two but three brands — all from different categories too. This triple threat featuring an haute couture house, a luggage company, and a champagne label is one of the craziest and most anticipated capsule collections announced this year.
IKEA x Virgil Abloh
Here’s a double act that made us do a double take. Essentially a collaboration between Off-White and the Scandinavian furniture company IKEA, it’s making us feel all futuristic and philosophical about our home decor. Millennials, be prepared to add a few special “Rugs” and “Chairs” editions to your abode.
Mulberry x Acne Studios
An unlikely match, as any fashionista would know. But crazy and unexpected doesn’t always mean bad results. In fact, we were more than pleasantly surprised at how cool the Mulberry x Acne Studios bags look. It’s a combo of quality heritage leather goods and cutting edge urban fashion — why has this collaboration not happened before?
The most fabulous
Rita Ora x Giuseppe Zanotti
Both known for their head-turning glamour and bold character, Rita Ora and Giuseppe Zanotti teamed up to produce some statement-making heels earlier this year that were both sassy and sophisticated.
Giambattista Valli x H&M
This list could never be complete without mention of the already much-mentioned Giambattista Valli x H&M collaboration. One of the biggest talks of the town this year, the collection has made the Italian brand’s signature tulle dresses and bold voluminous frills more accessible than they’ve ever been before. Unsurprisingly, the collection sold out online within a day.
Chanel x Pharrell Williams
American songwriter and record producer Pharrell Williams and his Chanel love got us here. And the fact that he’s the brand ambassador for the Gabrielle bag, and has appeared on the runway several times over the years is an added plus. The highly-anticipated Chanel Pharrell capsule collection was a winner and we couldn’t have asked for a better collaboration in 2019.
Masaba x Amrapali
When tradition and whimsical meet, it’s chaos of the good kind. We’re talking about the coolest collaboration of the year with quirky designer Masaba partnering with Amrapali. The Ghana Ghana, a new collaborative jewellery collection is inspired by the Akan tribe from West Africa. With 200 pieces in the showcase each with a unique design, it’s impossible to resist this collection. There are motifs of the tribe such as turtles, crocodiles, tribal dolls, vases, pots, and masks merged with signature Masaba motifs like palms, cameras, cows, and candies – so rooted in tradition but modern.
Karl Lagerfeld x Cover Story India
The legendary Karl Lagerfeld has collaborated with the German fashion house and the latest collaboration is a line of prêt-à-porter pieces that keeps Indian body types, seasonal, and cultural preferences in mind.
